We start south from Olympic National Park in NW Washington and follow the coast all the way to Redwoods National Park in northern California before heading inland to other national parks--Yosemite, Sequoia-King's Canyon, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic. Shirley and I travel in a Roadtrek RV so we look for places to camp. There are more campgrounds than you would believe all along the coast. That does not mean it will be easy to find a campsite because they fill up quickly. If you find a place on Thursday afternoon, you probably want to stay until Sunday because finding a replacement for Friday or Saturday night will be nigh unto impossible. A more than reasonable alternative is to go inland to the numerous campgrounds in the coastal mountains.
If you don't camp, you won't worry about that sort of decision but you'll have issues of your own. There are thousands of quaint B&Bs, small inns, chain motels and hotels. What you may have to worry about is finding a place with a Vacancy sign. You'll need to plan ahead and estimate how far you expect to drive each day. This can be another challenge. Estimating how far you drive is mostly a guess at how often and for how long you will want to stop. Don't be in a hurry. There are hundreds of places worthy of your time.
The beaches of northern Washington have great piles of huge driftwood tossed up by gigantic Pacific storms.
This is what I mean by "huge driftwood."
We never feel deprived if we are forced to camp inland.
One of the compensatory delights is the possibility of wild blackberries.
Nobody ever had fresher berries on their French toast.
Fog is a frequent issue.
When visibility is limited, you may want to stop for some cheese curds.
Just a few miles down the road, we bought still more cheese at Blue Heron French Cheese Company. They invited us to stay the night on the property.
The Cape Meares Lighthouse is the shortest on the coast at only 38 feet. But it sits 217 feet up on a cliff so all is good.
The fresnel lens renders the view upside down.
Just as there is more than one Bridal Veil Falls, there is also more than one Haystack Rock.The generic name for all those gigantic boulders out in the water is "seastack."
Yaquina Head Lighthouse, at 93 feet, is the tallest on the Oregon coast. It stands 162 feet above sea level.
When the tide is out, you can go exploring the pools.
Personally, I wouldn't touch any of that yucky stuff.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse--not to be confused with Yaquina Head.
Surfers are pulled along by kites in the almost constant winds.
Heceta Head Lighthouse sits 200 feet up on a 1000-foot high cliff. A trail behind the lighthouse goes up the cliff.
Looking down from the trail.
Wildlife refuges protect seals, sea lions, and sea birds.
Even when campgrounds and hotels are full, it doesn't mean all the beaches are crowded.
Cape Arago Lighthouse is on an island just off the coast.
Coquille River Lighthouse
People who make driftwood doodads and knicknacks love the Oregon coast.
Even people who don't collect driftwood love the Oregon coast.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse is on Oregon's western-most point.
That's another Haystack Rock on the right.
A constant cool breeze off the water makes the beaches popular with kite fliers.
That constant breeze does interesting things to trees.
But I don't think the wind did this.
Battery Point Lighthouse in northern California.
At low tide you can walk out to it.
The Big Tree in Redwoods National Park is 304 feet tall, 1500 years old.
Redwoods are taller than the Giant Sequoias which are more massive.
As Shirley's father would say, "You've seen one big tree, you've seen them all."
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