Oregon Coast

The Last Waltz – Oregon’s Pacific Coast.

This is the final post in the Pacific Northwest series: the Pacific coast following the Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. Route 101) southward all the way to the California state line. All photos are from 2015. It was a terrific end to the road trip.

It’s also the last post either for good or at the least for a very, very long time. The blog is going on a long holiday or possibly heading for retirement. More on that below.

Someday everything is gonna sound like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece -Bob Dylan

I can’t say that this one is my masterpiece, but it sure was an amazing drive with lots and lots to photograph and a very fun post to prepare – especially with it being this final post, my last waltz.

Our northern starting point on this drive is Cannon Beach, about 25 miles (ca. 40.25 km) south of Astoria after cutting over to the coast from Portland. Let me say right here at the outset that this particular coastal drive is a huge winner even with the usual Oregon weather risk. I highly recommend it. It was my first time getting to know the Oregon coast and beaches. I had heard a lot about them over the years. I was not disappointed. Generally, much of the drive felt like the California coast 20 or 30 years ago before all the money started raining down in the Silicon Valley and elsewhere and the treasured “secret places” seemed to disappear.

In principle, the drive should have started out at the northernmost point of the Pacific coast in Oregon, namely Astoria, to check it out and see, among other sights, the very impressive looking Astoria–Megler Bridge which spans the lower Columbia River, between Astoria, Oregon, and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington. Another time. Here’s a photo of the Astoria-Megler Bridge from historicbridges.org:

Do you like historic bridges? If so, this is the post for you. Not quite a third of the photos below will be the famous 1920s and 1930s bridges constructed along the Oregon Coast Highway. They won’t be just any of those bridges either. The photos will feature those bridges from that time period designed by Oregon State bridge engineer, and also head of the Bridge Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation 1919-1935, Conde B. “Mac” McCullough (1887-1946), and they are real beauties.

Here is a very helpful guide to these iconic bridges. It’s what I used on the trip.

This article and also this one online each is also a good reference source as to these bridges.

My favorite McCullough bridge? That’s a tough one. I would have to say the Yaquina Bay Bridge (C. McCullough, 1936) spanning Yaquina Bay south of Newport.

Fellow Californians, the bridges on Highway 1 south of Carmel are from the same era. The Bixby Creek Bridge on the way to Big Sur would be a good example of some of the beauties we have in my home state.

Arrival from Portland at Cannon Beach in the north was a dreary late spring day. It mostly stayed overcast with the occasional rain until the southern beaches and the approach to California. The cloud cover was not unexpected, and I was especially grateful for any break in the clouds as we journeyed southward. I tried to use the weather conditions to my advantage (for example, capturing the “big sky” clouds when I could, including some spectacular sunsets over the ocean), but as I mentioned in the Seattle post, the overcast makes for flatter images and colors don’t “pop” as much. They are moodier photos. I don’t think I managed to paint my masterpiece, but it sure was amazing photography even with the overcast days and rain. That’s just part of the Oregon travel experience.

There were several fine stops. I particularly liked the overnight in Bannon. Fantastic beaches there, and that’s saying something given all the amazing coastline we saw.

Sadly, we skipped the Oregon Dunes in the central area – not enough time. They are said to be the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America and one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the entire world. Yet another reason to return.

Once again in looking over older photos like these I see how ephemeral some of my photographs can be. The Greasy Spoon Cafe (a/k/a “The Spoon”) in Langlois (see photo above) is no more. What a classic name. Permanently closed during Oregon’s long and very strict Covid restrictions 2020 onward.

There was much tasty seafood to be had on the drive, as you might expect. A lot of the dining was in casual, local places with a real throwback feel.

Here’s a very good online guide with maps if you might want to plan a drive along the Oregon Coast Highway.

The final photo is the California state line. My home state and a fitting photo with which to say goodbye. That’s it, everyone. The travel blog is a wrap. It’s my seventh calendar year doing these posts of the roads less traveled. Time to give it a long rest. I won’t say that I am retiring the blog forever, but if I resume it, it would be at least a year or two from now. I have several photography projects I am working on, and I need to free up some time for them. Also, I think the themes of the posts need a refresh. If and when I resume it, I would get off the back roads of America and try for something different again, as I once did with the Cuba posts (which people really seemed to like). We shall see.

For the time being I plan to keep posting photos on Instagram and Facebook, and I hope to see you there: dleventhalphotography (Instagram) and Daniel Leventhal Photography / @dleventhalphotography (Facebook).

By now you have figured out how to navigate your way through the photos, but I’ll add this as always: click on (or tap) an image to expand it (and use the arrow to the right on an expanded image to go through the set, if preferred over scrolling down in the post).

A final shout out to my longtime friends from Berkeley for joining me on this epic Pacific Northwest drive. Many thanks also to you, dear readers, for all of your very kind emails over the years and for joining me on these travels.

See ya!

All best wishes and safe travels,

Daniel

En route to Cannon Beach, Tillamook County, OR, 2015.

North coast beaches, Cannon Beach & Haystack Rock, Tillamook County, OR, 2015.

North coast beaches, Nehallem Bay area, Tillamook County, OR, 2015.

North coast beaches, Rockaway Beach area, Tillamook County, OR, 2015.

Garibaldi, Tillamook County, OR, 2015.

Wilson River Bridge (C. McCullough, 1931), near Tillamook, OR, 2015.

At the Pacific along the Oregon Coast Highway, central coast, 2015.

Depoe Bay Bridge (C. McCullough, 1927), Oregon Coast Hwy, Depoe Bay, OR, 2015.

Yaquina Head Light, on the Oregon Coast near the mouth of the Yaquina River by Newport, OR, 2015.

Yaquina Head on the Oregon Coast near the mouth of the Yaquina River by Newport, OR, 2015.

At the Pacific along the Oregon Coast Highway, 2015.

Yaquina Bay Bridge (C. McCullough, 1936), Oregon Coast Hwy spanning Yaquina Bay south of Newport, OR, 2015.

Tenmile Creek Bridge (C. McCullough, 1931), Oregon Coast Hwy, south of Yachats, OR, 2015.

Pacific by Cape Creek Bridge, looking southward, Oregon Coast Hwy, OR, 2015.

Cape Creek Bridge (C. McCullough, 1932), Oregon Coast Hwy, just south of Heceta Head Lighthouse, OR, 2015.

Pacific by Cape Creek Bridge, Oregon Coast Hwy, looking northward to Heceta Head Lighthouse, OR, 2015.

Siuslaw River Bridge (C. McCullough, 1936), Oregon Coast Hwy, spanning the Siuslaw River in Florence, OR, 2015.

Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge f/k/a the North Bend Bridge (C. McCullough, 1936), Oregon Coast Hwy spanning Coos Bay near North Bend, OR, 2015.

Pacific at Bandon, OR, 2015

The Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge f/k/a the Rogue River Bridge (C. McCullough, 1932), Oregon Coast Hwy spanning the Rogue River between Gold Beach and Wedderburn, OR, 2015.