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Thread: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

  1. #1
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    Weekend before last I had planned on taking the company S2 up to the San Juan islands for the weekend. Friday came around and between the smoke in the mountains to the northwest and the low ceilings and scattered low clouds/rain on the west side of the mountains I decided to come up with an alternate destination. A short conversation with Randy about the Portland/Oregon coast area and I had a new plan. (BTW, a great way to learn about an area is to ask a local or in this case formally local pilot where the good spots are)

    Saturday morning my passenger and I took of from YKM on a typically CAVU summer day and headed south to Scappoose Industrial (KSPB) via the Columbia Gorge.

    2012-09-22 10.57.25.jpg

    A leisurely stop for fuel there with a nice line lady who pumped the gas for us and a short visit with several local pilots (a couple of RV guys, Cessna, Starduster) we were on our way again.

    Next stop was Tillamook (KTMK) for a tour of the Air Museum and lunch in the attached Café. Well worth the flight down just to see the building. Amazing! And you get to park right outside the door to the museum.

    2012-09-22 12.17.10.jpg

    There was a Corsair outside doing a run-up and cycling the wings up and down when we pulled up.

    2012-09-22 12.19.58.jpg

    After several hours there we headed out to the coast and up the beach to Nehalem Bay State Airport (3S7). Great campsites right on the airport. Spent the afternoon and night there. Walked up the beach to Manzaneta and back to the airport via the road. The state park is right across the road from the airport and each campsite had a fire ring for a camp fire, picnic tables and leveled areas for tents. There was a water faucet and outhouse on the airport too.

    When we got there in the early afternoon there was a 172, a 206 and two V-tail Bonanzas there. The 172 was the only other plane that spent the night. They were a couple from the UK who base their plane in the US and come here in the summer to fly all over the state on vacation.
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    The beach is that way!
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    Looking north toward Manzaneta.
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    Pizza joint and coffee shop. Lots of horse back riding around in the area, this group of ladies rode into town on the beach for pizza.
    2012-09-22 17.46.58.jpg
    Pete Dougherty
    Customer Support Manager
    Cub Crafters Inc

  2. #2
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    Day 2, Sunday morning was another nice, sunny day. After making coffee in camp on the camp stove and taking our time packing up we were loading the plane up and I got a phone call from a friend up in Tacoma. A plan was put together to meet up in Hoquim for lunch then go up to Copalis. On the way to Hoquim we stopped in Seaside (56S) just to look around then in Astoria (KAST) for cheap fuel and on to Hoquiam (KHQM) and lunch.

    Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach from the other side.

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    There is a lot of water out there if you look west!

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    Two CubCrafters cubs at Hoquiam for lunch.

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    After lunch we headed north west out of Hoquiam to go up to Copalis. Copalis State Airport (S16) is about 4500 feet of beach that is designated as a runway. Great fun! A nice day there were a couple of other planes out there as well, a 172 and a Luscombe. If you land on the beach between the wet sand by the water and the dry sand higher up you don't need any special equipment. It is firm enough you almost don't leave tracks, but at the same time is almost slippery like wet grass.

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    A direct route from Copalis takes you right through Tacoma (KTIW) so that make sense as a fuel stop to top off before heading over hwy 410. It was still smokey in the mountains, to the point occasionally one could smell it in the plane. The iPad with Foreflight or the Garmin Pilot ap is nice because you can download the locations of the fire TFRs when on the ground and they still show up when you are flying with no WiFi connection.

    Looking to the south the smoke was worse than to the north.

    2012-09-23 16.07.43.jpg

    Home again on the ramp outside of Cub Crafters at KYKM!

    2012-09-23 17.00.03.jpg
    Pete Dougherty
    Customer Support Manager
    Cub Crafters Inc

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    Senior Member JohnM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    What a great trip. Next airplane delivery I do I will have to allow enough time find a scenic route to take back.

    Thanks, Pete.

    JM

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    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    I'm compiling a list of fun places to go in the Pacific Northwest. Let me know what direction you are heading and I might be able to offer some suggestions.
    Pete Dougherty
    Customer Support Manager
    Cub Crafters Inc

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    Senior Member Centmont's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    Great story Pete...and it brings back so many memories. 15 years and 20 lbs ago, our entire family would regularly bicycle the entire Oregon coast camping near many of the places you talked about. Thanks.... R
    Ralph Rogers
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    I have always felt the supercub is one thing mankind got right the first time but that there were better materials and methods to build them. CubCrafters products are proof I was right.

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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    Quote Originally Posted by Pete D View Post
    I'm compiling a list of fun places to go in the Pacific Northwest. Let me know what direction you are heading and I might be able to offer some suggestions.
    Hi Pete, I just moved to the Pacific Northwest and I would really like to check out your list of fun places to check out. Where can I find it? Also, I am planning a trip to New York with my family for our winter break, and I am wondering if anyone has ever stayed at The Michelangelo Hotel NYC, and if so, is it a good place to stay with my family? Any info would be great. Thanks!
    Last edited by Tim Clark; 12-27-2012 at 11:59 AM.

  7. #7
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oregon and Washington coast camping trip

    I don't have the list online anywhere. Send me a PM and I will give you my cell number and we can chat if you'd like.

    Some places off the top of my head:

    San Juan islands
    -Camping on Orcas at Eastsound
    -Friday Harbor day, trip or hotel, hostel
    -Roche Harbor day, trip or hotel
    -Haven't been to Lopez, Blakely, Point Roberts but they are on the list for the next trip

    Central WA
    -Prosser-Pizza right next to the airport
    -Rimrock (careful of the terrain and density altitude, its deceiving)
    -Waterville, short walk or loaner bikes to Cafe in town
    -Desert Aire, golf near the airport
    -Stehekin, never been, heard its a neat little town with a bakery/cafe?

    North Idaho
    -Sand Point-neat town to visit
    -Clark Fork, lots of Cub and float flying. Might need to know someone up there to go some of the places
    -Several other places for lunch/camping I haven't been to yet

    McCall/Johnson Creek
    -Johnson Creek has fun camping and a small town nearby
    -Lots of back country ranging from basic to advanced

    Oregon coast
    -See below
    -Hood River museum (flyin there, Aug I think?)
    -Also some places I haven't been yet are McMinnville museum/water park, Madras (flyin Sept?)

    I'm probably missing some obvious places. This reminded me I need to jot this stuff down for next summer. It will be a good winter project!
    Pete Dougherty
    Customer Support Manager
    Cub Crafters Inc

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