High Tide Cafe

Since our camping trip was on the Oregon Coast, we had to go to seafood right? I had originally picked out a highly rated restaurant online before we left, but it was in downtown Coos Bay and did not have a water view. I thought it would be more fun (and hopefully better tasting) to go somewhere in the little fishing port of Charleston. This may have been true if we hadn't have gone with the "High Tide Cafe". Of the restaurants that we saw in Charleston (several looked old, dingy or stuffy, but one of them was actually part Thai food, part donuts), this one looked like it would be the best. It claimed to have a bay view. Seafood just always seems better when you have a view of the water.

When we first drove up to the restaurant, there was a board set out front proclaiming that there was "live music" inside. When you go to certain restaurants or are in a certain mood, this may be an invitation to come in. In reality, this was the first warning. It was a bar. We knew this once we saw this sign, but thought they could still have good food. We were seated at an old table in a building that looked as if it had been thrown together by 12 different people that never talked to each other. Well, this was true except for the restroom that had been beautifully remodeled. This actually shows that the owners care, they just don't know where to start on a larger project. Restrooms are small and easy to remodel.

We actually were seated by one of the best views in the restaurant and really all we could see was a large yard and a distant view of a little bit of water. This is not a "bay view" of a high quality. There was outdoor seating, but it appeared that it would feel like being at a family reunion picnic if you sat out there. Cheap plastic tables and an old deck that just screamed bad potato salad.

Okay, so the ambiance isn't great. Maybe the food will make up for that, right? Wrong. The menu was so long that you just knew you should avoid half of it. One kitchen staff in rural Oregon is unlikely to know how to cook this many things right. Even simple "fish and chips" had several options. Three of us had the deep fried fish and chips, one of us had the pan fried fish option. I didn't try the pan fried (although was told it wasn't bad), but the deep fried fish and chips were exactly what you would expect from a poor quality establishment. The quantity was too big (not a big complaint, except what it's making up for), the fish was soggy, more breading than fish and a little burnt. The fish needed a gallon of tartar sauce and we were only provided with a very small cup.

I could go on about the place. Even though it was cold and foggy outside, it was way too hot inside. The "live music" was honestly laughable. The paintings on the walls were disturbing. I don't see any reason to go on.

If you like okay food and a small town tavern atmosphere (minus the darkness), you may like this place. If you don't want to feel sick the next day (which a couple of us did), you may want to try somewhere else.

Here are the specifics:

Price: Overpriced. Dinner for four (one of us had a drink) was $93.
Cuisine: Unfocused. Everything from Asian and Mexican to American and Seafood. Let's file this one under "Tavern Food" and "Seafood" though.
Reservations: I highly doubt it. No.
Pets: Possibly outside, but no.

Parking: A very small parking lot and some awkward street parking.

Address: 91124 Cape Arago Hwy - Charleston, Oregon
Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (center of town)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (5.2 miles)

County: Coos, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 3 for service, 2 for food, 2 for decor, 2 for view - average 2.5

More Information: High Tide Cafe

My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon

Cape Arago Lighthouse

Occasionally, I may post on something I know very little about. I may post information I get from the internet, but I'll make it clear when I do. Other times I may just post very little about it and not do any other research. I have two goals. The first is to see and do everything. That won't happen, but it's fun to try right? The second is to have the most complete information possible collected on what I have visited.

This post is going toward my first goal. I mentioned the Cape Arago Lighthouse in a post or two before this, so it wouldn't normally warrant its own post. Lighthouses are one of the "would love to find and see them all" things in the world for me. Waterfalls, covered bridges, counties, national parks, state parks, all lists I have to complete.

The reason the Cape Arago Lighthouse doesn't get much of a post is that you can't go there. This is the only private lighthouse on the Oregon Coast (per the "Lighthouses of the Oregon Coast" brochure I picked up from the lovely information kiosk at Sunset Bay Campground). You can, however, get some pretty good views from the road between Sunset Bay and Shore Acres, and of course from the trail between the two that is right on the ocean. I would guess, but can't be sure, that if you were adventurous enough you could get out to the spit and island that show on the pictures below. One theory I have on this is to find a way to the top of the mini-cape (what's the technical term here?) to the north side of Sunset Bay and then work your way down. My other theory would be to climb out to the north side of the bay (described in the day use area post) and keep going. I was pretty confident in my abilities to do this option, but not confident enough to be able to get back. One of my life goals is to never need a Coast Guard helicopter to come rescue me. Anyway, I of course recommend that you do neither of these. That would be dangerous. Looking at a map, it looks like you may be able to walk from Bastendorf Beach County Park (located just north of Sunset Bay and clearly signed) south down the beach around an outcropping to more beach and a good view of the lighthouse, but again I have no idea.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: No fee (because you can't go there!)

Pets: At the viewpoint, yes

Facilities: None at viewpoint, available in nearby Shore Acres or Sunset Bay State Parks
Attractions: Lighthouse

Camping: Available nearby in Shore Acres State Park

Season: Year round

Coordinates: 43.34129,-124.37538 (Unverified), 43.32929,-124.38088 for the viewpoint (Unverified)

Governmental Agency Land: US Coast Guard (closed to public), Viewpoint - Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (2.6 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (7.8 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 2 (It's hard to rate, but it has to have a low rating due to the inaccessibility)

More Information: There are a number of websites with information about this lighthouse. Do a search on Google for "Cape Arago Lighthouse" and you should find plenty.

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Cape Arago State Park

It's time for a short post.

Pretty. Visit. Not to be missed.

We spent maybe 20 minutes here, what do you want from me?

We walked out to the point on the north side of the park, where there is a trail down to the beach (a steep trail, supposedly to tide pools). We walked to the south side of the park where there is a built up viewpoint of more beautiful Oregon Coast. The Oregon Coast trail (described in the Sunset Bay and Shore Acres posts) runs through this park.

I don't quite get the reason behind making this a separate park. These three state parks may be the most concentrated Oregon State Parks in the entire state. Three parks, 3 miles of road.

Oh, we saw a vulture, too. This was probably the highlight.

Again, it's worth the visit, but unless I missed something, there isn't much more than a couple viewpoints.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: No fee

Pets: Welcome on leash

Facilities: Flush toilets, picnic tables
Attractions: Trails, ocean views and access, wildlife viewing

Camping: No, but available nearby in Shore Acres State Park

Season: Year round

Coordinates: 43.306782, -124.397894 (Unverified)

Governmental Agency Land: Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (5.8 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (10.9 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 3.5

More Information: Oregon State Parks - Cape Arago

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Shore Acres State Park

I'm generally no fan of paying money to go see a garden. For that matter, I'm not usually a fan of spending time to go see a garden. I'm usually somewhere between underwhelmed and bored out of my mind. Maybe this is just a false preconception I have had or it may be true, but this certainly does not hold true for Shore Acres. Oh by the way . . . there are some of the most picturesque ocean vistas on the Oregon Coast right here in the park as well. Bonus!

Shore Acres State Park is a day use area just south of Sunset Bay State Park (see posts) and just north of Cape Arago State park (see post yet to come). As I'm posting this, I'm going through the state's park website and realizing that I'm a little embarrassed how few state parks (and waysides, recreation areas, etc.) I haven't been to. I know this is a side note, but for someone trying to get to every county in the United States, it seems I would do a little more exploration in my own state. Oh well, add another list of things I need to do.

Back to the point at hand. We first entered Shore Acres by trail from the Sunset Bay day use area. I highly recommend taking this trail. It follows the road (roughly) from Sunset Bay to Shore Acres, but does it much closer to the coastline. Normally I wouldn't take a trail that goes somewhere I can go by car. This isn't because I'm lazy, but because I know there are so many trails out there that I will never have enough time to take that go somewhere I can't get by car. I had a very pleasant shift in my outlook on this theory when I realized all the things I miss. We took the trail up to Shore Acres and walked the road (mostly) back. In doing so, I realized how much would have been missed if we had driven to the park. We saw stunning ocean vistas (this trip has been plagued with these), we saw wildlife that I don't see everyday from my condo window (there usually aren't elephant seals on the Stadium Freeway), we saw a trail that had decided it would rather be on the ocean floor than on the cliff we were walking (thank you to the nice people at the Oregon State Parks that moved the trail so that we didn't fall right off), we saw crazy natives (wait, that was Jason and Tim being weird . . . disregard this one). The pictures I took would take up all the room I have left in storage for this blog.

The trail will be steep and moderately difficult for a short time as it climbs up the cliff out of Sunset Bay. Don't let this discourage you. The trail is pleasant and all but easy the rest of the way into Shore Acres. You won't notice that you've walked for two miles because you stop every two minutes to take in the view or even extend your trip with one of the many side trails leading to something more than worth it. This trail is just a small portion of the Oregon Coast Trail leading from (correct me if I'm wrong) the Washington to the California border. It definitely makes me want to hike more of this trail, maybe even building up to a hike of the entire trail. That will never happen . . .

I started by mentioning gardens, didn't I? Well, on this visit to the park, we had a dog with us (it wasn't me, it was one of my friends) and dogs are not welcome in Shore Acres park outside of the parking lot. Since we were breaking the law enough already, we didn't really feel going into the gardens was something we were going to get away with. I hate going against rules as it is and wanted out the park quickly even though I was enjoying the area as much as I was. I do find it incredibly annoying that a portion of the Oregon Coast Trail does not allow dogs on it. I don't know if there is any kind of exception for those travelling through the park and not stopping (I have a feeling you would be required to walk the road instead), but it seems like someone may want to walk the whole trail with their dog. Don't allow dogs in the garden, fine. I more than understand that, but on the trail? No no. Bad.

So, as I mentioned, we didn't go to the gardens on this trip (although we did walk right past the gate to get a picture of all of us on the . . . what was it Temple? The "crazy" tree?). If you do enter the park via this trail, I would recommend taking the trail that is near the entrance of the parking lot back. This will cut a lot of time off your trek back. Of course I would also recommend making the whole loop up to Cape Arago State Park and back (although I did not do this, I can't imagine it not being worth it). End of visit number one to Shore Acres.

Begin visit number two. We decided to drive up to the park and further to Cape Arago the next day. Again, well worth it. We spent a decent amount of time in the gardens. The entire park was purchased by the state for $29,000 from the Simpson family (of Simpson Lumber fame) in 1942. The park was briefly used as a lookout during World War II. Evidence of this exists on the "Pack Trail". Although we did not go on this trail, there is a concrete bunker that still exists from when the area was used for this purpose. The estate was a residence, which is still evident. The concrete foundation of what used to be tennis courts on the bluff overlooking the ocean still exists along the trail up to the park. I can't say I know much about the history of the gardens, since the interpretive center was closed, but I do believe they are a hold over (on some level) from when it was the Simpson estate. The gardens include oriental and rose gardens as well as a gazebo which clearly accomodates special events such as weddings. The gardens are quite large (seven acres). We were there on a late Sunday afternoon and had the gardens almost to ourselves aside from a couple other visitors and a caretaker carefully tending to the flowers and other plant life. During the Christmas season, the gardens are decorated with more than 250,000 lights. I'm sure it is quite busy during this time, but I still intend to make a point of visiting to see the lights.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: $3 per vehicle, waived if you have a current valid camping pass

Pets: Allowed only in vehicles

Facilities: Flush toilets, picnic tables, areas for group events (weddings, etc.), viewing shelter, gift shop
Attractions: Trails, ocean views and access, interpretive center/information, wildlife viewing

Camping: No, but available nearby in Shore Acres State Park

Season: Year round, Thanksgiving through New Years for viewing lights

Coordinates: 43.3233, -124.3853 (Unverified)

Governmental Agency Land: Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (4.1 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (9.2 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 5

More Information: Oregon State Parks - Shore Acres

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Sunset Bay State Park Campground

Here's my take on the campground at Sunset Bay. In my last post, I fawned over the day use area. Here, I won't do the same. The campground is very nice, the volunteers were friendly, the bathrooms were clean, there was plenty of hot water for the showers (although the only loop with no showers was our loop, a tent loop. Why does the RV loop need showers?), there were few bugs (amazingly few bugs, thank you bats!), the sites were well laid out, the . . . okay, I'm fawning a bit. The campground is great, but I don't think I'll stay there again. There are just too many beautiful Oregon State Park campgrounds on the coast. While I may look past a few minor unpleasantries about say, a restaurant (that I can go to over and over in a year), I want a place that I at least think there is a chance for a perfect vacation when I only go camping once or maybe twice a year. That was an incredibly convoluted sentence. Take a look at my "Le Happy" entry. The service is poor, but the food makes it worth it. I wouldn't take a week out of my life to go to Le Happy because I know it won't be perfect, but I will take a night to go there. In this case, I'll try one of the other great campgrounds on the Oregon Coast and just make Sunset Bay a day trip.

The reason? The weather. I could be horribly wrong, but I have an odd feeling that you don't stand a good chance at hitting good weather. While the weather was 90+ degrees in the valley and 70-80 in Coos Bay and just a few miles inland, it was maybe (I'm being generous) 60 degrees at Sunset Bay. When the weather on the beach just a few miles north was sunny and beautiful, it was misting and damp at the campground. Yes, I know all about the inversion that hits Oregon (hot hot hot in the valley and cloudy at the coast). This didn't seem to be what was going on though. After a short 10 minute drive to Coos Bay, the small cloud bank that had attached itself to Cape Arago was incredibly apparent. No clouds north, no clouds south, no clouds east and I couldn't tell for sure, but probably no clouds even to the west. The clouds (and dampness that really wanted to make everything we brought wet) look like they have a special kind of love affair with the cape. So I, for one, will take the 50% chance of having great weather when camping in many of the other coastal campgrounds over the campground that has a 15% chance. I don't know, maybe it's actually the other way around, but this is my take on it.

A couple of other good notes. On my first day there, I saw a rabbit, two bats and a raccoon. The birds are plentiful and the only bugs were bees (bring something to keep them away). The bats may have scared the hell out of me when I was just in the bathroom brushing my teeth, but it's always nice to see wildlife you don't see all the time and they did a great job of keeping the bugs down (I believe the statistic is something like they eat six times their body weight in bugs each night).

One thing I have to say to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is get your act together! In reserving the campsites online, we were told that each of the sites we reserved could only hold one small tent. We could easily have fit four decent sized tents in each of the sites we reserved. Since we thought we wouldn't be able to fit many tents, we reserved three sites when we really only needed two for our group. In giving back one site, we confused the living daylights out of the ranger woman that "helped" us. Since she just randomly assigned my car to a site without letting us look at where we'd want it, she had to move it and the extra cars and and and and and . . . well and all hell broke loose. An easy task became complicated because they insist on knowing which car is in which site rather than just assigning a group a range of sites (i.e. B-9 & B-11), they felt the need to know specifics that made no difference. In the morning, a ranger came to our site telling us that we had to pay for an extra car in one site and wondering where the extra car was in the other site. Could they not put those two things together to come to a reasonable conclusion of, oh, I don't know? It's right there in the next site under the same reservation??

I'm done with my rant. I don't hold this against this park in particular, I'm sure this is more of a statewide problem. I know new software costs money, but common sense shouldn't.

There. Now I'm done.

Really, though. It's a good place. If you don't mind dampness (it was dry and beautiful our last day, which made the whole trip wonderful), go ahead and stay here.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: $16-20 per night per site (depending on amenities - electricity and full hookup) $5 per night for an extra vehicle (2 vehicles per site maximum)

Pets: Pets are welcome on leash

Facilities: Flush toilets, showers, electricity and full hookup available, yurts, picnic tables, fire pits, firewood for sale
Attractions: Beach access, trails, creek (see day use area for additional information)
Reservations: Available (recommended on busy summer weekends)

Season: Year round (of course depends on the weather)

Coordinates: 43.330861, -124.370558 (Unverified)

Governmental Agency Land: Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (2.7 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (7.8 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 4.5 (yes, this good - I expect 5-5.5 from my coastal state parks though)

More Information: Oregon State Parks - Sunset Bay

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Sunset Bay Day Use Area

I have to break Sunset Bay into two posts, primarily because of the sheer beauty of the area, but also because I'd like to keep the accommodations separate from the actual scenery and activities. So, here is my take on the Sunset Bay State Park day use area.

It's beautiful.

I suppose I should write more. It's the Oregon Coast, but it's still remarkable even when compared to the other numerous state parks along the coast. It is one of the most beautiful areas on the coast. While it is popular, you still feel isolated from the rest of the world. Even with the 50 or so other people there when we sat on the beach to watch the sunset, I still felt like we were the only ones there. There's something about the frame the rocky points on either side of the beach create that focuses your attention on the ocean and not on the people around you. Of course there's a reason they call it Sunset Bay - that frame works perfectly to give a frequently amazing sunset some substance. Every picture you take will be a good one. Look around at sites that have any pictures of Oregon and I bet you find quite a few of Sunset Bay.

Okay, so we were there five nights and were only able to view a sunset once. The first four days and nights were almost completely socked in with fog that Cape Arago just refused to let go of. A drive of not more than 10 minutes would take us to temperatures in the 70s and 80s, but the damp Sunset Bay didn't get out of the 50s . . . maybe the low 60s. I honestly can't say if this is common or if it was just our luck, but if you get to the beach with any glimpse of the sunset, it will be a good one. Our sunset was not the most colorful the bay has ever seen, but it was still well worth it.

The highlight of the area was not, however, the sunset. The tide pools were what made this trip most worth it for me. I went out to climb on the rocks and look at the tide pools three times. The best viewing for me was in the morning with the tide at about a +2 and fog thick enough to not be able to see the beach from the rocky point we climbed out to on the north side of the bay. The amount of sea life in these pools made the trek out well worth it. We also went out after dark (don't tell the rangers - this day use area closes at 9pm. Don't get me started on this. You close a place called "Sunset Bay" at 9pm??). During this visit, we were able to see more of the crabs and other non-vegetation life. The crabs were not so quick to scurry away from our flashlights as they were from seeing us walk up to them in the daylight. The rocks are treacherous to walk on in the best of conditions, however, and doing so at night did not prove easy. Tim fell in the water and the rest of us got muddy in one way or another. We also went out at the lowest tide when we were there, about -2. This tide was actually too low, however. The best tide pools are up higher and with the water as low as it was, we tended to stay closer to the water's edge. There wasn't much here, but getting up early in the morning and seeing the birds hunting for food, the fishermen beginning their morning trip and the people start to come out to see the sights was well worth it. We climbed out to the north point and watched the ocean beat against the rocks for at least a half hour. I could have done it all day, but there was plenty more to be done and the tide wouldn't have allowed for us to stay out there all day.

We saw pelicans, of course plenty of seagulls and other birds I couldn't begin to name. Big Creek pours into the ocean at Sunset Bay, which makes for an even better setting. I recommend a walk out to the edge of the sand, or for the more adventurous explorers, a climb on any accessible rocks. Of course, be careful. I would have ventured further, but I didn't want to not be able to find a way back down. I definitely do not ever want to be able to say I have been saved by a Coast Guard helicopter. One day, however, I will find a way out to the sand spit that goes out to what would be an island in high tide so I can get a good look at that Cape Arago Lighthouse (more on that later).

Here are the specifics:

Fee: No fee for the day use area

Pets: Pets are welcome on leash

Facilities: Flush toilets, picnic tables, areas for group events (weddings, etc.), volleyball courts, horseshoe pits available

Camping: Yes (see camping entry, to come)

Season: Year round

Coordinates: 43.332861, -124.373558 (Unverified)

Governmental Agency Land: Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Charleston, Oregon (2.7 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (7.8 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 5.5

More Information: Oregon State Parks - Sunset Bay

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon