New vacation homes in Pacific City, Oregon Coast

More vacation condos will soon be added to the supply of ones on the North Coast. Becoming increasingly popular, "fractionally owned" vacation condos are the way to go for those who want a home on the Oregon Coast but either can't afford or want something that requires little maintenance.

The Cottages at Cape Kiwanda will be available in June 2007 and they are already offering tours bundled into an overnight stay at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda that involves coffee drinks at the local espresso place and a meal for two at the Pelican Pub & Brewery. From their website, there are some great construction shots and a gorgeous sunset photo with Haystack Rock.

They're worth checking out if you're in the market for a timeshare or vacation home on the North Coast. Even if you're not in the market, you may want to see them.

Oregon Coastal stretch of Highway 101

Oregon's stretch of Highway 101 has been designated one of America's Scenic Highways. The Oregon Coast Visitors Association puts out tens of thousands of brochures about it. It's certainly a beautiful road and one of the "signature" landmarks of the Oregon Coast, but I have to wonder about the "byway" part. It's our main highway. It doesn't go "by" anything, except of course the Oregon Coast. When it was built in the 1920's and 1930's, it wasn't just to be scenic, although it had the effect of tripling the state's tourism trade. The intent was to improve America's ability to defend its coastline, which is why it was called the "Roosevelt Military Road." For whatever the purpose, it's worth travelling the 350 miles of this scenic byway.

Cute and Cuddly Keiko?

There's a certain mystique about Keiko, once the killer whale that lived at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. Many of you remember this cuddly killer whale was originally housed in Mexico City, stayed for awhile at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and then was shipped to Iceland to roam free before dying. The star of the movie "Free Willy," this killer whale was an overnight success at the Aquarium. After his move from Mexico City, his new digs were quite a bit larger than the former one.

Many forget that Keiko was a killer whale, the species that kills gray-whale calves as they make their way up the Oregon Coast from Mexico to their summer playground in Alaska. These whales also kill sea lions, sometimes for sport and sometimes for food. While we can all appreciate fewer sea lions, let us not forget they are predators of the ocean not the cute and cuddly Willys of the movie fame.

If you have an interest in seeing these whales, they can sometimes be spotted in pods off the coast. The best place to see them is in Alaska but they can also occasionally be seen off the coast at Depoe Bay. Pods consist of two or more killer whales that hunt and feed together. We should also remember that killer whales do not hunt humans. Let's just leave that to the great white shark.

Planning an event on the Oregon Coast

Putting on an event here on the Oregon Coast takes quite a bit of time. As the chair of the Wine, Beer, Seafood & Music Festival - Confluence 2007, I have spent countless hours working with vendors, local merchants, the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce staff, advertisers, and committee members.

This is the first year we've held this event. Taking place in Gardiner next weekend (February 17 & 18), this festival could someday equal in size to the Newport Seafood Festival, which is the largest in the Pacific Northwest. The groundwork is being laid with various entities to make this a success. Because alcohol will be served, we can only admit those 21 years or older.

The towns of Reedsport, Winchester Bay, and Gardiner are gearing up for what they expect will be 300 people per day. While that may seem like a small number to many of you out there, it is equal to the total of Gardiner's and Winchester Bay's population.

While visitors are here, we hope they will explore much of what Coastal Douglas County has to offer. There is Reedsport's Umpqua Discovery Center with its award winning exhibit, fishing on the Umpqua River, charter fishing in Winchester Bay, clamming and crabbing, and riding ATVs on the tallest dunes in Oregon.

It's been fun participating in the coordination of this event. As a volunteer, each committee member has made sacrifices. We are fortunate to have such dedicated people in our communities.

Who was Oswald West, and what did he do for the Oregon Coast?

Does anyone know what Oswald West did for Oregon beaches? Apparently Os West did something for Oregon beaches 40 years prior to Tom McCall, who is credited for passing the beach bill that guaranteed public ownership and access to the beaches. In one source, it says that he claimed the beaches as public transportation corridors. Oregon beaches had been used by pioneers, mail coaches, and others to travel up and down the Coast. The Annual Dune Musher's Run, with its route between Coos Bay and Florence, marks the celebration of this longtime event.

One of Oregon's most popular state parks is named after Oswald West. It's on the Oregon Coast where Clatsop County meets Tillamook County. However, the campground at Os West is so remote that park staff provide campers with wheelbarrows to get their gear from the parking lot to the camping sites. Many people come to this park to surf.

Salt's Importance to Lewis and Clark

Living on the Oregon Coast, we have a distinct relationship with the ocean and with salt water. Its effects on the Umpqua River are felt as far east as Scottsburg.

Even still -- we take salt for granted in our modern lives. Persons in earlier times, however, considered salt to be an essential commodity. It was not only a flavorizer, it was used as a preservative for meats, vegetables, and fruit. The term "salary" actually comes from the Latin word for "salt." If you couldn't get it at Safeway, you had to find it on your own. One of the straightforward ways was to take seawater and boil it dry. The residue would be mostly salt. When Lewis and Clark arrived at Fort Clatsop, making salt was one of their priorities. They set up a cairn in what is now Seaside and kept the kettles boiling day and night. As you walk down the Promenade, you can see a monument on the site.

To cognize more fully what it meant to them to have salt, think about how they used salt to preserve their food. Meats were cured with it and vegetables were flavored with it. Without it, many would have starved.

Driving to Florence

Driving to work in Florence this morning, I caught the ducks squabbling in Lake Tahkenitch, noticed the mist hanging over Lake Woahink, and the wake of a boat while passing over the Florence Bridge. I looked forward to this drive twice a week. Florence is one of my favorite towns on the Central Coast.

Here on the Oregon Coast, there is so much beauty. On drives like the one this morning, I want others to experience it. Driving through Gardiner and seeing the sunrise over the water or the sunset on my return, inspires me to get the word out.