Driving through Scottsburg, Oregon

Last week, Steve took a rare week-long vacation, and while we didn't have any one set place to go, we thought we'd make a few minor road trips. We've lived in Roseburg for two years now, and when we end up with a day together, we either run errands, garden, or drive to Bandon-by-the-Sea. And Bandon is beautiful, but we wanted to expand our realm a bit. I'll probably write a few of these, because I really loved having the time to explore the state a little.

Scottsburg's landing, circa 1900.

We drove west on 38, eventually ending up in the little fishing village Winchester Bay. It was nice--much more like Eastern beaches in that it is all flat, yellow sand and blue water and sky, no crags or rocks or anything.  Plus, people are permitted to drive on the Oregon Dunes using their ATVs there, so the bulk of other tourists and visitors are people who've come to ride four-wheelers.  The really lovely part of this trip was getting to the coast--the road follows the North Umpqua River through Elkton, then Scottsburg, then Reedsport. The drive is gorgeous, and the river is beautiful, and the towns are small and quaint--with a lot of history attached. Scottsburg, which is now VERY small, was once a growing "Gateway to Oregon" community, but after a horrendous flood in 1861, the town never fully recovered. The image here is from the Salem Public Library's archives, showing boat travel to the town. I've been scouring the Internet for info about Scottsburg--I'm intrigued.

Outside of Reedsport, which is an adorable town, there is an Elk viewing area that always has many elk hanging out--that was a treat, too. We'll definitely take this route again, though probably to cut up to Florence, Oregon, or to cut down a bit south.