Back on the coast! WooHoo! Just south of Astoria, Nehalem Bay State Park is off the beaten path just enough to dampen any road noise. All you hear at night is the dull roar of the ocean.
Nehalem Bay State Park. View from one of the beach entrances looking north to Manzanita.
(Click on Gallery)
Grassy dunes buffer the area between the ocean and our campground.
Our first day we checked in and decided to sleep in what’s known as the "Horse Camp Area". It was much quieter and void of any outside camper lighting. (We had forgotten that it was a three day holiday weekend). The next morning, a ranger came through and stopped by early to kindly remind my wife that we were not allowed to camp in the horse camp unless we had a horse. “How about a stuffed one?” my wife asked. The ranger found this only slightly humorous.
Beach combing
But, not worry. We moved to a legal spot that was fine for the next night as we would leave the following day. The rain had been forecast from Wednesday (it was Monday then) through to the following weekend, so we were glad we had planned another house-sit in Coos Bay during that rainy spell.
Looking somewhat south toward Nehalem Bay.
We walked to the beach during the moonlight. It was an amazing combination of ocean, moon, and stars. The only other light was the twinkling of the town of Manzanita about two miles up the coast. Though our stay was short, we managed to see deer and elk within the park! Sorry, no photos of the Elk.
Yvette caught these two through the coach window early in the morning.
Haze over Nehalem Beach.
Exploring the area north of Nehalem.
Off to our lay-up for our next house-sit, in the town of Coos Bay at Sunset Beach State Park.
Photo of the coast on the way to Coos Bay.