Pete D
Registered User
Yakima, WA
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.
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.
There was a Corsair outside doing a run-up and cycling the wings up and down when we pulled up.
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.
The beach is that way!
Looking north toward Manzaneta.
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.
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.
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.
There was a Corsair outside doing a run-up and cycling the wings up and down when we pulled up.
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.
The beach is that way!
Looking north toward Manzaneta.
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.
