June 26 – July 10, 2023
Harris Beach State Park
Beach State Park Road
Brookings, OR 97415
The State Park itself grew on us quickly. Initially it felt just tight, crammed, and busy. Our site seemed a little shorter than advertised. They all did. We could not park the truck at our site, which we quickly got used to. On the other hand, we had sufficient space behind the bus and enjoyed being outside, whenever it was warm enough. The rangers were reasonably friendly.
The walk to the beach was short (and steep). Getting the heart rate up a little every day felt good. Bicycling from the park was limited. We did not enjoy riding on 101 because of traffic. But later we did find a nice trail that connects the park to a nearby neighborhood.
The Beach. We are not beach people. Neither of us. The first walk on the beach was nice, but not special. It wasn’t until we experienced low tide that we enjoyed going to the beach more often. Usually at low tide. And we learned that not all low tides are created equal. By pure luck, we got to experience the two lowest tides of the year! How awesome is that?
The Fish Market at the Harbor. We hang out at the harbor a few times. There was an arts and crafts festival over 4th of July weekend. Live music. Some good and some not so. Ice cream. Espresso madness in a waffle cone was the best! But the one thing that made us come back often was the fish market! The people there started recognizing us soon. Maybe we were the ones asking the most stupid questions! We bought mostly local fresh fish (sole, rockfish, and ling cod). The Copper River Sockeye Salmon was, of course, from Alaska, and, unfortunately, not as fresh. Being in Brookings, better stick with fish caught right here.