In Oregon, we stayed at the Turtle Rock RV Resort in a town named Gold Beach. This was a very short walk and easily within sight from the actual Pacific Ocean and was another place I did not want to leave! This park was a little more upscale than others where we’ve stayed. There were rental options for cabins, RV lots with pull-up decks with hot tubs on them, and also just typical RV spots with campfire pits. We didn’t know about all of these options in advance, so we had reserved just a typical camping spot, but note to self for next time – I would definitely get at least a hot tub spot as a treat.
We spent one day just exploring the beach. It’s very interesting how different beaches are from one side of the country to the other. On the west/pacific side, there are huge rocks and trees naturally found anywhere on the beach, compared to the east/atlantic side where the beaches are generally pristine, clean, and flawless. I have to say that for this Texas girl who loves her Texas Gulf Coast beaches, the Pacific Ocean has grabbed a piece of my heart that is not at all at risk from the Atlantic. The Atlantic is much too perfect for my off-the-beaten-path eclectic kind of taste.
Another note to make, at least for this particular beach on the Pacific, there is sand, yes, but there are also a lot of rocks in all shapes and sizes. I did not see a single seashell. Just extraordinary rocks. Interestingly enough, a number of heart-shaped rocks came easily to my attention and I brought them home with me. Sometimes a little love is all you need!
Oregon has only one national park, Crater Lake, and Wow!, it is beautiful. This is a park around inactive volcanic mountains, one of which has naturally filled up with hundreds of feet of water over the years, and is the brightest most royal blue color you’ll ever see. It was as flat as glass the day we were there and such a surprise as we drove up the winding mountain ledge road to discover this blue lake after having seen only wood and rocks and dirt and dust the whole drive up. Breathtaking scenery at the top of this mountain.
Another one bites the dust (no pun intended)…grab that souvenir refrigerator magnet…time to move on.
