Down the Coast and Inland

We packed up from South Beach Campground and started our travels down the coast along Highway 101. I had bicycled Highway 101 and Highway 1 (The Pacific Coast Highway) back in 1977 and was looking forward to driving it. Over the years I’ve driven various sections of the PCH but had not been able to revisit the Washington/Oregon sections until now. What caught me by surprise was how much larger and more tourist oriented they are now. Additionally, this being the end of June how much busier the roads were. After a bit more than a full day we decided to leave the coast and head inland. We started out heading eastward near Newport, Oregon on US 20. The same US 20 that passes within 20 miles of our home. The high traffic and crowds continued until we were east of the mountains and things took on a more relaxed feel. We camped in a small and delightful Forest Service Campground for the night.

The next day our goal was to visit a Department of the Interior Oregon Trail Interpretive Center outside of Baker City, Oregon. It’s informative and well done with dioramas, signage, and video. It was a good stop.

We headed east with our goal to find a camp spot near Hells Canyon on the Oregon Idaho border. We got word on a Forest Service Road that is in good shape and paved heading north on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon. Just before the road turned off we got a flat on the truck in a little traveled, but bad place to get a flat. This was our first flat of the trip and the first with the new truck. First thing was to read the manual on how to change the truck tire. The truck did not come with a hardcopy manual so I am sitting in the truck reading the online manual the is supplied with the truck. After about an hour and a half we got the tire changed. Our next goal is a campsite and we locate a great stop at the Hells Canyon Overlook. We are boondocking here for the night.