At last we get to start our summer rally trip!! Last summer, the Altoistes Facebook group got together for what we dubbed our first annual rally at Kelley’s Island State Park. We agreed at that time to keep the tradition going, but to try to alternate broad locations so as many people as possible could attend. So I volunteered a couple of West Coast people and agreed to help organize the next one. Our designated meeting spot will be on the central Oregon coast and that means we got to plan a fun two week excursion to get up there and back. First stop: Salt Point State Park.
We were pretty excited getting ready to pull out and (sort of) joked with our daughter that we may not be coming home. She seemed really fine with that. Richard prepared Teriyaki Chicken in the Shuttle Chef and set it inside right before departure and off we went.
There was a lot of traffic getting out of the Bay Area, but once we got off 37, it was smooth sailing. We stopped for coffee, lunch, and a couple of BBQ oysters on the road and that was fun. The place is called Bodega Bay Oysters and they made pretty good garlic and butter oysters fresh on their grill, right to order.
To get to the campground, it was about a four hour drive, including traffic and road construction stops. Gerstle Cove is a nice little campground close to the shore. Sites are reservable, but non specific, so they let you choose a spot when you get there. We found a nice one with lots of room on either side, but they all seemed about equal in terms of privacy and views. We set up and took a hike down to the Salt Point Visitor Center and hiking trail. That was beautiful.
After that, we were ready for relaxing time in Dory, out of the wind. It was quite windy. We cranked the tunes, had hot dinner, and relaxed, thinking about how we’d be cold and wind blown and probably annoyed if we were tent camping. Camping on the coast in the summer can be actually rather cold. Yes, we still love Dory. Richard wants me to note that the stars were amazing at night without any light pollution around.
Onward and Northward in the morning!
Total miles: 110.8, 14.2 mpg (windy), 3 hours, 54 minutes
Site: 12, no cell service
