In addition to the fun of catching green crabs over the past few weeks, I have also been able to explore some of the sites around Charleston and in central Oregon.

In just a 20 minute drive from the South Slough offices down Cape Arago Highway, there are a series of beautiful spots along the coast. One afternoon a couple weeks ago, Katie and I decided to just start driving and see what we could find.

A view of Sunset Beach (PC: Katie Gregory)

We first hit Bastendorff Beach, a long, sandy strip of beach that always has plenty of open space to have a bonfire or just sit and enjoy the view of the ocean. I’ve seen people surfing and paddleboarding, but I have only managed to get my toes in because the water is freezing so I’m not sure how the surfers manage.

We then got to Sunset Beach, but for some reason the park closes at 9 pm–before the sunset during the summer–so despite the name, I have yet to see the sunset at Sunset Beach. It’s still a gorgeous beach, with sandy shores surrounded by tall rocky cliffs. Simpson Reef is one of the best spots to view pinnipeds on the southern coast. The cliff overlooks large rocky islands right offshore where harbor seals, northern elephant seals, Steller sea lions, and California sea lions congregate. By the time we got there, the fog had started to roll in so we couldn’t see anything, but we could hear a lot of seals! Lastly, we got to Cape Arago State Park, the end of Cape Arago Highway, where we followed a few trails to spots where you could see the extensive rocky outcrops that line the coast. The trail down to the beach was closed due to seal pupping season, but hopefully we’ll be able to make it back later in the summer.

Last weekend, Katie and I decided to head the other direction and explore the sand dunes north of Charleston. We decided to hike the John Dellenback Trail, a 6-mile roundtrip trail that goes through a small forest, across a stretch of sand dunes, and then through a marshy forest to the ocean. Hiking across the dunes, where everywhere you look around you is sand except for a stretch of trees out in the distance, feels like you’re in the Sahara, not southern Oregon. But then you get to the swampy strip of forest, and the long expanse of ocean, and it feels like Oregon again.

More sand dunes, with some people included for scale. (PC: Katie Gregory)

Sand dunes at the John Dellenback Trail. (PC: Katie Gregory)

Last weekend, Katie and I decided to head the other direction and explore the sand dunes north of Charleston. We decided to hike the John Dellenback Trail, a 6-mile roundtrip trail that goes through a small forest, across a stretch of sand dunes, and then through a marshy forest to the ocean. Hiking across the dunes, where everywhere you look around you is sand except for a stretch of trees out in the distance, feels like you’re in the Sahara, not southern Oregon. But then you get to the swampy strip of forest, and the long expanse of ocean, and it feels like Oregon again.

For the 4^th of July, I left the coast behind and visited family vacationing in Bend, located in central Oregon near the Willamette National Forest. The drive from Charleston to Bend was gorgeous, passing through endless forest and past large mountain lakes. We hiked Tumalo Falls, though we didn’t make it through the entire loop because my seven- and eight-year-old cousins were getting tired. We also floated in tubes down the Deschutes River, drank some beer from local breweries, and ate some amazing gelato. It was awesome to be able to see a completely different part of Oregon. It was sunny and hot (over 90 degrees, whoo!), and though I love the southern coast, it was nice to be able to wear shorts, have to put on sunscreen, and swim in the river without wearing waders.

Tubing down the Deschutes:

Tumalo Falls:

I’m looking forward to seeing more of the area (I’m hoping to make it to the northern part of the redwoods and to Crater Lake) over the rest of the summer.

(Also, thanks to Katie for letting me use all your pictures since I never take any!)