Carl G. Washburne – Rainforest

Yachats, Oregon

Disclaimer: This post is one of those that ended up being (mostly) written years after the experience was had. While there was a paragraph or two posted way back then with a single photo, there were no other notes taken, so most of what is shared here must be extracted from the images and what memories they may have lent us.

Beautiful Yachats, Oregon, which we should call home in retirement. (Well, that was our thinking in 2008 when things were still affordable up along the Oregon Coast. Nowadays, in 2022, as I’m expanding this post, that dream is no longer possible due to private equity and AirBnB destroying the ability to find affordability in places where big profit can be exploited.)

Devils Churn in Yachats, Oregon

The ferocity of the Devil’s Churn persuaded us that we didn’t need to spend another minute here and that we should just get down the road, or else be trapped for hours while I aim to take the most perfect photo of the chaos.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Having visited so many of these locations on prior outings, we now have a repertoire of places requiring revisits. Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park is one of those destinations in our ever-growing list of must-return-to sites.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

From sand dunes to rocky coastal mountains, the Oregon Coast is a treasure trove for exploration, but here at the Carl Washburne State Park, a lush rainforest is roadside and yet rarely visited. While the opposite side of the road, with its Hobbit trail to the mile-long sandy beach, is popular, the China Creek trail sees few visitors. This works out fine for Caroline and me, for we appreciate the quiet, the solitude, and the solemnity of this overgrown, mushroom and moss-infested forest.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Elk are said to inhabit the area along the trail, but they have remained elusive to us so far; mushrooms, though, are here in abundance.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes. Imagine that these were elephants or unicorns, and there’d be millions lining up to witness the spectacle. Well, lucky us that people don’t find the same enjoyment in the rain forest so it’s all ours.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Or maybe Oregon should import gorillas into these environments, and then the crowds would come, though that would just ruin our pilgrimages to this beautiful little corner of the coast.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Ha, I should point out that this part of the trail isn’t even in the deepest part of the forest yet; that’s still coming up.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Just past these mushrooms.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

And then, blam, you are in the moss-covered three-handled family gradunza. That’s right, if you ever wondered what Dr. Seuss took influence from, this was it.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Our happy place.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

If we were small enough, our happy place might be under this mushroom, but we are giants.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Though not so giant as to compete with the trees.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Nor as big as the sun that shines down these rays into the trees, casting shadows within the fog.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

So, the best we can be are puny people in awe of how incredible not only the place is, but how fortunate we are to realize we can be here to be energized in the magic of light and shadow.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

In Arizona, the spider webs are invisible in our zero-humidity, dry climate, but up here, they are gathers of both insects and dew.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Maybe I’m getting too carried away with the god-ray photos?

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Well then, here’s a salamander taking a break with the green world around it reflected in its eyes.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Wait a minute, have I shared a photo previously of this exact location? Probably, but I’ve also taken a thousand photos of my wife and shared them too.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Not a mushroom but an alien intelligence sent here to observe us.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

I sure have created myself a task I often feel ill-prepared for by adding all of these photos. I’ve endeavored to include a corresponding amount of something to say about each, but that’s difficult, especially considering that I’ve likely written about the general area and impressions a dozen or more times.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Looking back at these memories, I see the forest as it was and still is; Caroline looks almost the same, while I’ve grown thinner and grayer. We still have that green camera bag, Caroline only recently retired that flannel shirt we bought at Euro-Disney in 1992, and she wore at our Las Vegas wedding, and we are still not quite satisfied that we’ve experienced enough of Oregon, and so this November 2022, like so many other Novembers, we’ll be back, likely on this exact trail.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

We’ve often wondered how many of our photos are from essentially the exact same spot. For that matter, how many of these words have been written verbatim time and again?

The Hobbit Trail at the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

After starting the China Creek Trail at the trailhead near the park office and covering the Valley trail, you may cross over Highway 101, where you can choose to hike to Heceta Head Lighthouse or turn right over the Hobbit Trail, returning to the park entrance on the beach (hopefully at low tide).

Hobbit Beach next to Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

This is one of the majestic photos that defy my belief that I captured it. Caroline should chime in here about now and inform me that, in fact, she took it.

[Come on, John, everybody knows that only you take nice photos ^_^  Caroline]

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Hobbit Beach next to Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

Two selfies of us in one post can only mean I’m giving into the nostalgia of things, or maybe I enjoy getting lost in the romantic notion that those two smiling faces have been sharing space in front of the camera for so many years.

Hobbit Beach next to Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park in Florence, Oregon

This guy or gal is an uncommon sight for us to see on a beach in Oregon, especially at this time of year.

Winchester Bay in Reedsport, Oregon

I believe we are at Winchester Bay, which would make sense with our lodging being just around the corner.

Umpqua Lighthouse State Park in Reedsport, Oregon

If this is the Umpqua River Lighthouse, and it is, then we must be staying in yet another yurt because just behind that lighthouse is the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. Apparently, this was our first time staying at this park, as far as the old reservation confirmations I still have in email. We were in yurt C53, and some years later, we stayed in B18, followed in 2019 and 2021 when we stayed in C35, which is the same yurt we’ll be occupying in November 2022.

Whalen Island, Oregon

Near Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

Disclaimer: This post is one of those that ended up being written years after the experience was had. While there was a paragraph or two posted way back then with a single photo, there were no other notes taken, so most of what is shared here must be extracted from the images and what memories they may have lent us.

Moss is the perfect accompaniment to a slow, lazy day where being on a chill plan of just taking things as they come is in order. On one of our excursions up or down the coastal highway, Caroline spotted something of interest, and without the promise of dramatic blue skies over a silvery ocean, we decided to head inland for a change.

Near Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

This narrow road leads us to the Munson Creek Falls State Natural Site. I’m guessing you can figure out what that includes.

Caroline Wise on trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

It includes a Caroline wrapped up in her playfully brightly colored thick beanie and scarf. Well, that’s it for the day; we can go get dinner and return to our yurt to listen to more ocean rolling in onto the shore.

On trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

As though there was no doubt about our season of celebration, we are here at our favorite time of year, fall.

On trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

This is Munson Creek and not the falls.

On trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

More of Munson Creek. If you are wondering about the namesake of the park we are in, the weather wasn’t cooperating to offer me the photo I’d be good with sharing, so you’ll just have to visit this area near Pleasant Valley, Oregon, and see the falls for yourself.

On trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

There was plenty of damp forest and small mushrooms to keep our interest along the short 1/2-mile trail.

On trail at Munson Creek Falls near Pleasant Valley, Oregon

We’re talking about some very small mushrooms and as you can see from the glistening fern fronds, light misting rain that all worked together to create mystery and wishes for even greater quiet in the November solitude.

Near Tillamook, Oregon

The approach of mid-day left us feeling like it was eternal morning.

Tillamook, Oregon

It’s lunchtime when we start moving into the town of Tillamook looking for food, but why consider our options when we know the only possibility is another luxury stop at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company? We picked up a couple of apples at a roadside stand selling fruits and veggies, and before we left Tillamook, we made a stop at Rainy Day Books (now closed), where a recommendation has us leaving with The Long Walk by Slawomir Rawicz describing his escape from Siberia.

Nestucca Bay Yarns in Lincoln City, Oregon

We took a long, slow drive south to Lincoln City so Caroline could get some yarn shopping in at Nestucca Bay Yarns (now closed); scratch this wish list item off the list of things to do.

Clay Myers State Natural Area at Whalen Island, Oregon

As the day winds down, we are driving back up north for another night at Cape Lookout. Reaching the Clay Myers State Natural Area and Whalen Island, we were offered a dramatic sky that hints at it being the best we’ll see of a sunset on this relaxed, almost languid day on the Oregon Coast.

Near Cape Lookout south of Netarts, Oregon

No more owls were spotted overhead, maybe because the fog was too thick.

Near Cape Lookout south of Netarts, Oregon

There may not be a lot to see, but what we do glean is maybe even more enchanting than on a sunny day, which is more common during our visits this far from home than these densely foggy ones.

Cape Lookout south of Netarts, Oregon

Outside the front door of our yurt on the inky dark coastline, we got a fire going to make our dinner. If we had a hot chocolate from Dutch Bros. while we sat there warming by the embers, I can no longer remember, but I’d like to believe we did.

Nehalem Spit

Disclaimer: This post is one of those that ended up being written years after the experience was had. While there was a paragraph or two posted way back then with a single photo, there were no other notes taken, so most of what is shared here must be extracted from the images and what memories they may have lent us.

Early Monday morning, we left our yurt at Nehalem State Park in Oregon for a walk south on the Nehalem Spit.

While I can’t hear it at this time, I just know that these crashing waves were offering their part of the symphony we listen to while strolling the ocean at the water’s edge.

Tree stumps are an invasive species here at the edge of the ocean. Without eradication, they’ll quickly populate the beach and grow a forest, so remember to always report to the local authorities when you spot these intruders.

Emerging from the depths, this jellyfish was plotting the takeover of the human race that is poisoning its beautiful sea.

No, seriously, how cold are you?

Surfer riding a wave into the outlet of the Nehalem River near Brighton, Oregon

Our five-mile trek took us to the mouth of the Nehalem River to find this surfer riding the waves where the river meets the ocean. In the relatively narrow channel, the lone surfer waited patiently, and on a few occasions, while we acted as his unseen audience, he would catch a wave that would propel him far up the channel for a ride that seemed to last a couple of minutes.

As stoked as he must have been, so were we at the solitude and beauty of the ocean-side walk. We spent nearly half of our day here.

Another key part of the orchestra and amazing visuals on offer when tuned to channel Oregon Coast in the Fall.

What was the average direction the wind blew overnight? That way, to the right.

If movie theaters in Arizona offered us high-definition live streams of coastal scenes from the more beautiful locations on earth, we’d grab some popcorn and purchase tickets for a double-feature at least once a week.

Leaving a beach is always difficult for Caroline and often requires her to stop a moment for one last look back at what we are leaving behind.

After some serious time spent walking along the coast today, it was time for a good long drive. We’re passing through Rockaway Beach just doing some sightseeing.

We made it as far as Siletz Bay near Lincoln City, Oregon, before turning around as our lodging is back up north.

Blue Heron Cheese Company in Tillamook is always great for a bite to eat, not just for us either.

On Bayocean Road next to Tillamook Bay, we are taking the scenic route to this evening’s lodging.

That spit of land in the middle of the photo is the site of the town of Bayocean, which is long gone. A hotel, bowling alley, and even a 1,000-seat movie theater were out there. By 1960, the last house was destroyed by a storm, and by 1971, the last remnant of a building was scrubbed from the place that was once home to 2,000 inhabitants.

There’s a lighthouse right out here, but for some reason or other, I apparently forgot to take a photo of it, or we didn’t take the walk.

This is part of the trail to the lighthouse, so why there were no photos just doesn’t make any sense.

The view over Short Beach, south of the Cape Meares Lighthouse, that if you squint hard you might see the tiny speck on the furthest outcropping way out there.

It was only a couple of miles between Short Beach and Oceanside, but we moved at what must have been a nearly imperceptible speed.

Look closely, and you’ll notice the clouds below the sun are the same clouds from the photo above. I’m pointing this out as people frequently comment on how beautiful our photos are, and this, I think, exemplifies the importance of changing your perspective and taking more photos than you can ever use, so you have some favorites to choose from.

Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanside, Oregon, means we are returning to the north so we can check in at the state park before the sun fully disappears for the night.

Hawk-eye John spotted this barred owl perched on a branch in the shadowy forest just over the road. I was certain that as I reversed and pulled over for a better look, he’d fly off, but there he was, seemingly staring as intently at us as we were at him.

Cape Lookout State Park south of Tillamook is the place we’ll be taking up a yurt for another night or two as with this kind of sunset and surroundings, who wouldn’t want to linger just a bit longer?

Fort Stevens to Nehalem, Oregon

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Disclaimer: This post is one of those that ended up being written years after the experience was had. While there was a paragraph or two posted way back then with a single photo, there were no other notes taken, so most of what is shared here must be extracted from the images and what memories they may have lent us.

Sunrise at Fort Stevens State Park on the coast of Oregon is exactly what one would be expected to take advantage of after waking in a yurt that is within walking distance of the shore.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

We were on a short walk before meeting up with the friends we had dinner with last night.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

The wreck of the Peter Iredale that’s been out here rusting away for the past 102 years.

Kirk Millhollin and John Wise at Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Here’s Captain Kirk hamming it up for the camera. thought he’d be cute, but unfortunately for me, I snapped the photo a moment too soon. Just as he approached to give the appearance he was going to lay one on me, I turned my head and gave him a full-on-mouth kiss – with tongue. Yeah, who’s laughing now, Mr. Millhollin?

Update in April 2021: Sadly, Kirk and I had a total fallout back in the middle of 2017 due to circumstances that were complicated due to my wishful thinking and (in large part) my inability to simply deal with funding issues with the company I was running at the time and that Kirk moved to Arizona to be a part of. I don’t believe there can ever be a resolution beyond where we are today, which is totally 100% non-contact. After knowing the guy for 22 years, I often wonder how he’s doing regardless of the circumstances around our parting.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Kirk had wanted to take us out to a small area spit of land on the Jetty Trail near Point Adams, where at other times of the year, he’d found an abundance of mushrooms, the special kind of magic ones that authorities frown upon harvesting.

This amanita muscaria or fly agaric is not one of the ones I was referring to although some claim that they too have mystical properties.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Kirk, Rachel, and the kids needed to head back early to Portland, so Caroline and I returned to our yurt to get a bite to eat and pack up our stuff. Though we weren’t going far.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

We are still at Fort Stevens, except instead of the Pacific Ocean side, we are over on the Columbia River. The ruin is part of an old series of military batteries built over one hundred years ago to defend the Columbia River’s mouth.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

The rusty and crumbling fortified hulks are just the aesthetic I’m in love with.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

It turns out that there’s a guided tour that takes visitors into the underground structures; sadly, we didn’t get to participate in that as we weren’t aware of those tours at the time we were visiting.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Some people go for jewelry and nice clothes; I go for textures and patterns found out and about.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

Near Swash Lake and Jetty Lagoon, just wandering around.

Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, Oregon

While I believe we are somewhere out on the Clatsop Spit and that we are looking at the Columbia River, I could easily be wrong, but we are in the general vicinity of that area.

Astoria, Oregon

A late lunch in Astoria across from the Pilot House Luxury Suite that we’ll never want to afford, though secretly we’d love to.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Cannon Beach, Oregon

What happened to the time between lunch and this late afternoon is lost in memories that cannot be found, but that’s of no real matter because here we are, smiling and happy at Cannon Beach, Oregon.

[I have some faint memories that our friends didn’t actually leave but hung out with us a bit more. We definitely ended up buying a big bag of saltwater taffy in Seaside – Caroline]

Sunset at Cannon Beach, Oregon

Add to the other thousands of memories we have of sunsets along the coast, or is it millions by now?

John Wise at Cannon Beach, Oregon

Yep, it’s so cold out here at the end of the day that even I needed a beanie to keep my ears warm. Did I tell you that Caroline spun and knit this work of love for me?

Sunset at Cannon Beach, Oregon

The iconic Haystack of Cannon Beach at sunset, what could be better than a walk here, even on a chilly late fall day?

We’ll be sleeping in a yurt again this evening down south of Manzanita, Oregon, at Nehalem Bay State Park.

Jutta On The Road – Day 6

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 15 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

As I look back at these photos and consider how it sufficed so many years ago to have a single photo representing an entire day, I cannot believe how far we’ve come regarding bandwidth and storage. Pages were slow to load when overloaded with images, and so in light of that, it seemed perfectly fine to choose a favorite and go with it. Those days were pre-Instagram and social media, even photography had not caught back up in popularity as it had been in the decades before. Now, here I am in 2021, filling in some blanks, and I find it difficult to only choose the 15 images that will now accompany this day spent visiting the Oregon Coast. This was Jutta’s first night sleeping in a yurt, and it wasn’t going to be her last. She loved her “camping experience.” When she needed to visit the loo at night, she nudged Caroline to help her find the facilities, and on the way, they enjoyed the starlit sky.

By the way, it’s been fortunate that I kept nearly all the itineraries I made for these trips. So, in this instance, we were staying at Sunset Bay State Park in Charleston for the bargain price of only $33.

Waking up next to the ocean, it was obligatory that we went for some sightseeing before continuing our trek north.

Our first encounter with the bridges of Oregon had us falling in love with these beautiful structures that add so much character to the coastal drive. This particular one is the McCullough Memorial Bridge in North Bend.

Just this past November 2020, Caroline and I took a tour of this lighthouse once more. We are at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, where we have stopped on every trip we’ve made over the years, and on more than a few occasions, we also stayed in the state park just around the corner.

We’ll never tire of looking through Fresnel lenses, ever. This particular lens has an intriguing pattern of white and red flashes in the dark, a spectacle we are drawn to on every visit.

We finally gave in and visited the Sea Lion Caves, though we had a bit of trepidation that it might be more hype than an amazing spectacle.

Well, two sea lions down in the cave qualified the place as living up to its name, but still, it was just two.

The view from down in the cave, though, is spectacular, even offering a great view of Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Yeah, I know another lighthouse today would have been off the chart, but we had places to be with limited amounts of time. This is the Alsea Bay Bridge in Waldport.

There was no way we’d skip out on a stop at the Blue Heron Cheese Factory in Tillamook for some smoked brie sandwiches, followed by ice cream cones at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I’d guess by now, you can recognize that we’re having a perfect day.

Did some backtracking so we could take Jutta up the hill to another lighthouse. By the way, this view of Bayocean Peninsula Park from the road is now gone as a landslide stopped vehicle traffic. As of 2021, the word is that the road will once again be open.

Cape Meares Lighthouse near Tillamook, Oregon

One lighthouse a day isn’t enough when it’s possible to visit a second. This is the Cape Meares Lighthouse near Tillamook, which is no longer in service. This photo became very special to us this past year as we’d learned that some drunk young men decided to shoot at the Fresnel lens and damage it forever. This image is of the formerly complete and intact lens that had been standing sentry here for more than 120 years.

Three Arch Rocks in Oceanside.

This is my likely very tired and in need of a nap mother-in-law, Jutta. Time is precious to spend with our families, and there will be plenty of time to sleep when she returns to Germany, so my motto was, “Shake a leg, Jutta, we’ve got places to be.”

Our second night in a yurt was at the Cape Lookout State Park for only $33. Over the years, they’ve become more popular and were $57 a night in the off-season last time we stayed in one back in 2019. Tomorrow, we’ll head up to Washington as we continue on this crazy 5,000-mile road trip into the entirety of the western United States.