William Tugman State Park

August 22, 2011

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend on the Oregon Coast and camped at William Tugman State Park. The park is located on Eel lake and is situated between the cities of Florence and Reedsport, right in the heart of the Sand Dunes National Recreation Area. It was an area of the coast that we had only previously driven through, so we were excited to take our time and really explore it.

William Tugman State Park

We took off early Friday morning and drove down the Oregon Coastal Highway 101. We left 90 degrees behind in Portland (the warmest day of the year) and were met with fog and coastal mist…typical. I’m not a person who loves the Oregon Coast try as I may. The scenery is beautiful and dramatic, but I’ve lived through enough wind and rain that I don’t find the weather to be all that inviting. The drive was pretty though and I enjoyed it – mist and all. One of the best parts of towing a little trailer is the ability to pull off anywhere and have a place to eat lunch and use the bathroom, and that is exactly what we did. We found a nice little area to stop at with a pretty view and enjoyed a driving break and a snack.

A place to rest along side of the road!

We arrived at William Tugman State Park late in the afternoon with plenty of time to set up camp and to take a short walk around Eel Lake. The weather had improved although it was still cold and windy. The campgrounds were pretty enough but they were quite packed together. Being a newbie to camping we were convinced that we’d love the state park systems with their full hookups and amenities . After our last two camping experiences though, it has become clear to us that we prefer camping in the National Forest Service Sites. They seem to offer more natural settings with larger camp sites and more privacy. This site probably would have been fine if the 3 Yurt sites next to us weren’t hosting a family reunion during our stay. That being said, we were treated to some lovely guitar and singing from a camper next to us. I am going to learn to play the guitar myself one of these days!!!

Taking the chill off the brisk coast weather.

A view at night.

Saturday morning we woke up to nice weather and we drove farther south down the coast. We spent a beautiful afternoon in the little town of Bandon, Oregon and later explored the Simpson Gardens at Shore Acres National Park. Louis Simpson was a timber baron and his estate boasted beautiful gardens with flowers and plants from all over the world! The Dahlias were in full bloom and were putting on quite a show!

Oregon Sand Dunes

Near Bandon, Oregon

On a side note it was our first time pulling our trailer behind our X5. It pulled beautifully and that V8 engine made us forget there was even a trailer behind us. Having that big, beautiful sky light was sure nice, too!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend! I can’t tell you how much we’re enjoying our little Bambi!