A team from Travel Oregon participated in the Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup. After breakfast at White’s Restaurant in Salem (since 1936!) we headed towards the coast.

The whale watchers were also out in force but the weather was a little rainy and windy – not good spotting weather.

At Beverly Beach State Park we found millions of little pieces of colorful plastic, including caps and lids that probably once went onto the plastic containers that had been smashed to smithereens. Some of the stranger items we picked up included kitchen utensil handles, toy car wheels, marine rope and a large piece of nicely trimmed sheetrock.

As we turned in our bags of trash, we started seeing and hearing goats! A large group of them had acted as pack animals. They probably thought their owners were collecting snacks for them. We saw one of them trying to eat another’s harness.

If you’d like to join in on the fun next time, the Great Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup will be Saturday, September 15, 2007.

In Newport, as we ate Abby’s Pizza we asked, “north or south?” Our newest co-worker, who had most recently lived in San Francisco, hadn’t been past Yachats so we decided “southward ho!” And why not try to make it to Bandon before dark? It’s good to have a goal.

Our first stop was in Florence, where we toured my old haunts on the back roads around Sutton Lake where I grew up. We checked out the carnivorous pitcher plants at Darlingtonia Wayside; a short little boardwalk takes you around some of Mother Nature’s more fascinating creations.

We needed more sustenance so we stopped at BJ’s Ice Cream which has dozens of amazing homemade flavors. I highly recommend the Bittersweet Nugget.

At Reedsport we made a detour up Highway 38 to wildlife watch at Dean Creek Elk Viewing. The bulls were on one side of the pasture and the females (cows) and the younger males were on the other. Kinda like most people’s backyard BBQ dynamics!

We made another side trip to Winchester Bay in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, also known as ATV heaven. There are four staging areas, some with camping. We can still hear the ATV-buzzing in our ears. In August you can try your skills at DuneFest.

In Charleston we stopped for more snacks and postcards, this time at Davey Jones Locker store. Nothing keep road trippers in peak form like circus peanuts and soda pop!

We made it Bandon at dusk and drove along the rocky coast line. The old town had many more shops compared to the last time I was there in 2000.

We headed back over Highway 42 through Coquille, Winston and then went up the interstate at Roseburg. We had a great day of beautifying an already-beautiful state and enjoying wherever the road (and my Mini Cooper) took us.

Editor’s Note: For more information on beach activities, check out our Oregon Coast page.