Our Last Weeks in Oregon - Cape Blanco and Brookings

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We wrap up our stay along the Oregon coast with a couple more stops. The first being Cape Blanco State Park. We have heard many good things about this place so we figured we owed it to ourselves to check it out first hand. The park is set back off of US 101 about five miles or so on a cape that juts out into the Pacific. The campground is just before the beautiful lighthouse that is built at the edge of the bluff. Several websites and  tourist guides state this is the most westerly point in the lower 48. It is one thing for a restaurant to claim it has the best burger or a pizzeria stating their pizza is ranked number one - that's called marketing. But we have been to Cape Flattery in Washington state which also makes this claim. Which one is right? Well it's not even a close call that may be subject to interpretation. Using Google Earth as my source, I find Cape Flattery to be roughly 10 miles further west than Cape Blanco. Had it been a few hundred feet, I might be willing to call it a draw. I guess the local tourist industry can be credited with good marketing because while we were here, we overheard somebody on a phone call saying how they went to the most western point in the lower 48 at Cape Blanco. I resisted the urge to interrupt and correct her!

The campground here does not take reservations. We had no problems getting a site coming in midweek during off season. It was a bit more crowded than we may have expected but we found a nice private site and got setup. The weather forecast was not looking too promising so we paid for 4 nights. There was no television reception here but with the cellular booster, we had reasonable signal. There is water and 50 amp electric at each site but no sewer hookup. In fact the dump station on the way in is closed but your receipt will permit you to dump at another Oregon state park. There are a couple campground host sites and four lighthouse volunteer sites which fortunately have full hookups. I doubt they would get any volunteers otherwise.

Rough Seas at Cape Blanco

We had passed through the town of Bandon just north of here. Supposedly it has a cute downtown area that is nice to stroll around. We head there on our first full day, but we discovered the weather forecast was right, it was raining pretty good. Even with rain coats and hats, we found it wasn't a lot of fun to window shop so we found a library to refresh our video selections and then stopped for groceries.

The following day was much better so we headed out to the lighthouse while we could. The winds were whipping up the waves but the lighthouse is up a couple hundred feet on a bluff so you get a commanding view of the ocean with no chance of a "sneaker" wave catching you off guard.  The lighthouse is still in operation and the volunteers give tours up in the tower for a whopping $2 per person. Being this late in the season, the couple that provided our tour had their stories well memorized. They provide lots of insight to the history of it as well as the various lighthouse keepers that used to live out here in this desolate spot. With automation, the concept of a keeper is just a distant memory. We got to talking with the couple about their RV travels. At the end of October, this assignment ends and they head just a little bit south for another 1 month "job". I suppose if we ever wanted to do some volunteer assignment, this might be a neat one to try.

Sign with Lighthouse in Background

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Lamp Through Fresnel Lens

On a geocaching tangent, back in August, Geocaching Headquarters announced something called "virtual rewards". It is a program to allow a limited number of virtual caches to be created. For the non-geocacher, a virtual cache is one that has no physical container with a log for someone to find and sign. Instead the cache owner asks the finder to email them with the answer to some sort of question that can be found at the location and hopefully cannot simply be "googled" to prevent armchair finds. In the early days of geocaching, a virtual cache was a way to have a cache at a location where a physical cache was inappropriate or not permitted. Apparently hiders were coming up with all sorts of lame virtual caches so they were no longer permitted to be placed back in 2005 - well before we even started to cache. Existing virtual caches were grandfathered but no new ones have been created in over a decade.

Geocaching HQ came up with an algorithm to rate cache owners. It is unclear what the criteria was for this rating but likely had something to do with owners placing creative caches and maintaining them. They favored quality over quantity of hides. Then the top 1% of the cache owners were selected and awarded the privilege of placing a virtual cache. When we first heard of the program, we thought it sounded like a great thing and how it would be fun to be able to place a virtual cache. We never imaged we would be selected, but when we checked email the following day, we found a virtual reward had been bestowed on us! When I checked with several geocachers back in Rochester, it seems there were several others that were given one as well - a good showing for western New York.

We realized that we likely wouldn't make it back to the Rochester area in time to place our virtual in that area given there is a one year limit on placing it. So since August, we have been keeping our eyes open for an ideal location to bring people. As we walked around the grounds of this lighthouse and saw the incredible views offered from here, we realized this might be the location. But we needed to come up with a something the cacher determine while on site that couldn't be determined remotely. The volunteers had pointed out an interesting feature inside the lighthouse building that most people wouldn't even notice. Maybe we could use that? Well it turns out the lighthouse itself is only open April thru October and even then only certain days and hours. So having the verification step require entry to the building would be too limiting. One is permitted to walk the lighthouse grounds during daylight hours so we looked over the outside of the lighthouse for some sort of feature that we might be able to use. We even asked the volunteers to see if they were aware of anything. Eventually we came up with something a cacher could count on site that we suspect wouldn't be discovered online.

I contacted the local geocache reviewer to verify there were no issues with placing a virtual cache here at the lighthouse. After receiving an optimistic response, we decided to go ahead and create the cache page hoping to get it published before we left the area.  After one small correction, we managed to get required approval. Here is the link to the cache. Cape Blanco Lighthouse Virtual Cache If you are a cacher and make it to the area, stop by Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

Another place we checked out was the Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum. There is a retired lifeboat on the grounds and one of the buildings houses the museum. We were greeted by the volunteers that are also RVers working there.. We took a short tour of the museum and then ended up chatting with the volunteers until it was closing time. With some daylight left and decent weather, we headed out to do a short loop trail behind the  museum. There are a couple caches and it was also a very scenic view.

Lifeboat

Inside Museum

Nellies Cove Near Lifeboat Museum

We experienced two days of bad weather. One day included heavy rains and gale force winds. We had kept our foul weather gear when we moved into the motorhome but other than using the raincoats from time to time, we hadn't needed the rain pants or knee high boots yet. Well this was the time to locate them and try them out. There were a few geocaches in the park within a quarter mile of the campsite. We were able to follow a trail in the woods for much of the walk so it wasn't very windy, just wet. But the hiding spot was on a bluff, out in the open, overlooking the Pacific. It was next to impossible to even walk out to the hiding spot let alone look for the cache. We lasted about a minute but had no luck so we moved onto a different cache. This one also turned out to be in a very exposed location but we managed to find the container, then took it back into the tree cover to open and sign the log. I guess this makes us serious geocachers? I suspect Chris would use another term.

We decided to stay a few more days since the weather looked to get better and there were things we wanted to see and do in the area we hadn't gotten to yet. On the morning after the rains, we headed south to try the hike up Humbug Mountain in a state park named after the mountain. It is a 5.3 mile hike with nearly 2400 feet of elevation gained. After the first mile of climbing, you hit the loop portion of the trail and have the option of the east or west side of the loop. We knew we would do the loop so it was just a matter of which direction would be the uphill portion. We picked the west side because it was a little bit shorter which would make it the steeper path. We have found it is easier for us to go up steep and possibly wet trails than come down them. It worked out well and other than the hike being a good workout, it was a pleasant walk. Along the way there are glimpses of the ocean thru the trees. There is a short spur trail that leads to the peak and since we had come this far, we knew we had to finish it. There is a bench but the view isn't the greatest since there are quite a few trees in the way. Heading down the east portion of the loop was a piece of cake. The whole trail was in remarkably good shape given all the rain over the last couple days.

View Along Humbug Mountain Trail

On the last full day here, we had some more good weather so we picked out another hike just a bit north of our camp. Blacklock Point trail starts at the Cape Blanco Airport and follows the fence line for a bit before becoming more scenic. It is a 4+ mile hike but is relatively flat with only a few hundred feet of elevation change. With all the rains, we did run into some large puddles, but they must be here often enough because they all seemed to have side paths in the woods around them. It is easy to tell when we are nearing the coast. The roar from the constant crashing of waves carries quite a distance into the woods. There are a couple different great viewing spots at the point. I even managed to get Chris to head partway out one narrow path the goes pretty much out to the tip of the headland.

Blacklock Point

Sitting on Blacklock Point

Mushroom Along Trail

From here, we head north up the trail towards Floras Lake. We get in another half mile or so to search for a supposed former post office. Our Garmin had the point of interest listed but after wandering off trail for a bit, we saw no indication of a former structure or foundation. We later discovered that the town of Lakeport had been a real place in the early 1900's but was short lived and by 1915 it had closed down the post office. I guess a century of weather right on the Pacific coast took its toll on the old buildings. The complete hike was an easy one and worth it to get the isolated views from the Blacklock Point.

Windswept Tree on Coast

Foamy Surf

We still had one more place to visit before we head out. The Hughes house is just down the road from the lighthouse. It was built by one of the early lighthouse keepers back in the late 1890's. Volunteers give tours of the beautiful house and tell all sorts of stories about the people that lived here in the early years. 

Hughes House at Cape Blanco

Nice Guest Bedroom

Old Washing Machine

Our week in Cape Blanco seemed to go fast and even though we had room in our holding tanks, we decided to not extend a couple more days but head south to our last stop in Oregon - Brookings. The plan is to stay at the Elks Lodge. There were only a few other rigs here and we managed to get one of the two pull thru sites. They have 50 amp electric and water and a dump station. They even had wifi that was halfway decent. It is a nice lodge with a good view overlooking town and the ocean. We decided to treat ourselves to the fish and chips dinner they were having that first night. After dinner, we had a couple beers and sat and talked with a local member trying to get some ideas of any special local things we had to see. We also learned that this was right next to a fire we had been hearing about most of the summer. The Chetco-Bar fire ended up consuming over 190,000 acres mainly to the east of town although several of the lodge members did lose their homes from this fire. I'm just glad we didn't try to visit here a couple months ago.

The drive down US 101 had taken us past many different pullouts. Some are just there to let people stop for the view. Others are parking areas for various trails along the way. We headed north from town on the first day to explore some of the things we had heard were worth it. Our first stop was part of Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor - Whaleshead Picnic Area. It was fun to explore along the rocks and sandy beach as the waves were coming in. Then we headed up a pretty steep trail to get to a nice viewpoint overlooking this area of the coast.

Another stop was Arch Rock viewpoint. As we have come to expect, there are numerous sea stacks along the Oregon coast but this one is unique in that it has a huge arch eroded into it. In another thousand years or so, it might end up being just two singular sea stacks, but right now the arch is pretty impressive. Plus there are some great views of the coast from this stop.

View from Arch Rock Viewpoint

Another Nice View

We also stop to hike down a portion of the Oregon Coast Trail to Secret Beach. We started at the Thunder Rock Cove viewpoint which wasn't all that great probably due to the late afternoon sun glare. The hike down to the beach isn't all that long, probably less than a mile, but the last portion is steep. Like many of the coastal features, tide conditions are critical. Sometimes high tides are better for things, but in this case, Secret Beach can only be explored at low tide. We got there as the tide was coming in. I managed to get down to the sand and checked out the nearby waterfall but wasn't able to do much more. It was a nice hike and recommend you check it out if you're in the area.

North End of Secret Beach

South End of Secret Beach

Tide Coming In

There were lots of hiking trails we likely would have tried out in the national forest land east of town, but this area is closed right now from the Chetco Bar fire. I suspect that many of the geocaches that were hidden up there have been destroyed as well. We did find that Alfred Loeb State Park was not impacted by the fire and is just west of the closed areas. We head there to do some hiking. The trail we pick follows along the western bank of the Chetco River. It was a nice trail with only a couple other people out using it while we were there. Heading north, in less than a mile we exit the state park and enter national forest land. It is there we try out the Redwood Nature Trail. The loop is just over a mile long with a few hundred feet of elevation change. It was our first hike in redwoods in decades. We have seen our fair share of huge trees in Washington and Oregon this past summer but these proved to be even more impressive - at least from a height standpoint. We try to continue up the road further into the national forest but alas the road is closed in less than a mile.

Along Bank of Chetco River at Loeb State Park

Chris Poses with Redwood

Bridge Over Creek on Nature Trail

We head back into Brookings and go to Harris Beach State Park. We start out by taking the trail up to Harris Butte. It is a short but steep trail to a fenced in overlook. Given the drop off, I suppose the fence is a good idea. The views were quite nice although there is a marine fog way out over the ocean.

View from Harris Butte

View of Harris Butte

Next we head back down to the beach and sit to enjoy the sights and sounds of the waves crashing. As we started to walk to a different section of the beach, the fog layer rolled in and even the largest sea stack just off the shore completely disappeared from view. With the low visibility came some pretty chilly temperatures as well. We decided to just pack it in and head back to camp.

Pacific Coast at Harris Beach State Park

The next day was still a bit foggy but wasn't raining so we packed up the car and headed south to Crescent City California. It is only about 30 miles south of Brookings. The thing we hadn't realized is California has agriculture checkpoints on the way into the state. It was a pretty quick stop only being asked if we had any citrus. They didn't care about our bananas. We stop at the visitor center for the Redwood National and State Parks in downtown. The woman at the desk was extremely helpful. Once we told her we had several weeks to spend in the region, she was able to give us the full description of what we should visit. I suspect most people stopping by, tell her they have a few hours or a day to spend. With several marked up maps and brochures, we decide to check out the lighthouse in town before heading to see the redwoods.

Battery Point lighthouse is just a short drive from where we are. As we come down the trail from the parking lot, we realize that visiting this place requires timing the tide. The tide is going out but we still have a couple hours before it is low tide. As we watch the waves come and go, there appear to be brief moments when you would get wet shoes, but other times when it would be downright dangerous to try to cross. The waves come from both the left and right sides of the path. At one point, a big wave snuck in and the handful of us assessing the situation were forced to run back. I guess the signs we have seen from time to time along the coast about "sneaker" waves and not turning your back on the ocean are good advice. We decide to skip the lighthouse with the hopes of making it back at some better time but that never happens.

Google Earth View of Battery Point Lighthouse at High Tide

From a Distance

Another Battery Point Lighthouse View

One of the recommended drives was to head into Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park on Howland Hill Road. The road starts out paved and not particularly scenic, but as we start to drive up and up on all the switchbacks, the road gets narrow and becomes gravel. There are only a few stretches that seem a bit like driving on moguls. The real change is when you realize you are winding your way through hundreds of some of the largest trees we have ever experienced. At times the road is definitely one lane especially when you are forced to skirt by one of the behemoths. For the most part the traffic wasn't bad and since everyone is driving slowly we didn't run into problems. There are several pullouts that are apparently used to access several of the trails that wind through the woods.

Along Howland Hill Road

Large Redwood in Foreground

Today we stop at Stout Grove. This is more than just a small pullout. There is a parking lot, restroom and even a geocache nearby. The place was quite popular and we got one of the last legal parking spots. The trail is only six tenths of a mile and is reasonably flat. The trees in this grove are astounding. I swear all the visitors are walking with their heads tilted back and looking up. A stark contrast to what has become normal - people walking while looking down at cell phones. The trees are huge at the base and I found it difficult to get pictures that exhibit this fact. And as I write this, there aren't even words to describe them. They must be visited in person to truly experience them. Probably even more impressive are how tall the trees are. Many are approaching 300 feet. No matter how far you tilt your head back, you really can't even begin to see the tops.

Large Burnt Stump at Stout Grove

Chris Poses with Large Roots of Redwood

From here we continue driving north east on Howland Hill Road and eventually run into US 199. We stop at another visitor center and stamp our national park passport since this area is a joint state and national park. From here we continue west with a stop to do a couple other loop trails thru the redwoods. The Hatton Loop trail is about half a mile long and we had this trail to ourselves. Across the highway is the Simpson-Reed and Peterson Memorial loops. Combined these are roughly a mile loop. What we find interesting is that many of the toppled over giants are just as fascinating as the living ones. They provide a glimpse at the root structure or a possible burl that had formed a hundred feet up the tree but is now at eye level.

Fallen Redwood Still Towers Over Our Heads

We have started to get accustomed to the foggy, cloudy, misty weather along the Oregon coast. At this time of year, it's just a fact of life. At least it isn't the nearly constant rain they get in the winter months. We head out for another hike on a blustery day hoping to not get too wet. The "333" trail, so named because the trailhead is near the 333 mile marker along US 101, would probably not have been a hike we would have even discovered. The dozen geocaches along the trail made us realize there is a trail here and they even provided us a way to confirm we were following the correct trail. For part of the hike, we follow the Oregon Coast trail. Other parts are specifically identified as the 333 trail while a good portion of the hike is along the beach. The initial portion of the hike was on a slightly overgrown trail but it wasn't bad. There were lots of twists and turns as we worked our way down to the beach.

Heading Down 333 Trail to Beach

From here we headed north stopping to look for the half dozen caches along the way. We even stopped at a big piece of driftwood to have our lunch before continuing on. The waves seemed especially strong today but we were here near low tide so we had plenty of beach to walk on. The only potential trouble spot was where to turn inland from the beach. There were no noticeable signs or cairns to mark the way. We only knew to turn because of a geocache had been placed nearby to be used as a waypoint to signify where to turn. After a couple of DNFs (did not finds), we slowly made our way up the steep and sometimes slippery trail. By the time we made it back to the car, we had logged over five miles. Not our longest hike but a nice one nonetheless.

Large Waves at Lunch Stop

Interesting Plant

On our last full day before moving on south, we headed right back to Jedediah Smith with the intention of trying one of the more popular hiking trails we had driven past a couple days earlier. The Boy Scout Tree Trail is an out and back trail that covers about 5.4 miles round trip. The trail ends at Fern Falls. From the descriptions we had read, the trail sounded like a winner, and it was. I might say the only problem is that much of the trail has lots of roots. Not just big ones but areas with a tangle of medium sized ones running every which way. With all the tall redwoods, we often would be walking with our heads tilted back and up. The footing was tricky at times and not paying attention to the trail could lead to some slips and falls if not careful. We needed to learn to stop if we wanted to admire the trees.

Chris the Tree Hugger

We only ran into a couple groups of other hikers heading out as we head in. As we approach the end of the trail, we spot the obvious sign to a steep spur trail to the right. The sign reads "B.S. Tree". It is less than a 100 foot detour but well worth it. It takes you to the Boy Scout tree. This is a massive tree - over 23 feet in diameter and over 240 feet tall. It is a "double-stem" coast Redwood. At the base, it isn't obvious there are two trees since they have fused together at ground level. It's not until you look up about 75 feet or so that you see the two trunks continuing on to their own crowns. There is a wooden sign high up on the tree so you don't miss it. Apparently there isn't consensus on how the tree got named the Boy Scout tree but regardless, it is one (or two) impressive tree(s).

Sign on Boy Scott Tree

Chris Gives the Boy Scout Salute

We continue the rest of the way to Fern Falls. Had this been the only interesting thing to see along the hike, we might call it a disappointment. The falls are far from impressive. Even if the water flow had been greater, I'm not sure it would have been worth it. But this hike isn't about the falls, it's about the walk surrounded by all the giant redwoods. We enjoyed our lunch at the falls and then started back. Apparently we beat the rush because we passed by about 15 people heading back to the falls. We had spent a half hour there with nothing but an occasional bird or the sound of a falling maple leaf to distract us. I can see why this hike is a favorite hike in the area.

Lackluster Fern Falls

The Look Down at Fern Falls