That night we stayed at Cape Blanco State Park. Our site was nestled in a forest of sitka spruce, and a short walk over the springy forest floor brought us to a viewpoint of the ocean far below and the lighthouse on the point ahead. It was a truly magical place.
The state park was close to Bandon and we took a day trip to town in the MiniTrek. There was a light rain most of the time we were in Oregon, but we just went about our business in the style of most Oregonians. We had an Oregon style lunch of clam chowder and marionberry pie at a greasy spoon diner in Historic Bandon. In the afternoon Brian played some golf and I took Lukas to the West Coast Game Park Safari.
The Safari Park is half petting zoo and heavy on shows that allow animal interaction. To be honest, my first half hour in the park was spent making sure that all the dangerous animals were properly enclosed. The free roaming animals were a mixed herd of goats, sheep, deer, llama and peacocks. Lukas has no fear and was hugging some of the more tolerant goats and trying to chase the peacocks (I stopped him, of course), as well as sliding down any nearby poles that vaguely resembled a fire pole. In the enclosures were felines a plenty, bears, a bison, camel, a lemur, a few monkeys, and a couple chimps. For the most part the animals looked healthy and well cared for. The chimps, however, were in a tiny enclosure and were engaged in lots of stereotypic behaviors, as well as frequent displays at the public. During the interactive period we were able to play with a couple four month old tiger cubs, pet a possum, ferret and skunk, then bottle feed a seven week old leopard cub. The presenters were well informed and watched people closely during their interactions, making sure that the cubs weren't overly stressed. Overall I would give the Safari Park a favorable review, though I wish those chimps could move to a new home immediately.
Every roadside zoo is required to have a white tiger.
The bears were really active. After bath time this bear had a nice back scratching session on a post.
Our next stop was Dunes City. Behind a quiet RV park with really friendly staff is miles of sand dunes, spotted here and there with oases of pines and blooming scotch broom. Off on the horizon is the ocean. We spent a long time sliding down dunes, running up dunes, rolling down dunes, and generally having fun. Later I went running out on the dunes and it was really eerie how easy it was to get disoriented, even with the oases and the ocean visible. Out the front of the RV park was Woahink Lake, and a private deck for RV park guests. The water was clear and cold, and I imagine it would be a lovely place to swim when the weather gets warmer.
The following day we were headed to Portland. We started up the coastal route and stopped in at the Sea Lion Cave near Florence. It was a neat experience, riding down an elevator into a deep cave where the migratory pigeon guillemots were nesting. At this time of year most of the sea lions were out on the rocky cliff instead of the cave. It being breeding season, the males were spending most of their time fighting and guarding their harems. The Steller sea lions are much different than the California variety that I am used to. The Stellers are very large and look particularly sluglike. They also moo instead of bark. I found myself a little grossed out by the Stellers, perhaps because they are so reminiscent of Jabba the Hut.
We went north up the coast a bit more then stopped for lunch in Newport. Next to the Oregon Coast Aquarium are several tourist-trap looking buildings, and inside one of those was a cafe that served lunch. My expectations were low, but I was oh so wrong. I had some lightly fried local oysters, fresh of course, with a coleslaw that was more sweet than tart, and the best I have ever had. Lukas had some clam fritters - basically pancakes with clams inside! And Brian had a salmon scramble. The best part of the meal was actually the biscuit, piping hot, with home made marionberry jam on the side. Yums. Highly recommend Fishtails Cafe.
The goal was to reach Portland by nightfall, so we meandered up the beautiful coastline for another hour then turned inland. We hit Portland during rush hour, and traffic was terrible. Finally we found our destination, a cute neighborhood in northeast where we planned to park in front of a friend's house for the night. The RV seems so much larger when its in a city. After much maneuvering we finally managed to get the RV parked near their house. It was at an angle and the street traffic seemed a bit much whizzing by our heads. I guess that's why people stay in RV parks instead of on the street! Our friends were extremely accommodating and made us some super good pizza paired with salad greens picked fresh from their garden. Shelley and Mitch are architects, so when they decided to build a coop for chickens, they made a modern masterpiece that was featured in Dwell magazine!
On Thursday morning we went to Oregon Zoo, where I had a meeting with a primate keeper. Renee gave me a wonderful behind the scenes tour of the primate facilities, including their new orangutan and gibbon enclosure. Every area I saw was well maintained and the animals looked healthy and happy. The zoo was really crowded with end of the year field trips, so after the tour we decided to get a move on. It was great to visit with friends, but we felt a little crazy in the city after spending so much time out on the coast.
Time to move on, up to Olympia. We picked a state park that was within easy driving distance of Seattle and also had a fun name, Millersylvania. We got in late and left early, but it was in the woods and quiet, just what we needed before our next adventure to visit family in Seattle.
RV PARK REVIEWS
Cape Blanco State Park, Port Orford, OR: A
In the woods, next to the ocean, quiet, huge spots, nice bathrooms and showers, meadows, trails, lighthouse, cheap, point reduction due to broken dump station. Really an amazing place to stay.
Woahink RV Resort, Dunes City, OR: A
Quiet, clean, laundry, next to incredible sand dunes, across the street from Woahink Lake, great wifi, friendly staff. Pretty awesome. Cheap, too.
Chez Shelley and Mitch, Northeast Portland, OR: B
Great company, friendly neighbors, nearby park, our rig a bit tight for the location.
Millersylvania State Park, Olympia, WA: B-
Developed by the WPA, wide spots in a clearing, walking trails, nice woods, small lake, feels like summer camp back in the day.
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