After putting up with sub-freezing temperatures for the previous month, we were ready to hit the coast and enjoy some of that temperate climate that the Pacific Northwest is famous for. Our destination was Newport, a decent-sized fishing/beach community located about a third of the way down the Oregon Coast. However, getting to Newport was a bit easier said than done as the route required us to get the rig up and over the sizeable Cascade Mountains. We were originally hoping that we could simply continue our trip along highway 20 all the way to the ocean, however, winter had other plans. After taking highway 20 up into the heart of the Cascades, at a certain point, the snow on the road became too thick for our liking so we decided to call an audible and take the safer route over the mountains via highway 22. Although this added about an hour to our trip, we were happy to get back onto a road that we could actually see below the snow and ice!
We were white knuckling it for about an hour or so before the snow finally began to subside. Once the nasty road conditions were safely in our rearview, it was smooth sailing all the way to the coast. Our campground during our stay in the area was the Port of Newport RV Park & Marina, a decently sized park located right next to the water along the city’s inner harbor. We absolutely loved this RV park! Not only was the park itself quite nice, but the location was top-notch – from its positioning along the waterfront to its walking-distance proximity to a variety of fun activities like the Rogue Brewery/Distillery and the Oregon Coast Aquarium (was closed due to COVID, pour one out). Hell, just look at that view!
Another fond memory of this campground was the uber-friendly camp host, also named Clay, who roamed the park grounds on his golf cart in-between providing travel tips to guests and cracking jokes. Clay was quite helpful with his tips and directed us to a variety of different walking paths/piers that lined the harbor, each providing a unique view of the area.
Although there was plenty to love about Newport, our memory of the town is likely a bit inflated thanks to some fortuitous outcomes to sporting events that occurred while we were in the area. The first of these was the Browns huge victory over the Steelers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Playoffs. This was the first postseason win for the Brownies in living memory so there was plenty of reason to celebrate – especially as it came at the expense of those dirty Yinzers over in Shittsburgh! The other positive football result was a bit more personal. With an Alabama victory over Ohio State in the national championship, I officially locked up yet another 1st place finish in the Murphy’s annual college football bowl pick em’ challenge – thereby securing the championship belt for the next 12 months!
Naturally, both of these events would have been cause for celebration, however, due to our questionable decision to participate in Dry January, we were unable to give them a proper dedication. However, we decided to make a compromise by purchasing a nice bottle of single malt whiskey from the neighboring Rogue Distillery and holding onto it until the month was over (SPOILER – it didn’t quite make it to February unopened, but that’s a story for another post). Although we did not do a proper tour of the brewery/distillery while we were there, Rogue gives guests plenty of leeway to explore the property without too much supervision – which we frequently took advantage of on our walks around the area.
Before visiting Newport, we were pretty worried that it would be dreary and foggy for much of our stay. After being treated to a few days of sunny skies and temperatures in the 60’s upon our arrival, we were starting to think that we had this place all wrong. That was… until the gale force winds struck without much warning as the sun was setting one evening – and didn’t stop for 24 hours! We are talking sustained 40+ mph winds for a full day. It was downright miserable. Everything that could flap around and cause noise did just that, which didn’t exactly help when it came time to sleep. Thankfully, the winds finally died down and when we went to assess the rig, we were pleased to find that there was surprisingly little damage done to the exterior (that we could see, knock on wood).
That next evening, we decided to check out the beach to see what all had washed up on shore as a result of the storm. This turned out to be a fantastic decision, not because there was anything crazy on the beaches other than a bunch of driftwood and seaweed, but because of the spectacular sunset that we happened to catch while strolling around the majestic dunes that lined the coast. This was easily one of the most stunning sunsets that either of us had ever laid eyes on. Just when we thought it had climaxed, we were treated to a fresh new color combination that was more vibrant than the last. Truly one to remember!
Later in the week, we opted to hit up Newport’s little downtown area to explore the tourist trappings and take in Nye Beach, the town’s most prominent oceanfront. Sadly, we weren’t able to sample the clam chowder that Newport is famous for (gluten), but we were determined to get some fresh local seafood before we left. After scouring the restaurant scene on Google Maps, we settled on Local Oceans Seafood which turned out to be a delightful little spot located right on the harbor and featuring dishes made from that day’s catch. Talk about fresh!
I’m guessing you can already tell from this glowing recollection, but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Newport and have very fond memories of this stop along our journey. From the consistent sound of seagulls and waves crashing on the jetty, to the lush green vegetation, to the regular trickle of fishing boats in-and-out of the harbor – this place is the quintessential coastal fishing/beach town that one associates with the Pacific Northwest. WE WILL BE BACK!
P.S.
We mentioned in the Flagstaff post that we were having issues with moisture and condensation inside the trailer, specifically on walls and windows that were directly exposed to the outdoors (due to the large differential between indoor and outdoor temperatures). We tried to address this with a small, cheap humidifier from Amazon, but quickly found it to be woefully ineffective – we’re talking a couple drops of water after running for 24 hours. After some quick YouTube research, we realized that we simply needed a much bigger dehumidifier if we wanted to truly address this problem.
We decided to stop off at the Home Depot in Bend on our way out of town and pick up a real dehumidifier that we could run in the trailer while we were out in the damp Pacific Northwest. Coming in at nearly two feet tall, the new dehumidifier that we brought home is a hoss compared to that last hunk of junk! But apparently size is the name of the game in the world of dehumidifiers. Within the first 24 hours of running our new unit, we had collected well over a gallon of water from the air! Neither of us could believe how effective this thing would turn out to be and this dehumidifier has easily been one of our better purchases. If you’re on the fence about adding one to your house/RV/basement/wherever, do it! Believe me, once you get one up and running, it will feel like you’ve been living in a swamp for your whole life up until that point.