Every February, we meet up with my brother and his family for a camping trip on the Oregon coast. We found a couple of state parks about half way in between for us between Seattle and the Eugene area, and have been enjoying time there together as our families grow and change. This has been a tradition for about 5 years now, and one I look forward to all year. We started out yurt camping since winter weather is a mixed bag on the coast, but with the arrival of my little niece we decided to upgrade to camping cabins. They have bathrooms and small kitchens, a covered porch with a grill, and still cost less than a hotel room. I am finding that I enjoy these creature comforts more as I get older, but I figure it’s okay because I spend enough time rustic camping and backpacking to feel legit as an outdoorswoman.
We noticed these new cabins being built on a trip to Cape Lookout
State Park a few years ago, right by the beach and nestled into the
woods! Every time we tried to reserve them for our trip after that, they were full. Apparently other people had noticed them too. This year, I
finally pinned down the exact day they became available for our camping
weekend, and we got them! Score!!!
State Park a few years ago, right by the beach and nestled into the
woods! Every time we tried to reserve them for our trip after that, they were full. Apparently other people had noticed them too. This year, I
finally pinned down the exact day they became available for our camping
weekend, and we got them! Score!!!
The cabins are all walk-in, which makes them even more private and peaceful. This is a very different arrangement from most state park camping loops. Once we got all our stuff carried from the car, we settled in to grill some dinner and enjoy another sibling camping trip.
Out of all the great things about these trips, one of the highlights is spending time with my little niece. She was thrilled to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and ran all around saying “Wow! Wow! Wow!” We also got to visit some fancy chickens and goats, and have a picnic at Blue Heron Cheese Company, so there was a lot of big cheesy fun on this trip.
Splashing in muddy puddles is her favorite thing, which made the beach a really exciting place.
My sister-in-law brought these fun mini kites, and we had some gorgeous sunny, windy weather on Saturday to try them out.
My brother got the mini kite flying technique down. Definite respect for his skills.
Speaking of flying, we met a bald eagle watching over the beach from a tree top perch one morning.
The beach at Cape Lookout is pretty amazing too, and probably one of the more scenic we’ve visited on the Oregon coast. With waterfalls, hidden coves, huge waves, and the cape jutting out into the ocean, it has a lot to offer.
We lucked out on the weather and were able to enjoy an evening stroll on the beach and collected some agates as we went along. There were a lot of folks out doing that with special scoops for them, so apparently it’s a thing. I want to know about these scoops for next time.
The cousins all got to spend some quality time together, which was very sweet to see. Even though we don’t live close enough to see one another all the time, we make the time we do see one another count! And we are getting to know our state parks really well in the process by returning year after year. With each year that goes by, I am amazed by the importance of these family ties and traditions. What started out as a weekend yurt camping trip five years ago, has become a rich collection of memories for all of us, and I feel so lucky to have these people and places in my life.
Here are the tales of our trips over the years:
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