The Southern Oregon Coast

Celea McInerny
Mar 14, 2016
5 min read

Where do I even begin....I ventured far from my Seattle home this week to discover the Southern Oregon Coastline. With only 2.5 days off, I had over 1,000 miles of driving to do. I really had no idea where I was going or had anything planned. Brookings, OR was on the top of my list, but the furthest South, so that would be my end point. I first started late on Tuesday night to head down to Portland; I packed up some clothes, blankets, towels, camp gear, and my Pup, Mac.

Mac was thrilled the three hour drive to Portland brought him to my brother, Kellen (Mac's best friend). After some late night snacks and chats in the city, I hit the sack to wake up at 5am. At 5:30am I headed South towards the coast. I prepared for this trip by googling for some stunning beaches. I then located them all on 'My Google Maps' to help navigate me through. I had oceanic rock structures, lighthouses, and sand dunes on the itinerary. I mostly took Highway 101 which turned out to be a stunning route. The roads were in perfect condition and the Oregon State parks were clearly labeled and organized.

I really admired Oregon State on this trip, the locals are the friendliest people on Earth and the scenery is just draw dropping. I was so impressed to see how much care was taken to preserve the parks and allow so many visitors to enjoy. It was just simply relaxing to drive hundreds of miles away and find the most beautiful landscapes. I first started at Seal Beach which was an amazing lookout, then to the Oregon sand dunes, and then to the Heceta Head Lighthouse. By 10am the wind started to pick up at high gusts. It was a little intense in the beginning but I thought it was just the normal ocean breeze. As we continued to make more scenic stops down South, the views became more beautiful. But there was a point when I pulled up to a park and the wind was so strong I couldn't open my car door. Mac started to shake in the ominous weather but I had a blast getting blown around! As I kept Mac in the car for safety, I was forced to lay on the ground to get a stable hold of the camera but I also ran with the wind to feel like I was flying. When I told the Dutch Bros Coffee baristas I was going to the beach, they just gave me my favorite coffee on the house, I love that coffee chain and their positive encouragement towards their customers.

After a few more stops in North Bend, Coos Bay, and Coquille River Lighthouse, I was making extraordinary time and was only an hour away from my final destination in Brookings. Mac had the wind taken out of him, but once we got out on the trails, he calmed right down. Upon the 5pm arrival of Brookings, I thought I had located a trail to the perfect spot. After 30 minutes of walking down a rough trail, I decided to turn back and try again the next day. I had the intention to camp on the beach, but I took the high winds warnings seriously and booked myself into my favorite go to spot, the Best Western. Mac was so relieved when he saw the big king bed and dog toys. I enjoyed my personal deck with a view of the ocean. I had seen and experienced Oregon in so many different conditions that I was just so happy to be exploring.

I woke up the next morning to the surprisingly pleasant weather and a complimentary breakfast. I took Mac for a walk on the beach and then headed back towards the Samuel H. Boardman Park for some Ocean views. I had two spots in mind, Arch Beach and Secret Beach. Arch Beach was easy to find off of Highway 101 and I had the whole parking lot to myself until two individuals in two separate Jeeps had the same idea as myself. I scoured the land taking in all of the beauty until I ventured out to find Secret Beach. One of the Jeep owners of the first spot ended up pulling out of the park at the same time I was. After traveling a a bit down the road, I found the small unlabeled lot that was the starting point of the trail. I looked around and convinced myself that this may have not been my spot. As soon as I was about to leave that spot, I recognized the other visitor's Jeep coming back my way. I was a little skeptical and threw my guard up. I investigated a few other potential trail heads that would lead to Secret Beach, but eventually realized I had the right spot in mind the whole time. I went back to my unlabeled spot to find out the Jeep man had parked there too. I decided to get out and search for the 'rough trail'. I first started going down a path that eventually led to Mac and me scaling down an overgrown hill. Mac loves running up and down steep hills so it was hard for me to keep up with him. He showed off how well he can incline, jump over branches, and reverse-all while I pant. He is such a happy forest puppy. We eventually got to the bottom of the revine only to find some odd sewage channel. i decided this wasn't right and Mac and I climbed back up the hill. We got in the car to find a different spot, but as I was pulling out, I noticed the path that led to the beach. I have no idea how I missed it all these times but the challenge was a blast.

I parked my car again and headed down the not so rough path. It was an easy trail and I eventually saw the other camera man taking shots of the scenery. It was a little awkward for the both of us because of our coincidence in location. But I realized there was nothing sketchy about the situation and decided to break the ice by sparking up a conversation. He told me he hopes he doesn't think he was following me and then we awed over Secret Beach for a few moments. I also realized after climbing a few hills that the view I was looking at, was the picture Chris Burkard had taken. My most favorite picture of his was on my refrigerator and I had coincedentally found that same spot. I was in such awe that I had to share this epic moment with my stranger. I could not believe that the spot that I admired most-I had found so mysteriously. After some time at the beautiful beach, I had felt accomplished enough to finally drive 10 hours home. Brookings, OR has so many beaches and trails to explore, I will definitely be back to spend many more days there in the future. The distance was so worth it this trip. I drove over 1,000 miles in 2.5 days and saw some of the most beautiful spots in the world, Oregon really shocked me and I loved it. Also, I got my car with 491 miles on it and it now has over 5,000. Every mile with my car has been so exciting and coincidental. This car is my teleporting home that takes me anywhere my heart desires. Go jeeps!