One of the main reasons I moved back to Oregon from Colorado was the ocean. I love it so much and too much time away from the crashing waves, quickly changing weather, and scenic hikes makes me go crazy. Bend isn't in the ideal location to access the coast but at least it's not landlocked like Colorado.
Greg and I had a couple days off together (which is rare these days) and I convinced him we needed to do something different. Instead of going to our favorite default beaches, I had a new destination in mind. We put on a good playlist and made it to Sunset Bay by nightfall. Picked out a campsite and Greg set up the biggest tarp I have ever seen. I told him it was unnecessary, but he was sure while we were sleeping the rain would start. Sure enough-we both woke up in the middle of the night to dumping rainfall. Thanks to our tarp, the size of our house, we stayed warm and dry.
The rainstorm wouldn't stop us from having a fun-filled adventure day. I had a plan to stack as many things into the hours of daylight as possible. To start us off, we drove about an hour out of town to Silver and Golden Falls. We hiked amongst the mossiest trees and rocks I have ever seen, to find waterfalls that dropped over one hundred feet! It was a fairies' paradise, if I've ever seen one! With no one around Greg, Iggy and I scampered through the woods, taking in the all the forest had to offer.
Next we drove back to a beach I had seen in a guidebook and found the perfect spot on BLM land to come back in the summer and camp. We even caught some sun breaking through the clouds while Iggy raged the beach and chased flocks of birds. It's rare in Oregon when you find a spot you can actually camp on the beach (we were stoked!).
Initially we had planned to hike the coastline trail from our camp out and back but it was already after mid-day and we weren't going to have time, so we drove to the end and hiked around Cape Arago. One of the beaches was closed for Sea Lion pups being born and we even caught a glimpse of a few (what strange looking animals!). To access the other beach, we hiked down a steep trail and the views were breathtaking; rocky cliffs, big waves, a mix of sun and rain. I loved it! This area of the Oregon coastline is truly unique!
We then checked out Simpson's Reef and were going to tour Shore Acres Gardens but we were too early in the season for anything really to be in bloom. So, change of plans. We parked on the side of the road and did some of the coastline trail we wanted to do in the first place. It was unreal and there were no people in sight (added bonus!).
By this time the sun was setting, the rainstorm was back full throttle and we were getting hungry. So we headed into Coos Bay and went to 7 Devils Brewery. We drank some delicious beers, tried an oyster nitro stout (disgusting haha) and ate some Oregon Coast friend oysters. Then, we wandered over to Shark Bite Cafe and ordered the seafood platter-wanting to get a taste of all the best since we were at the coast. Apparently we didn't read the menu that well and what we received was a thirty dollar plate of all fried food. Not exactly what we were looking for-so next time maybe we will just stick to fish tacos or crab cakes to save us a stomach ache. Oh well, now we know.
Next stop, was our dry tent (thanks Greg for ignoring my scoffs about the tarp) and time to hit the sack. Both exhausted and extremely full of IPA's and fried food we all fell asleep to the sound of rain.
Morning came quick, cooked up a veggie scramble with big cups of coffee and drove back to Bend just in time for the both of us to unpack, shower and head into work.
Was the ten plus hours in the car worth it for one day of adventures? Of course! We not only saw some of the best waterfalls I have ever seen, but we have a whole new area in Oregon we know the general outline of so we can come back and thoroughly explore later. There's nothing better than using your free time to see new things!! Sometimes it's good to relax on your days off but I know I never feel fully satisfied with that. I would rather relax in my bed at the end of a great day out adventuring and be tired for a reason.
