Portland to SF - need some specific advice

hey everyone,

so my boyfriend and I are driving from portland to SF in may. we have a general plan but i still have some questions where I need advice (by the way, we are late 20s, tent campers, no kids, prefer the rustic/scenic/adventurous to the touristy/family friendly)

- what is the best campground to stay in near tillamook? the less RVs the better. oswald west looked cool but looks like it is closed from falling trees. anywhere where we can dig up shellfish and cook them a plus :)

- planning to also camp near the dunes nra. what campgrounds would you recommend here? honeyman? we are looking into the sandboarding/dune buggying.

- what is fun to do in the towns between tillamook and florence for young people with no kids? not into the whole overpriced touristy beach town scene - are these towns different from your average cape cod/jersey shore vacation towns? seaside sounds a little like this but what about the others?

- what is there to do south of the dunes nra on the 101 while driving towards CA? have heard about the river boats in gold beach but we prefer something more active like kayaking/rafting to being driven around in a boat. we would head inland to the grants pass area to whitewater, but we might save the rafting for CA since I%26#39;ve heard the southern coast of oregon on the 101 is not to be missed. true?

thanks so much.

Portland to SF - need some specific advice

We have not been to Jersey Shore, have seen part of Cape Cod. But we have been to Myrtle Beach, Waikiki, Miami Beach. and several S Cal beaches. none of the Oreg beach towns are that touristy. not sure what is touristy about Cape Cod.

We just got back from Virginia Beach, which was nice actually, though can imagine it may be more touristy in summer.

And Seaside is good place if you get off Broadway area.

Suggest you consider Forest Service CGs in Oreg Dunes. Some are pretty active with dune buggy people. Horsefall is one

Unless you want to get serious I would not go all the way to Grants Pass to whitewater. the really good white water 30 or more miles from GP, and unless you are good i would not attempt the ones below Galice by yourselves.

I think the good white water accessible as easily from Gold beach, and ride a boat, those drivers know the river above Agness where it gets good, plus coast from Port Orford to Brookings not to be missed

Alsos the dune buggies are better if you go with a driver. Thry know how to see the dunes. they go places you amy od should not. Then rent your own buggy also.

Portland to SF - need some specific advice

thanks for the info!

having grown up on cape cod I did smile at your comment though... I don%26#39;t know what else to call the fried-clam-eating, child-toting, khaki-clad, trinket-buying new yorkers that mob the cape in the summer other than ';tourists!';

And I grew up on oregon coast. and still go there often. Though our coast is busy in summer. I think other places more tousity. though touristy means all different things. a bit like quaint

We did not get very far on to Cape when we saw public beach access parking, parked and walked out to beach. public beach maybe 200 yards long, then we found fences at both ends and signs saying private beach. we turned around then rather than go further out on Cape. So maybe we missed touristy.

No beaches in oreg are private

However, the State Park Dept. can and does block off Oregon beaches for various reasons. Also they have many restrictions. Many people think you can drive on the beaches here, but in reality you can drive in only a few areas.