Visiting the Oregon Coast

Coos Bay / North Bend, the largest community on the coast

Coos Bay, North Bend and Charleston are known as Oregon's Bay Area.  With the largest natural harbor between Seattle and San Francisco, Coos Bay is a major shipping and manufacturing center.  Until the recent lumber shortages, it was also the largest timber shipping port in the world.  North Bend, along with Coos Bay, forms the largest urban area on the Oregon Coast.  Travelers on US 101 will see foreign vessels coming into the docks, massive wood chip piles for paper production and formerly bustling lumber mills.  Charleston, nine miles west on Cape Arago Highway, is an old waterfront fishing village.  It is also a premier sports fishing harbor, and one of the state's busiest commercial fishing ports.

We know this area well.  Back in 1987-88 we lived in Coos Bay while I was stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter Citrus, now decommissioned.  During that time, my daughter was in pre-school and my son was just learning how to terrorize mommy.

Just west of Coos bay is the fishing village of Charleston.  If you're out that way, continue west on the Cape Arrogo highway, and visit Shore Acres.  Shore Acres, a new state park, began as a private estate with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard the sailing ships of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson. Simpson developed his summer home into a showplace three-story mansion complete with a heated, indoor swimming pool and a large ballroom.  The grounds contained five acres of formal gardens, including a Japanese-style garden built around a 100-foot lily pond.

After taking 35 or 40 photos and enjoying the gardens, it was time to continue over the Coos Bay and check-in for the night at The Mill Casino and Hotel.