Just got back from the coast.... *sigh* (Newport, Florence: insurance, camper)

[Bullfr0g]

hello all I am from texas and have recently become obsessed with vacationing on the Oregon coastline. I do not know anyone up there or anyone who has ever been. I am researching what I can online and reading this forum. I have a few questions.. When would be the best time of year to visit? Where should I go to get the most out of my time..see the most. I really have this image of my family and I just being at the beach for like a week but am not sure how to get the most out of this.
Thanks in advance

[Cornerguy1]

Originally Posted by Bullfr0g

hello all I am from texas and have recently become obsessed with vacationing on the Oregon coastline. I do not know anyone up there or anyone who has ever been. I am researching what I can online and reading this forum. I have a few questions.. When would be the best time of year to visit? Where should I go to get the most out of my time..see the most. I really have this image of my family and I just being at the beach for like a week but am not sure how to get the most out of this.
Thanks in advance

Well, BullfrOg, the Oregon coast is a beautiful place with a wide variety of options available, but don't be under the illusion that perspiration is going to be a problem.

Coast temperatures rarely get past the mid 70s and the water temps make for darn chilly swimming.

[haggardhouseelf]

The Oregon coast is certainly vast and varied, wild and beautiful. I love the fact that in all my years of spending time there, I've not once seen someone strutting around half-naked. It's not a itty-bitty-bikini kind of coast. It's a wearing sturdy shoes that are good for hiking and be prepared for all kinds of weather and all kinds of terrain kind of place. It's not a suntan place, it's a wind in your face at times place. It's a kite-flying, watching wildlife, tidepooling, beachcombing, stumbling upon treasures kind of place... among many other things.

You might want to reserve a yurt at one of the many state campgrounds that line the coast. Washburne is my new favorite campsite, but Bandon and Sunset Bay and Nehalem Bay and many, many, others are also wonderful places to stay. Or if you're more a hotel person, The Best Western's along the coast are a comfortable stay at a good price. Use the place you choose to stay as your jump-off point and just go out from there and explore. HWY 101 goes north and south, up and down the coast, and as you drive it you'll see signs that tell you where you can turn in and access the beach. Most campsites and hotels on the coast, though, have trails that will lead you right to the beach, so it is possible to park your car and never get back in it again until it's - sadly - time to go home.

There is an Oregon Coast magazine that you might try googling... as well as many websites dedicated to the coast. Sunset magazine is also a good resource - look for the Pacific Northwest edition. And your local library or amazon.com should have lots of books for you. Find a good field guide for the Oregon Coast and that should help you. We have a lot of amazing wildlife and trees and plants and things here that Texas doesn't have. (I'm a native Texan, I moved away in 2003.) If you're the curious type, a field guide will help you identify what you're bound to see a lot of when you come to visit. When I first moved here, I felt like I was a foreigner in my own country at times. I felt so happy here, and so welcomed and at home, but just so in awe of everything. It's so amazing, the stuff you find here... the best thing you can do probably is to read all you can about this place before you come. Then once you're here... just be open to the adventure.

[darjoh]

I just had to write something...

Being here in Newport, and it is June 4th.... Where is the sun? I think the last time I seen it was Friday May 29th.

Now that's S.A.D.

[tiffela74]

yeah, its been pretty overcast the last few days...on the flip side though, its been really really mild, where as I keep hearing stuff like "SEVERE WEATHER WARNING" and "TORNADO LOOKOUT" (tornados!?!!)......70mph winds, 1inch diameter hail, flooding etc. yet here, i just got back in from walking the dogs, just in a longsleeved shirt, no jacket, it wasnt rainy/misty/wet, and to tell about the wind today, well, the empty bubbles container my kiddos left on the deck railing is still sitting there....
so yeah, overcast, but no storms here.

[Silverfall]

I think the best time to visit the coast is in September. Not sure why, but we always seem to hit really great weather then.

Yes...you need to bring sweatshirts and often polar fleece for our coast. Yes...we call it the coast and not the beach. Beaches tend to conjure up images of bikinis and such...

Not a lot of those out here.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

I think the best time to visit the coast is in September. Not sure why, but we always seem to hit really great weather then.

Yes...you need to bring sweatshirts and often polar fleece for our coast. Yes...we call it the coast and not the beach. Beaches tend to conjure up images of bikinis and such...

Not a lot of those out here.

Yes, I agree that September and October can be the perfect Oregon coast months. The weather has been crazy, though. Yesterday a tornado watch near Salem!? A guy who has lived in the valley for 60 years said he has never seen that kind of weather here. I have seen people wearing bikinis on the beach, but mostly they are blue (not the bikinis). We are a sweatshirt and Birkenstock/Reebok kind of beach, mostly. I like it that way!

[haggardhouseelf]

There was a hwy closed (Santiam pass?) due to fallen trees... We are in Eugene and the schools would only allow children to walk home with parents permission (my son had to call home before he was allowed to ride his bike home). Schools in Harrisburg I heard were on "lock down" due to the weather.

I thought I was back in Texas there for a minute!

[darjoh]

Originally Posted by darjoh

Being here in Newport, and it is June 4th.... Where is the sun? I think the last time I seen it was Friday May 29th.

OK, I think I seen the sun (that big bright thing in the sky) for about an hour or two yesterday. I may have even had my sunglasses on for about 10 minutes while driving.

So the count continues. 11 days without a reasonable amount of sunshine.

[haggardhouseelf]

We're camping on the coast for Father's Day weekend - I'll try to remember to bring some sunshine with us!!