How Not To Plan For Your Next Trip

How Not To Plan For Your Next Trip

Trip Talk USA

Should you plan your next trip or just let it happen?

While browsing for quality content for this web site ( www.triptalkusa.com ) it suddenly occurred to me how much I disagreed with an article I was considering.  In fact I opted to immediately jot down a few thoughts racing around in my head.  For instance, how 30 years ago on a Friday afternoon, we would go to our favorite mountain lake campground and stake out our family site and maybe one for my sisters family too.  It was my obvious chore because I was the only one that could leave work early and beat the rush.  Then as years went by and the campers turned into mobs, I had to take Fridays off and claim our sites on Thursdays.  Soon though if we wanted a Weekend waterfront site I had to show up on Wednesday to corner people, asking when they were leaving so I could be first in line when they vacated. I remember all too well how stressful it was, not knowing if we would get a good site or any site at all.  I remember being forced to take sites we didn’t want, because the option was to go home.  Then one year it was all over, the forest service hired a reservation service, we no longer stressed out over getting the perfect spot. All we had to do was reserve a site six months to the minute before our arrival. If it was five months twenty nine days, twenty three hours and fifty nine minutes, we were too late and the site we wanted would be already reserved.  I would have to pick another day and try again. So in effect the stress was in January and February to reserve a site for July or August.  Which brings me to my disagreement, the author was stressing how important it is to have done your research, to make plans, to leave nothing to chance.  Right down to having games and reading material readily available so there is no chance someone might be bored or say I have nothing to do at any time during their travels. I respectfully offer alternatives, now before anyone jumps on me, I already know what I’m going to suggest will not work for all people, on all trips, all the time. To illustrate I will outline a trip my wife and I embarked on a few years ago. The plan was to go to the Grand Canyon and visit places in the area and on the way. 

We would allow up to three weeks and leave asap.  We both packed several changes of clothes including cold weather and hiking shoes. I grabbed an Insulated cooler, portable cook stove, coffee pot, flash lights and a few books we were currently reading.  We pulled both bench seats from the van and tossed in a foam mattress and sleeping bags. Five minutes at the fabric store plus a bag of clothes pins and we had some cheap curtains for privacy. After talking with the children about responsibility and outlining chores, we were ready to hit the road, alone.  Heading south on I 5 we both were totally relaxed and stress free. How could we have stress, two days earlier we had no idea we would be leaving on a trip. I had no idea what road to take or where we would stay the first night, but we brought with us a ten year old road atlas and figured we could buy in route, food or whatever we forgot or needed.  Whoa, not so fast pilgrims, it is true we had previously talked about how we would like to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, but we had never made plans or set a date.  We had certainly never discussed any camping or lodging arrangements. On the road again, Linda studied the atlas maps observing potential routes to take.  One choice was to drive south until opposite Las Vegas, then turn left, another was turn left sooner and visit Lassen Peak or Yosemite. So we settled on Lassen Peak as our first destination.  Now what about dinner when we get there, we had left home with only a bag of trail mix and some fruit. Linda checked the atlas and decided that Redding, CA was our turn off point and last chance to find a major store.  While in the store we realized we better buy breakfast also, but dinner tomorrow could wait until tomorrow. We settled into this routine for the entire trip, we stopped when and where we found ourselves.  We went on some hikes and spent all the time we wanted at visitor centers.  We didn’t move on until we were ready. Every morning before school we talked with home, and every afternoon after school we talked again. Even though I never knew for sure where we would camp, I never worried about it because I knew we could sleep in a rest stop (we did one time) or take a room at a motel (we did twice).   I am not advocating not planning your trips, and I don’t totally disagree with those that plan and plan and plan.  Just consider that you can take off on your traveling before the stress catches up with you, stay one step ahead, and make it happily home again. In my opinion, truly a good way to travel. Now then, can you leave tomorrow before noon or would breakfast on the road be better?  John 2010

Trip Talk USA

Things To Do At The Central Oregon Coast

Places To See and Things To Do At The Central Oregon Coast

Locals generally refer to Oregon’s coastline as North, Central and South.  Lincoln City is undoubtedly considered the core of the central coast. The main road from Portland and Salem (hwy 18) terminates  at hwy 101,  this is the Oregon Coast Highway.  From this point travelers go north and south along the coast. Starting with Lincoln City we have thousands of overnight lodging rooms available, from hotels to private vacation homes for rent. Lincoln City is home to Chinook Winds Casino and of course many seafood restaurants offer excellent quality. The beach is seven miles long, all public and is accessible from numerous points. While in Lincoln City don’t miss driving around Devils Lake, stopping at several City parks. For camping choose Devils Lake State Park, it is walking distance to the beach and yet right on the lake. Lincoln City is also home to the  popular  Tanger outlet mall as well as hundreds of stores including many antique malls. Heading south about 10 miles on hwy 101 don’t miss a short stop at Boiler Bay State Wayside, at the very least you will have spectacular ocean views.  if you’re visiting in the winter you may see waves shooting 100’s of feet in the air as ocean swells are funneled into a hole in the cliff.

Boiler Bay State Wayside

Continuing south just 2 miles brings you to the city of Depoe Bay, plan on stopping to walk along the sea wall and taking in the visitor center.  If you wait around a while you will be rewarded with seeing local fishing boats making their way in and out of the worlds smallest natural harbor.  In the winter, waves routinely splash people and parked cars along the highway.

Dreary November day along Depoe Bay seawall

Two Flags denotes gale warning with winds 37 to 47 knots, Storm warning is a square flag 48 to 63 knots Forecast


Depoe Bay Bar and Harbor Entrance closed  by Coast Guard due to dangerous breaking surf

Entrance to boat basin is narrow and twisting


Calm waters inside, but no boats will be going out today

 Keep heading south passing picturesque Whale Cove and Rocky Creek Wayside as the scenic road climbs up over Cape Foulweather.  At the top turn down the short road to the view point, stop and treat yourself to the fantastic view 500 feet above the ocean. Don’t worry about getting a perfect picture, they have postcards for sale inside the gift shop. Continue south you will shortly be back down to sea level racing alongside white sand beaches as the arrow straight highway guides you to Newport, the largest city on Oregon’s central coast.  Be sure to stop just north of Newport at Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area. Plan several hours for this unique experience, This will be your best tidepooling on the central coast.

Image from http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/yaquina/photogallery.php
Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area.

When you finally force yourself to leave Yaquina Head drive into Newport where you will find all the major shopping centers including Walmart.  Don’t miss Newport’s old town on the waterfront just before the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Old town is only a few crowded blocks, but find a place to park and walk around.  You may even find a lunch cafe on the dock or at least get to watch the sea lions.

Sea Lions on dock at Old Town in Newport

Get back on hwy101 heading south over the historic Yaquina Bay Bridge and turn off as soon as you cross the bridge to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium and next door the University of Oregon Hatfield Marine Science center.  You will have to pay an entrance fee at the aquarium but the Marine science center is free and well worth a visit, plan 1-2 hours at each place. If you’re interested in boats or fishing go across the street to the city dock and boat basin.

 Image from Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University

Newport Bar, small boat basin, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Aquarium,
fishing docks, all conveniently located About 40 miles south of Newport is the Sea Lion Caves and after that sand dunes for people with atv’s. I recommend saving the Sea Lion Caves for another trip and  turning around heading back over the bridge at this point. As you head back north retracing your steps plan on stopping at the places you missed. Agate Beach is one place, Fogarty Creek, Beverly Beach and many others.  If you really want to tidepool you will want to know beforehand when it's low tide, because you can’t do it at high tide.  You may want to plan your Yaquina Head visit for low tide.  When you get back to Cape Foulweather turn off on the Otter Crest Scenic Loop rd.  You will avoid the 500 foot climb and miss the high cliffs but you will see the low cliffs and still get around the cape.

On another day you will want to head north of Lincoln City staying on hwy 101, about 13 miles north is Neskowin, a small community known for Proposal Rock and quiet beaches, take a quick break here, but keep going all the way to Pacific City and Cape Kiwanda a distance of about 23 miles from Lincoln City.  You will need to turn off the Oregon Coast Highway (101) just before Pacific City, the signs will say “Three Capes Scenic Route” Pacific city, Cape Kiwanda.  Highway 101 turns inland here but you will still be driving right along the coast which is why you’re here I believe. Pacific City has a small fleet of dorys (flat bottom boats) that fisherman launch in the surf and motor away. If you happen to be visiting at the right time you may get to see some come and go. The real draw here is Cape Kiwanda, at the north end of the beach the cape suddenly juts up and out into the ocean.  You can drive onto the beach and park at the foot of what looks like the tallest hill of sand you will ever see. Turn the kids loose and bet them they can’t climb all the way to the top, or try it yourself.  For even more fun and less strenuous hike the cape trail out to the point. You can make the round trip in under two hours, and you’ll have great views.

 Local Knowledge* back at the Cape Kiwanda parking lot on the north side, up in the scrub brush, look for feral rabbits (domestic rabbits gone wild) there are hundreds and hundreds of cute little bunnies living the easy life.  You can  approach them but they  hop off keeping about 10 feet away.  Walk across the road to Tiny Web County park and you will see hundreds more.  Ok it's time to go, keep heading north on the Three Capes scenic route and pretty soon you will go by Sandlake Recreation Area, a huge sand box set aside for dune buggy riding. Just past Sandlake you will come to Cape Lookout jutting about a mile out into the Pacific ocean. Park at the trailhead and take the 2.5 mile hike out to the point.  People see whales during migrations. By now you may have enough adventure and it’s getting late so Cape Lookout is a good place to turn around back to where your staying. But If your just road tripping you’ll still have plenty of time to keep going north towards Cape Meares, on the way stop by the Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.  Just past Cape Meares is Bayocean, the town that fell into the sea.  In the early 1900’s  Bayocean was a planned resort community. Through man induced coastal erosion the entire place was slowly washed away.  Stop and read the informative signs then continue on. The scenic Three Capes road skirts Tillamook Bay and winds around back to rejoin  hwy 101 in Tillamook. You can quit here and head south on 101 or go visit the very worthwhile Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, it's free but supported by visitor donations.  You can find it downtown on second street.  Next keep going north on 101 and just a few miles out of town is the World Famous Tillamook Cheese Factory.  They have free tours and lots of cheese to buy, I recommend stopping by for an hour and some ice cream.  By now you will have had a full day and just like yesterday when we went south, this is a good turn around point.  As you head back south don’t go back on the Three Capes Scenic, stay on 101.  If you want to see the bunnies again you can cut over a little later when the signs say Cape Kiwanda/Pacific City. For airplane buffs, Just a short distance south of town is the Tillamook Air Museum which is housed in a world war two blimp hanger.  Like yesterdays return trip, try to stop at the places you missed. Its only 50 miles back to Lincoln city, relax and take your time. When you see its getting close to sundown and your near a viewpoint, pull over and wait for a great sunset photo opportunity, maybe you’ll get to see the green flash.   John  2010