Newport, OR
The journey from Pacific City, OR to Newport, OR was a cake walk compared to the first time we moved. There is still a lot of learning when it comes to getting everything ready for travel and we were a bit late on our scheduled departure but luckily the Pacific City Campground didn’t seem to mind.
Once we got on the road we only had a 90 minute drive in front of us and it was fairly smooth. Since it was a short drive we didn’t make any pit stops and just went straight to Whalers Rest Campground. Dan did a great job backing us into the site but it took a while to get level. I figured since it was a concrete pad it would be easy but upon further inspection the pad was cracked a significantly lower on one side.
Even with just a 90 minute drive, it takes the entire day to break everything down, make the drive, and then set everything back up. We started getting ready at 8am and were finally set up in the new site by 6pm.
Being in a location for two weeks may seem like a long time, but since we both work full time and lose a day to travel, that only leaves one full weekend for exploring wherever we are. The past few towns we stopped in have been fairly small or places we visited previously so there is not a lot we feel like we are missing with a two week stay. But I am looking forward to some of the 3-4 week trips we have coming up where we are not moving every other weekend.
The one full weekend we were in Newport was really lovely. It rained every day we were there except for one day and it happened to be on the Saturday we were available to go into town.
Friday night we went to Local Ocean for a really nice dinner. It was a bit of a splurge but also delicious. I really wanted to get some fresh seafood and try something new. Local Ocean delivered. I tried Black Cod for the first time and I am glad I stepped out of my Salmon comfort zone. It was perfectly cooked and melt in your mouth buttery. Not a fish I could eat all the time but it was perfect for that moment. The dessert we shared was amazing and I had one of the best Espresso Martinis to date. Here is the rest of what we ate.
Small Plates
Cup of Clam Chowder (Paige) – Razor clams, pork belly and fresh herbs in a creamy clam base with focaccia bread
Grilled Albacore Tuna Kabobs (Dan) – Skewers of seared medium-rare tuna, Pacific Rim-glazed vegetables, crispy rice noodles, cilantro, teriyaki sauce
Big Plates
Grilled Hoisin Black Cod (Paige) – Asparagus, green beans, oranges, shiitake mushroom, onion, red bell pepper, yakisoba noodles, sesame seeds
Tuna Mignon (Dan) – Grilled bacon-wrapped Albacore tuna loin, pan-seared vegetables, herb butter, oyster mushroom cream, frizzled onions
Dessert
Taza de Crema con Chocolate (Shared) – Salted dark chocolate, mixed berry, roasted pistachio, honey whipped cream
Hazelnut Espresso Martini (Paige) – Crater Lake hazelnut espresso vodka, Combier d’Orange, Kahlua, Five Farms Irish Cream
Coffee Nudge (Dan) – Cognac Park VS, Kahlua, Mozart chocolate liqueur, Surf Town coffee, whip cream
Saturday was the first day of this adventure that felt like we really got to get out and enjoy the reason we are traveling full time. We were feeling good and the weather was perfect. Our day started at the Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center, a marine research center operated by Oregon State University. I had been here previously but for $5 entry per person it was definitely worth another visit.
The next stop of the day was Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area where one of the two lighthouses in Newport is located. Dan is working on completing his Lighthouse Passport so there will be a reoccurring theme of lighthouse visits during our travels. Since the key function of a lighthouse is to guide mariners safely through bodies of water, I am happy to tag along and enjoy said body of water.
Yaquina Head is the larger lighthouse in Newport, standing at 93 feet tall and was built directly on the Pacific Ocean. The interior of the lighthouse was not open but the Welcome Center and surrounding areas were. We went during low tide so we could check out some of the tide pools.
The smaller lighthouse in Yaquina Bay was built in 1871 but was decommissioned in 1874 after Yaquina Head was built in 1873. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is currently undergoing restoration and not open to the public. We drove by, but it was fenced off and essentially a construction site.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
After our first two adventures of the day we had worked up an appetite and it was time for some lunch. We went to Georgie’s Beachside Grill where we had a beautiful view of the ocean and more yummy food. Since I had been outgoing with my food choices the night before I decided it was time for one of my favorites, salmon. I had a Marionberry Barbeque Salmon Salad and it was everything I hoped it would be. The salmon was cooked perfectly and I loved the marionberry BBQ sauce. It was served on romaine with strawberries pineapple, blackberries, and cantaloupe. 10/10, no notes.
We finished the day walking down Bay Blvd which has a lot of the local shops. It is your typical small beach town strip with lots of beachy touristy shops, candy stores with salt water taffy, and a few unique stores sprinkled in.
I had seen freeze dried candy taking over online but I have never seen it in person. One of the candy stores had fresh freeze dried salt water taffy so I decided to try it. I went with the Neapolitan flavor and it was surprisingly good. It was similar to a meringue consistency with the flavor of salt water taffy.
Freeze dried compared to the normal salt water taffy.
Since it is such a small beach town, all of the stores closed up at 6pm. That meant it was time to head home and conclude the day. Sunday was spent doing chores and catching up on things around the trailer but it was so nice to get out and see a bit of Newport on a sunny day.
Overall Rating ⭐⭐⭐
Stay Duration: 2 weeks – March 29, 2025- April 12, 2025
Weather: Mostly rainy – Temperature Range: 35-75 – Average Temp: 55
- Site 27 ⭐⭐⭐
- Full Hookup, 15/30/50 amp, Back-in. The site was paved but the concrete pad was cracked and uneven. There did not seem to be good water drainage throughout the campground so a lot of sites were waterlogged and muddy. Ours was no exception, there was so much mud. It becomes quite a struggle to keep the interior floors clean when your shoes are constantly picking up mud and wet pine needles.
- Campground ⭐⭐⭐
- Staff was fine. They enforced the $5/package fee. Buildings felt a little musty but were mostly clean. Behind each campsite seemed to be a path created from water runoff and because we were so close to the beach trail there were a few instances where people walked through our campsite, thinking it was the path back. There was not easy access to trash and recycle, there was a single trash compactor on the other side of the campground. There were also no spots to throw out dog poop.
- Other People/Pets ⭐
- You know what really grinds my gears? Off leash dogs and people who do not pick up after them. Especially when I walk through poop on my site because you do not pay attention to your yappy Yorkie. If you don’t pick up your dog’s poop, I definitely judge you.
- The first week we were there, the people directly next to us had 2 small dogs and 1 large dog that they did not leash and did not pick up after. They also had kids with whistles. Thank god it rained as much as it did because at least when it was raining they were not running around, screaming, and blowing their whistles. Once they took off it was really quite peaceful, both sites next to us were vacant the rest of our the stay but the damage was done.
- Internet Connection ⭐⭐⭐
- It was not an ideal situation, but we figured it out. The trees surrounding us were very tall so Starlink was not a possibility for work. As far as cellular service went, there was only AT&T. Since we do not use AT&T as our main provider it is $90/100GB which goes quickly if you scroll Instagram, play online games, and stream Netflix. Factor in multiple video calls each day for work and you can easily go through 100GB in less than a week. Since we just invested in the Starlink and had 2 weeks left of our month we decided to split up the internet and use both Starlink and AT&T. We used AT&T for our work computers and Starlink for everything else. With all of the trees and limited view of the sky, the Starlink signal was pretty bad but it was enough to have texting service on our phones and streaming services if we were very patient.
- Vibes ⭐⭐⭐
- It was nice to be closer to a larger town again and the one sunny day was a Saturday so we were able to go out and spend some time in Newport. We shared some really lovely meals and overall had a very nice weekend. That being said, I am still not over the off leash dogs, poop everywhere, and screaming children with whistles.
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Next Stop
South Jetty – Florence, OR
Midlife Millennial Adventures 