Oregon Odds and Ends
Wondering what to expect when you visit Oregon? Here are some tidbits that you may not know:
-
Oregon Wild Blackberries No sales tax in Oregon but food and gas are more expensive here than in other states we’ve visited so the savings on sales tax here seems to be negated.
- Gas station attendants pump your gas for you which locals say is nice during the rainy winters, but costly for us in the summer. $2.70 +/- per gallon here. Don’t expect extra service like windshield washing or oil checks. The pumpers just insure that you don’t illegally “top off” your tank ($500 fine).
- It never gets warm enough on the coast to redden tomatoes so no fresh, juicy local tomatoes in the summer (boo-hoo). There are plenty of cherries and a multitude of other luscious berries including marionberrys. These giant, succulent berries are listed on the only website that I bothered to check as the “king and queen” of blackberries. How can that even be? We’ve found regular blackberries (the”prince and princess” of blackberries??) growing like weeds all over Oregon. According to a local spokesman (aka someone I talked to and who may have been lying to me) it is OK to pick the wild berries if you dare fight the thorns.
At Cape Blanco, we are on high ground safe from Tsunamis and sneaker waves, I hope. We see warning signs all along the coast, but I found this one most helpful!
Lots of dogs visit the lighthouse daily including this adorable husky/pomeranian mix. They called him a Pomsky, but I thought he looked like a Huskeranian.
Oregon Camping and Volunteering Advice
Be aware when camping in Oregon that sewer hookups and working dump stations can be elusive. In Klamath Falls, the RV “resort” we visited for a week did not even have a dump station. They had a few sites with sewer (all reserved months in advance). We had to play “roulette” with departing campers to sneak on those full hookup sites for a few minutes to empty our tanks. Here at Cape Blanco there is no working dump station. I would suggest that you make sure you have a waste tank management plan whenever you travel in this state.
Oregon abounds with volunteer opportunities, especially on the coast. Here you can enjoy the cool summer temps, the rugged coast and a variety of parks while exchanging a few hours “work” each week for a campsite and some nice perks . Check the Oregon State Parks website for their listings or use volunteer.gov to check BLM and the National Forest Service postings in Oregon. Just study a map of Oregon, select the area you want to visit and you will very likely find an attractive park seeking volunteers nearby.
Some of the volunteer perks we are enjoying here include:
- Oregon State Park Passes valid through the end of the year
- Library cards for free access to online books and DVD collections at local libraries – we can check out 5 DVDs for up to a week from several different nearby locations- that’s a great deal. Not always the latest flicks, but equal to Netflix streaming offerings.
Trying to Lose Weight?
And finally for those who struggle to follow a diet regimen, perhaps you need to heed this Port Orford restaurant’s ingenious advice:
