Bend, OR

Florence seems to be my own central point of my coastal trips as it is always the 1^st coastal town I come to. Maybe because Florence is the central location for Hwy 101 on the Oregon coast. I go to Florence mainly for 3 reasons, to travel to other destinations on 101, to visit the casino once a year and to hit the sand as often as possible as Florence has probably the biggest area of dunes in which to play on as well as long beaches in which to walk or ride horses.

These dunes are huge! Some are steep, some aren’t, the twisting corners, banked sides, jumps and thank god you have a map! Parts of the dunes you can also sled right off of a dune, on a plastic sled, right into one of the many shallow bay areas. I have also heard you can do the same, using one of the areas 15 lakes. This sand sledding was a favorite past time when I was a kid and now my kids love it. Sand boards can be rented as well but we find the simplicity in a regular snow sled just as efficient.

Florence has a slew of different rentals available such as horse rentals for beach rides, scenic airplane and helicopter flights, guided fishing trips, snorkeling gear, paddle boats, boogie boards and much more. I myself take my own horse and camp out. Riding the beach at sunset or sunrise; well I don’t know which is my favorite as they are equally beautiful and the perfect time for yourself moment.

Old town (the original part of town) has a vast array of lodging, gift shops, restaurants, clothing shops, pubs and in the summer you will find postings of the town’s events. These postings are visible just about any where you may go. Also keep in mind that Florence is only a few miles South of the Sea Lion Caves and Heceta Head Lighthouse I wrote about in additional postings.

Florence also nestles itself directly at the mouth of the Siuslaw River and sports it’s share of steelhead and salmon fishing. I’ve only ever fished off the banks or by wading and I’ve done well.

No one really knows the real reason behind how Florence was named. Some say it’s because of a ship that crashed or after Senator Florence in 1858. Either way I find Florence to be a charming town. Everyone has always been pleasant and the town has a quiet yet simple feel to it and it also seems to have the most recreational opportunities.

Please visit following link for directions from Bend, Oregon to our coastal Florence.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/Bend+OR/Florence+OR/