RVers experience natural beauty of Cape Lookout

The weather was a little damp, overcast and a bit on the chilly side — but that’s the chances one takes traveling to the Oregon Coast in August.

Rosemary and Frank Schofhauser returned last Saturday from a weeklong RV camping trip to Cape Lookout State Park, located on a sand spit between Netarts Bay and the Pacific Ocean, 12 miles southwest of Tillamook.

“It was windy and quite cold in the evening,” says Rosemary Schofhauser. “One morning when I went down to the beach to walk my dog, I could hear the ocean breaking but it was so foggy I couldn’t see the waterline.”

Even though the sun only peeked through occasionally, the Schofhausers are ready to go back.

“When it did clear the scenery was spectacular,” says Rosemary Schofhauser, a substitute teacher with the Mead School District.

“Cape Lookout is an extremely popular park because it is so close to the beach,” says John, an Oregon State Parks call center operator. “In fact all the parks on the northern coast are popular. That is where everyone inland goes to escape the heat.”

Because of the popularity of Cape Lookout, the Schofhausers reserved their campsite in advance online (see information below).

“We were able to see which sites were available and where they were located,” says Rosemary Schofhauser. “Our site was about a five-minute walk to the beach. At night we sat by our campfire and watched the shooting stars.”

During the day they spent a lot of their time hiking the more than eight miles of trails that wind through an old growth forest.

“I enjoyed hiking out to Cape Lookout Point,” says Frank Schofhauser, a retired mechanical engineer. The trail follows the headland for more than 2.4 miles.

“It was foggy when we started and the trail went up and down, over roots and through mud,” says Rosemary Schofhauser. “I like to hike, but that was a long way. When we finally got to Cape Lookout Point it was clear and sunny and the scenery was awesome.”

One advantage to traveling in an RV is the flexibility it gives to changing plans.

The Schofhausers were returning to their campsite from Tillamook late one afternoon and pulled off at the Anderson Viewpoint overlooking the ocean and Cape Lookout sand spit below.

“It was such a breathtaking view,” says Rosemary Schofhauser, “that we decided to stay awhile and eat dinner there. We just hopped into the RV, made up some sandwiches and enjoyed magnificent scenery.”

Another reason for the stop was to search for wild raspberry bushes.

“All along that road were raspberry and blackberry patches,” says Rosemary Schofhauser. “We picked so much I ran out of Baggies and filled up our RV freezer. We have enough berries to get us through most of the winter. With the price of berries, that helped offset the cost of the trip.”

Speaking of costs, the Schofhausers report that regular gasoline in Oregon averaged $2.99. Their 1986 21-foot class C Tioga motor home averaged about 7.5 mpg. Fuel costs for their 964-mile trip ran about $385.

“With these high fuel prices, it’s not really cost-effective to drive this rig right now,” says Frank Schofhauser.

“But it gives us the freedom to chose where we want to go and stay,” he says. “We’re paying a little extra because of the convenience it gives us.”

Information

“ Cape Lookout State Park, 13000 Whiskey Creek Road W., off US 101, 12 miles southwest of Tillamook, OR. Call (503) 842-4981.

The park offers 38 full hookup campsites ($20), 2 electric sites ($20), 176 tent sites ($16); 4 yurts ($27); 4 group tent areas ($61); and a hiker/biker camp ($4). Prices are good through Sept. 30. Fees are lower during Discovery Season, Oct. 1 to April 30. If you are not camping, but want to enjoy the park and hiking trails, there is a day-use fee ($3) or you can purchase an annual parks pass ($25).

“ Oregon State Parks, www.oregon.gov/oprd/parks, is the place to go for information on all state parks with campgrounds and for making on-line reservations. Telephone reservations can be made by calling toll free (800) 452-5687. There is a $6 nonrefundable service fee for each reservation made online or by telephone. Nonreserved sites are on a first-come first-serve basis.

“ Whiskey Creek Cafe, between Tillamook and entrance to Cape Lookout State Park. 6060 Whiskey Creek Road; (503) 842-5117. “Great seafood dinner,” says Rosemary Schofhauser. Open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“ North Coast Seafood Festival, Tillamook Fairgrounds, Oct. 7 to 8. Continuous live entertainment, international food court featuring seafood, Oregon wineries and microbreweries and Oregon coast artists; www.northcoastseafoodfestival.com.

Snowbird question

Several RVers have asked about “Snowbird” locations. If you head south for the winter and would like to share information about your favorite places to stay, please call (509) 459-5435 or send in an e-mail to juliannec@spokesman.com.