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Oregon’s Central Coast stretches for about 80 miles between Lincoln City and Florence. Newport and Lincoln City deserve their own couple of days, which I will cover in a separate post. This itinerary focuses on the sights between Yachats and Florence, a 26-mile stretch. It can be completed in a long weekend if you’re already in the PNW. Otherwise, add another full day for travel. When to Visit July and August are… Read More

[Florence, OR, Jan 17, 2026] We woke up to a crisp but sunny morning. Our hotel’s breakfast room had a gorgeous view of Florence and the Siuslaw River bridge. Sea Lion Caves Our first stop for the day was the Sea Lion Caves. The system of sea caves and caverns is located about 11 miles north of Florence. It is the 10th longest sea cave in the world and the longest in… Read More

[Gary/Porter, IN, Sep 12, 2023] Indiana Dunes National Park is one of the youngest. It got upgraded from a National Lakeshore in 2019 to become the nation’s 61st national park. It runs for about 20 miles along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, in northwestern Indiana. The closest big city is Chicago, IL. If you’re coming from there, be aware that Chicago is on Central time, while Indiana Dunes is on Eastern… Read More

[Mesa Verde National Park & Great Sand Dunes National Park, Sep 7 ,2023] I had really meant for Thursday to just be a travel day, but the cliff dwelling tour schedule at Mesa Verde had once again thrown a little wrench in my plans. There was one more cliff dwelling on the tour schedule, Square House. But it only ran once a day Thursday through Sunday. The limit was 10 people, which… Read More