Oregon Coast! Day One and a Half!

July 6, 2026: After waiting for too long for my forwarded voting ballot to arrive, I finally gave up and left for the coast! All that work to get registered to vote and I don't even get to vote!!

I stopped in Medford for my free windshield wipers, walked downtown Ashland, drove through the surrounding countryside, then headed back north, west, then southwest on Highway 199 into California and up Highway 101. When I arrived in California the temperature dropped from 97 degrees to 85 degrees. Once on Highway 101, the temperature was a cool, clammy 57 degrees. I arrived around 5pm and it was already foggy. My plan is to start at the far southern coastline and work my way up stopping at every beach I can find.

First stop, furthest south over the Californian-Oregon border: Brookings. Eeeewww. Creepy. The population is 6,800 and the homeless percentage is way higher than any place I've ever been! I attempted to find a place to park for the night and encountered debilitated RVs, junky cars, and banged up vans with homeless men staring at me from their sitting spots in the dirt. Hoards of homeless roaming the streets together like feral dogs. I left and headed north. I was told later the closer one is to California, the more drug addicts are living on the streets.

I parked overnight on a trailhead pullout right on Highway 101 called Thomas Creek. It's within the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. The temperature was a cool 57 degrees, but everything felt so wet from the fog. I thought I'd hike down to the water the next day, but I didn't realize how far up on a cliff I was and there is no access to the beach! The trail to who knows where was steep and scary looking! Do I need to break another ankle? No thanks.

July 7, 2026: In the morning a really nice, very clean, white car pulled up and parked. The man in it got out. He looked homeless. Clothes brown with saturated dirt. Very dark, dirty tan and scruffy, long hair. I thought it very strange the dicotomy between his appearance and his car. He went into the woods. 

Soon after I could hear a dog barking like crazy and both the man and the dog came out of the woods. The man kept trying to catch the dog, but the dog was not having it. Beautiful dog and looked well-cared for. The dog came near my van. I opened the side door and tried to get it to come closer. He seemed scared. I had a weird feeling I should not leave my van unattended with that guy around. Another car pulled up and the dog was continuously barking at everyone. Very nervous. I heard the homeless-looking guy say it wasn't his dog. As I left, the new car was calling the authorities on the dog worried it was dumped off. I told them the dog was not here last night and seemed showed up with that white car although I did not see the dog get out of the car. Something was going on there...my instincts said to leave.

I headed north to the next pullout and hiked the trail through the woods. The views through the trees were spectacular even with the heavy cloud cover and fog, but again, I was up on a cliff with no access to the beach or what is known as Secret Beach. (See photo above.)

I continued north and stopped at another lookout with a view of The Arch. Very frustrating not being able to get down to the sand as I've seen photos of people frollicking on these beaches.

Continued north and found Meyers Creek Beach, huge pull-out, and lots of beach! The sun finally came out!!

Stopped at Gold Beach and walked the beach. Didn't take any photos, but I did gather some gorgeous rocks! Lots of dog poop bag dispensers...I use the bags for rocks and shells!

Continued to Sisters Rocks that has a wonderful trail from the highway pullout to the rock cliffs.

Parked overnight on another pullout just north of Sisters Rocks. All night semi trucks would pull in behind me and idle their engines for an hour then take off. So irritating. How can men be so incredibly thoughtless??

And that was the first day and a half!!

Oregon: Central North Central

June 8, 2026: I stayed near Spray on the John Day River. So beautiful. Although I was right on the highway on a huge pullout, it was very quiet all night.

June 9, 2026: Drove to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: Painted Hills Unit. I had no idea if there are really fossils here. At first I didn't even think anything looked painted until I drove around a corner. I hiked up a mountain, but the best views were from down below.

Drove toward Redmond and Madras. The highway there was beautiful and peaceful. I did not pass any vehicles the whole drive. My kind of highway. 

Redmond has a little health food store where I had hoped to replenish my vegtables, but they didn't have produce! Or meat! It's really hard to find good food in these little towns even in Oregon which normally has excellent healthy options.

Madras reminded me of New Mexico with a lot of poverty. Of course my perception was based on the laundromat. It was a convenience store with top loaders, BUT the dirtiest laundromat I've been in so far!! Half the machines were not working. Homeless milling about. One woman couldn't stop following me around and talking to me about her dead mother and all her mother's belongings. I could not wait to get out of there, but I needed to wash my duvet so I could put my new wool blanket into it and hopefully seal its toxic dyes. Laundry in Madras was not a good experience! 

On my way to a campsite that sounded lovely, I initially I started down a 7.5 mile dirty, dusty gravel road and thought, Nope. Not doing this. So I turned around and drove fifty miles northwest to camp again on the edge of the John Day River on BLM land near Clarno. The road in was large gravel/rock with some dust, but not nearly as bad. Very windy! But the sun is out and no chance of rain! Hooray!

It's so gorgeous and quiet here. One camper is farther down the river (they left the next morning). If I wasn't running out of food, I'd stay forever. I'll stay for as long as I can... I hung the wool blanket out in the wind. I don't think that will help, but I don't have enough water or vinegar to handwash it. The gorgeous butterflies are as big as birds.

June 12, 2026: I drove three hours to a Whole Foods today! I was out of food! I couldn't help myself! Sometimes one just needs a glimpse of civilization.

I got up at 5am and headed out hoping to avoid anyone coming in on that one lane gravel road. It worked! Headed to Shaniko. Beautiful, quiet drive. I noticed a mountain. Mt. Hood, I think? Then I glance to my left. Another mountain??!! Then up and over in front of me. Another mountain!! Good lord! I was surrounded. I had to take highway 97 south and found a whole range of mountains! So gorgeous!

As I drove west, Mt. Hood got bigger and bigger. It was shocking to turn a corner in
the Mt. Hood National Forest and come face to face with a gigantic view! I couldn't take photos since I was on a highway! (Someone later told me this is Mt. Jefferson. I have no idea.)

I wandered the streets of Shaniko at 6am. I was here about ten years ago so it wasn't new, but still fun.

After shopping at both Whole Foods and Walmart where I also dropped off my empty Spindrift cans for money (80 cents for 8! We don't have that in Arizona! Republicans don't care about the environment.), I headed south to the Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage Warehouse. Fun! It was filled with millions of antique architectural artifacts! I have to admit, I am now quite repulsed by the stink of musty old wood and mildew/mold now that I've spent so much time in the dryness of Arizona. I can't imagine filling a house with these old items. But it was fun to look:

Love these Black Eyed Susans outside the warehouse.

On the way (I cannot remember which town), I stopped at a car wash. With all the country camping I've been doing driving up and down dirt roads, Big Blue was incredibly filthy and dusty. The car wash looked like any other...all too soon I discovered their soaps are flourescent pink and SCENTED! It wasn't just a mild scent either. I think they must have thrown the whole bottle in when it should have been a tablespoon. I stopped with the soap and rinsed everything off. That was nasty! I don't want the outside of my van to stink!

I've seen four covered bridges so far! They are all over! I always knew this about Oregon and the first bridge I saw was years ago up in the northwest corner. The first one I saw on this trip I accidently and delightfully drove under before I even realized what was happening. The rest so far were just off the highway usually with a line of cars. I always worry Big Blue wouldn't fit as there was one covered bridge in New England that was too short for my van and many of them are very narrow although most are now considered "one lane" so you have to wait your turn. I don't feel the compulsive need to drive over (under?) one, but I like looking at them for some reason. At one bridge today the car in front of me slammed on their brakes to turn, and I almost back-ended them. Idiot tourists.

Next I drove to the McDowell Creek Falls Park and hiked to the four waterfalls. Naturally, I had no idea where I was going so I ended up overhiking. This is Majestic Falls:

I can't even describe how badly I wanted to jump in that pool with sweat pouring off my face! I headed east on highway 20 and stayed overnight at Lava Lake Sno-Park. Very quiet and peaceful night.

June 13, 2026: Headed to the Belknap Springs Resort for some hot springing in the Willamette National Forest. For $12 you can soak for an hour. It was so nice since I haven't had a proper shower for two months or a bath for almost a year! When I got out my old, dead skin was flaking off. There went my tan! It was gross, but now my skin feels so good! Unfortunately, the pool was chlorinated. Eeeewww....they have showers for use, although they weren't very good, mostly cold with a mildewy smell. I asked to see a room (to check if it smelled of mold), but they were full. I was told they don't use air fresheners. I would think being next to a river and having a hot springs just outside might create a mold issue.

After the soak I hiked to the Secret Garden behind the resort and over the river. It was so secret I got lost, of course. Getting lost and overhiking while hiking is expected. It was so cool how it was way out in the woods, hidden and secret! I would love a secret garden just like this one with waterfalls, ponds, and cement pillars tucked into a forest!

Next I headed to Eugene to the Sundance Health Food Store just to check it out. Very nice people in Eugene.  I then drove out on Highway 58. I'm zig-zagging back and forth through the Willamette National Forest just because it's so beautiful. This highway followed the most beautiful teal-colored lake filled with people in boats and paddleboards. It's a busy Saturday.

I stopped at McCredie Park. There is normally a day use fee of $5.00, but today was one of the free days so although I spend my morning sweating, I couldn't help but stop and check out the hot springs-in-the-wild down by the river. OMG! It was HOT! I did not get in. No one else was there. I was honestly afraid I'd get so hot I'd burn myself or I'd pass out and drown and with no one there...well...and what would I do if a bunch of men showed up while I was hot springing? Hmmm...can't be too careful.

The other day I was considering the disadvantages of traveling alone. This was while I was staying at the John Day River. I wanted to go swimming in the river, but there was a cliff. At my campsite someone carved steps out of the dirt so I could have gotten down there and jumped in. But then I wondered is the current too swift? Is there an undercurrent? If I try to get out would the dirt get wet and I'd slip unable to get out? If I drown would anyone find me? How long before someone would wonder why that van has been sitting there for too long? Maybe someone would steal my van and no one would ever even think I had disappeared unless someone found my dead and bloated body downstream...but then how would they identify me? These are questions that run through my paranoid brain when considering safety. The same questions I had when I was staying at the river campground in Montana and wanted to jump off the dock. Then there is hiking alone. Suppose a bear attacks me and carries me off into the woods?  Or I slip off a cliff or even something less life threatening like breaking an ankle alone on a trail and unable to walk miles from the trailhead. It's going to take a long time for anyone to wonder why my van has been sitting there for too long. Someone just might give me a ticket and not even wonder. How long would it take for anyone to wonder where I went? Traveling as a woman alone has it's own special worries. Traveling with someone I would have no hesitation to jump in a river or a hot springs. These limitations often irritate me.

Stayed at the Lake Mary Sno-Park east on Highway 58. I love these Sno-Parks. I'm usually the only person. During the winter between Nov. 1st and April 30th you must buy a "winter pass" but any other time is free to park. Pavement parking which is always better than dusty dirt. The only disadvantage is they are off the highway so until sundown there is some traffic noise. Well, and since they are up on a mountain, internet and cell phone reception is non-existant which is inconvenient. Most of the time I can hook up Starlink, but I don't want to leave it on too long or I run out of gigabytes. 

Mornings can be cold on a mountain before the sun reaches over the pines, so I drove about twenty miles to heat up the van and parked on a highway pullout with a view of Clear Lake while I checked emails and did computer stuff.

Headed to Bend. The Whole Foods in Bend offers free Primo water refills! This is the only time I've ever seen free Primo water refills!! They also sell single cans of Spindrift for about $1.50. Most stores sell singles for $2.50 which is outrageous since you can buy a box of eight for around $6.00.

Then drove straight down to Klamath Falls and then east on Highway 140. I considered staying at a reservoir off Campbell Road, but when Google Maps said "4.5 miles of unpaved" and others warned WASHBOARD! I changed my mind. I headed to the Quartz Mountain Sno-Park where I have spent a night before. I arrived and on a whim I was curious where the road behind the parking lot went as I've seen vehicles come up it. This is how my plans change every fifteen minutes! The very narrow, but paved road twisted for about fifteen miles to Lofton Reservoir in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. On route a bear ran across the road in front of me!! He was brown, small, and quite sprite.

I really had no idea where I was going, how long the road was, nor what to expect at the end of it. That is the true definition of an adventure! The bear sighting was the bonus! I was thrilled to find something so beautiful out in the middle of the wild and I was so tired after a day of driving, I didn't even care it costs $6.00 a night which is pretty cheap for a campground. I was really happy to find out with my National Park America the Beautiful Pass I get a discount so it's only $3.00 per night. Please note, this is only the third campground I've paid for in two years! I bought two very quiet and peaceful nights. Well, other than the hyperactive, twitchy-tailed rodents harassing me constantly. I'm really getting to hate chipmunks. Or "squishies" as I now call them since I ran over that one last year.

The next day was a scorcher at 87 degrees, but I took advantage of this, handwashed my new wool blanket rinsing it in vinegar to hopefully set the dyes, and hung it to dry between two pine trees. It didn't shrink...yet.

After two days, I headed back to Klamath Falls.

Oregon: Center to Northeast

I thought my tires were dirty!

June 2, 2026: I headed up the highway from Klamath Falls to Bend, but the traffic was so congested with construction stops making it worse I veered to the east toward Christmas Valley. That sounds like a festive area! It was not. Dusty, desert landscape with ugly scrub brushes and tumbleweeds. Not one tree as far as the eye could see. There was nothing Christmasy about Christmas Valley. Very disappointing. 

I continued driving through a very boring desert turning north into the Malheur National Forest. I was very thankful to finally drive into a beautiful green landscape with huge pines, twisty highway through the canyons. I camped north of Burns on one of the forest roads. With the exception of rodents chewing at Big Blue all night, it was peaceful. I was worried they were rats or mice so I got up early and banged at the floors and walls, starting the engine hoping to scare them away. Later as I was making breakfast and toasting some bread, which smelled heavenly, a whole herd of chipmunks came running out of the woods and circled my van. OMG! There must have been about ten and one of them was big and fat. I opened the side door and screamed at them to go away. They did!

I continued driving north through some cute towns like John Day and Prairie City. I was really tired from waking up so early so I pulled off on forest road 300 to Social Security Point. The road goes down to a lake, but on the way are a handful of campsites tucked in among the pines. Lots of chipmunks here, too. I hiked down to the lake and along it for a while before returning to the van. This campsite was in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. It sprinkled off and on all day.

June 4, 2026: Headed to Hell's Canyon through Baker City (cute town with cathedral and food co-op), Le Grande (outstanding food co-op in an artsy neighborhood), Enterprise (beautiful court house), and Joseph (really cool town!)

Enterprise Court House

Gorgeous landscape all the way with canyon highways, pine forests, agriculture, and a mountain range that looked like Switzerland!

The road to the Hell's Canyon Lookout was paved all the way, but Google Maps kept sending me offroading on roads that were "NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PASSENGER CARS!" WTH?? 

They were dirt with deep potholes and water ruts. The first one I went down for about a mile and then Google Maps said, "Turn right" and the dirt road was overgrown with weeds and bushes! Can't trust Google ...either that or they have it out for me. I realized quickly I needed to stick to the pavement and hope for the best. If pavement runs out, hopefully there is enough room to turn around and go back. Gorgeous views with every color of wildflower covering the landscape. June is wildflower month!

The road all the way to Hell's Canyon Lookout was paved including the lookout itself with paved walkways and pit toilets. I love parking on pavement! Last year when I was in Idaho I wanted to see this canyon, but the only way to the rim was on a rocky, dirt road with no guarantee of a view. And it was July so very hot. I'm glad I finally got to see it...from the Oregon side.

I stayed the night. Quiet and peaceful. A few vehicles would pull in, their passengers would look at the views, and then leave. I was alone all night. Just the way I like it!

June 5, 2026: Made my way back to Minam Friday night. Not much on iOverlander for overnight parking locations so I pulled into the Minam State Recreation Area next to the river where all the fishermen were hanging out. The office was closed. I walked around and looked for "No Overnight Parking" signs. None. Then I noticed on the side of the office "Park Host" with an RV. I asked if I could park overnight and she said, "Yes!" This is so convenient as the RAILRIDING is across the river. I did want to stay another night at Hell's Canyon, but worried leaving early in the morning in the dark to get here to my RAILRIDING appointment I might drive off a cliff. And on that note...

As I twisted my way down the mountain earlier, I rounded a corner and a huge truck pulling a very long livestock trailer was coming at me fast in MY LANE!! OMG! I did what I could to pull over as far as possible without going into the ditch and I could tell he was doing the same. His backend coming straight at me and I'm pretty sure I closed my eyes and braced for the hit. He barely cleared me by inches or maybe one inch. That was close. Really close. And frightening. Why the fuck did this idiot think he could drive in the other lane on a twisty turning mountain highway is beyond me!

I walked to the Minam Store to find some carbohydrates to load up for tomorrows ride. Asked how much the eggs were...FREE! They look like fresh eggs from real chickens. FREE! Can't beat free! I am so easily entertained!

June 6, 2026: RAILRIDING! Eva was my guide for the 9am tour. It was just the two of us which I liked and she was not scented. I feared proximity to stinkers. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and cold. It wasn't supposed to rain until Monday, but...of course as soon as railriding was over, the sun came out! It was fun, not as relaxing as I thought it would be. Eva is an Amazon woman! Tiny, little eighteen year old who has a lot of strength and energy. I think we went too fast. Maybe she had other plans for Saturday? Still, I pedalled all the way and back for two hours. The river was gorgeous and the air smelled so fresh. My legs were wobbly, my butt aches, and my knee twinged as we arrived back, but I kept pedalling. I'm exhausted. It was good exercise and I wasn't even sore the next day.

Camped at Spring Creek between Le Grande and Pendleton. I was exhausted and thought I'd rest around 2pm...I didn't wake up until 7pm and then slept all night! Very quiet night once the ATVs stopped racing up and down the dirt road throwing dust all over.

June 7, 2026: The Pendleton Wool Mill is closed on the weekends so I drove to Kennewick for some supplies then to Walla Walla to see the Whitman Mission. (See post for Washington) This whole area called the Walla Walla Valley in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon is all agriculture, patchwork of crops. It's very beautiful, but I worry about all the pesticides. 

June 8, 2026: Left Washington and back tracked to the Pendleton Wool Mill hoping for a tour, but they had a fire last week so no tours for two weeks. Instead, I bought a wool blanket!!

It was flawed so I got a discount. I cannot tell where the flaw is, but I know their inspectors are very picky. I am worried the dyes are giving me problems. I get a sore throat when around it. I put it in a duvet and hope that works, but it just made the duvet stink. I might have to wash it and then rinse it in vinegar. It might shrink! The longer I'm around it the sicker I feel. I remember this feeling the first time dyes poisoned me in college. I guess I should have bought a white or natural color instead of brightly dyed, but I live in a van and I kept thinking it might get dirty. Live and learn. Problem is I always forget my lessons and repeat my mistakes.

Washington Over the Border

June 7, 2026: Most of the small, country towns don't have health food stores or if they do they are closed on the weekends. I found a co-op AND a Natural Grocers in Kennewick so that's where I headed. Although it's further away from where I want to go, it's very close to Pendleton, my next stop. I turned on Google Maps, switched off highways, and meandered through the gorgeous countryside to the Tri-Cities. A beautiful, peaceful, good-feeling, early morning drive. Hardly anyone on the road on a Sunday. Sometimes I just love driving! I ended up on "The Old Oregon Trail" that switchbacked back and forth, up and down hills, and criss-crossed over, under, and around Interstate 84!! It was fun imagining how wagon trains might have negotiated these hills.

Kennewick was lovely. A lot of train tracks that were too bumpy, but the city felt very clean and well-maintained. I found nothing at the food co-op I wanted to buy and too much at Natural Grocers!

Bridge to Pasco or Richmond? Not sure which.

When it came time to leave it was too early to camp for the night so I looked on the map and thought how I've always wanted to see the Whitman Mission near Walla Walla since as a grade school teacher I used to teach children about it. It was a great history lesson, great memorial, great balance of native and white culture, and great film.

I stayed overnight in the Walmart parking lot in Walla Walla. This is the first Walmart I've encountered that logs overnighter RVs, campers, and vans and gives you a sheet of paper that says you've checked in. Awesome! So organized. More Walmarts should do this. I think it would make the bad people who take advantage of this generosity to reconsider being bad and then the store can continue to be generous without reprocussions and with recourse if someone is stupid.

Back to Oregon....