Gold Beach, Oregon

We did not plan well this summer and didn’t line up a park for July 4th in advance, so in May, we realized we could be boondocking on the beach if we didn’t figure something out. (Which sounds fun, but we need shore power and neither me nor the cats like fireworks.) We also heard the Crescent City area LOVES its fireworks, and we didn’t want to find out how much.

We got lucky and found the last spot at Oceanside RV Park in Gold Beach, OR for a nearly-two-week stay that included July 4. It wasn’t the cheapest place we’ve stayed, but it had full hookups and it was right on the beach, and it was available.

It was really nice having a short drive to a new place we’ve never been, and the cats appreciated that, too. There were tons of birds for the cats to watch, and it was a really nice city for bike riding.

A bridge spanning a river, with a Patterson Bridge placard.
There’s a fun hilly little bike trail that stops at Patterson Bridge, which is a really nice vista point.
A fluffy cat sniffing a small lion statue.
Tycho loved walking around and smelling the flowers.

It wasn’t the most wheelchair accessible place: most stores were extremely inaccessible with narrow aisles or steps to get in/out. There were steep hills around town, so I was grateful I had a trike with a motor.

Food options were limited. There were a couple grocery stores (no safe restaurants), and while we certainly didn’t starve, there wasn’t much in the way of gluten-free vegan treats. We’re used to cooking everything ourselves, so this wasn’t a shock, it would’ve have been nice.

A man standing on a rocky shore with a wave splashing midair.
David always makes me nervous, going as far out as possible on any given ledge with his cat-like balance.

David saved the life of what we think was a hagfish. A bird dropped it from the air, and it was missing the tail tip but still alive, so David scooped it up with a plastic bag and tossed it back into the water. Hopefully the little guy survived his injuries and had a nice life.

A dilapidated boat in the water.
The Mary Duncan Hume, a cargo ship with 97 years of service is longest serving vessel of the Pacific Coast. Now it’s serving as a tourist attraction.

The view was incredible. We were so close to the ocean that everything was covered in a thin layer of salt by the end of our stay. Luckily there’s a warm water boat and RV wash nearby so we gave everything a good bath on our way out of town.

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