A trip to the Oregon and California border at the beach

This month I graduated from college with my bachelor's degree. I decided not to walk during my graduation because I had attended online 100% of my entire education. Instead, I wanted to take a camping trip to celebrate. My choice was to the California Redwoods initially, but settled on Harris Beach State Park at the southern Oregon border with California right at the beach. On the way down, we stopped at the Oregon Vortex. This place was definitely strange and I highly recommend it. Below is a photo of my daughter and I inside the House of Mystery.

I reserved a yurt (9 months in advance!) for us to sleep in. I figured having this over a tent would be a lot more fun, and I'm glad we did.

Harris Beach State Park is right on the beach, so we were able to hike down easily to enjoy the ocean. The issue I do have with Oregon State Parks is it's not really camping. You are essentially sleeping in a big parking lot that has a lot of trees and a lot of people. These campsites fill up very fast, which is why I had to reserve this yurt exactly 9 months in advance-the soonest a reservation was made available.

We also stopped at the Trees of Mystery, a roadside attraction that allows visitors to walk along a trail of giant trees, and ride the Sky Trail. My daughter and I rode this and it was worth the wait.

Of course we had to drive through Jedidiah National Forest to see the Redwoods with a stop at Smith River.

When it came time to go home, we took the scenic 101 up the coast. One of our stops was at the Oregon Dunes and Coquille Lighthouse. 

Although not far from home, it was one of the best vacations I have taken with my family. This area of the west coast is one of the most beautiful.