PNW Question

[VaB]

Looking to relocate to somewhere with more direct access to hiking and camping but not willing to give up surf. Thinking the PNW would be a good option. Any recommendations for where to start looking? I see a job available in Newport OR but figuring very norther cal and OR would be good options. Any help is appreciated. I know this is vague but I am just starting and since I know nothing about the area it seems reasonable.

Thanks for any help

 

[casa_mugrienta]

I don't know how important surfing is to you.

Washington has some of the most direct access to some of the most amazing wilderness in the country.

Waves too if you put in the work.

Hiking, peakbagging, climbing, mountaineering, snowsports, hunting, fishing

 

[Firebird]

I spend a lot of time up there. I intend to relocate once I retire from the fire dept.
Surf gets good but requires lots of dedication to get it when it's on.
Surfers I know who live there don't rely so much on local surf, but do 3-4 trips a year to get good surf and report that overall, they get more waves in a year than where they came from.
Windsurfing and wingsurfing seem to be a good alternative when surfing is not an option.
Outdoor enthusiast culture on the Puget Sound is very cool and I have met some really neat people. There is a sense of community.

 

[VaB]

thanks guys.

Surf is pretty important to me. Just don't want to put all my eggs in one basket and choose only surfing. Around here, the closest bad hiking in 4 hours. I don't even know where good hiking would be. No good trails, no dirt bikes trails for probably at least 6 hours. more likely 7-8. I mean, you could do that every few months at most.

Surf around here is on average poor but I trunk it for 4 months and at least 1/2 the year in a minimal wetsuit. It is empty by all comparisons so even fair surf ends up being a lot of fun b/c I never fight crowds and I have low expectations. 2 hours on a glider in truck in 1-2 foot clean surf is great for me. I'm old, I don't need overhead barrels to feel fulfilled. Plus, I was never that good. A lot of flat days though. I don't have the time or the energy to dial in an area. I don't even dial in my own area, I go to my closest break everytime or head to obx but with my daughter, those trips are nonexistent now. Would be fun in 8-10 years but a long time to get there.

 

[Aruka]

If you don't have the desire to dial in an area it might be tough. It's rare that I surf the same spot more than a few times in a row. The swell rarely goes completely flat but there's a couple months in midsummer where it can get pretty tiny and the wind is terrible so for me that's the worst time of year for surf. Winter time it's often about waiting for the swell to drop enough to surf. There's very few places to hide from the swell. It's 5/4 hooded wetsuit year round with water varying a bit depending on where you are but averaging something like 50F. The hiking and camping are better than surf except for during the 6 months of the year when it's dropping the annual 80-100 inches of rain.

 

[sdsrfr]

Bro, @Aruka, I notice you fail to mention the topless hippy chick waterfall showers you enjoy post session.

localism is alive and well.

 

[Aruka]

i don't need to mention the topless hippy chicks that inhabit every waterfall, that's just common knowledge.

more realistic would be husky, pale women wearing jackets, jeans, rubber boots and a camo or hunter orange trucker hat.

 

[vanrysss]

My parents live in Newport. As long as you're not expecting amazing waves and you aren't single it's probably not a bad place to be based out of. Real estate might be a bit more expensive than you're used to though. Agate beach, Otter Rock, and the jetties are all well known spots within like 15mins of downtown.

If you start losing your mind from lack of sunlight and the rain Bend is a four hour drive away.

 

[Mr Doof]

Have known two families from the Bay Area of California that moved to coastal Oregon.

One lasted two years, the other 5.

Reasons given for moving away from the coast:

1 rain
2 cloud cover
3 employment
4 hicks
5 pace of life (too slow)
6 lack of personal connections

One moved back to sunny California, the other moved inland to Salem, where they remain.

 

[littlewave]

thanks guys.

Surf is pretty important to me. Just don't want to put all my eggs in one basket and choose only surfing. Around here, the closest bad hiking in 4 hours. I don't even know where good hiking would be. No good trails, no dirt bikes trails for probably at least 6 hours. more likely 7-8. I mean, you could do that every few months at most.

Surf around here is on average poor but I trunk it for 4 months and at least 1/2 the year in a minimal wetsuit. It is empty by all comparisons so even fair surf ends up being a lot of fun b/c I never fight crowds and I have low expectations. 2 hours on a glider in truck in 1-2 foot clean surf is great for me. I'm old, I don't need overhead barrels to feel fulfilled. Plus, I was never that good. A lot of flat days though. I don't have the time or the energy to dial in an area. I don't even dial in my own area, I go to my closest break everytime or head to obx but with my daughter, those trips are nonexistent now. Would be fun in 8-10 years but a long time to get there.

How important is trunking it/minimal rubber, and the ability to just go surf when you've got a window?

 

[sdsrfr]

Have known two families from the Bay Area of California that moved to coastal Oregon.

One lasted two years, the other 5.

Reasons given for moving away from the coast:

1 rain
2 cloud cover
3 employment
4 hicks
5 pace of life (too slow)
6 lack of personal connections

One moved back to sunny California, the other moved inland to Salem, where they remain.

I always figured if it was so great up there we (californins) would have already started a mass migration as we have into other parts of the country.

 

[Mr Doof]

 

[bluemarlin04]

Surf is fun in Oregon but it is cold.

If you are a good surfer you can get waves. Most of the locals in Newport and Seaside can't actually surf and are mostly out of shape burnouts.

You can also snowboard.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Most of the locals in Newport and Seaside can't actually surf and are mostly out of shape burnouts.

 

[VaB]

How important is trunking it/minimal rubber,
- nice but not essential

and the ability to just go surf when you've got a window?
-essentail.

 

[smithgrind]

I would suggest doing some recon before deciding the pnw is for you.
If you can make it out here for visits in the summer and winter and stay for a week or
more each time I think you'll have a better sense of what you might be getting into. Aruka's
take on the surf scene is spot on. Hiking, camping, and all the outdoors activities are way
beyond anything you'd experience in Va B.

I moved out here (OR) sight unseen in '93 from Northern Virginia. I was in my 20's and
not very bright about big life decisions. So far it's worked out.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

i don't need to mention the topless hippy chicks that inhabit every waterfall, that's just common knowledge.

more realistic would be husky, pale women wearing jackets, jeans, rubber boots and a camo or hunter orange trucker hat.

what about winter bush with a nice gamey smell?

 

[Firebird]

what about winter bush with a nice gamey smell?

Hey, everyone has their trippy kinks. I'm sure it can be found if that's your deal.

 

[Aruka]

what about winter bush with a nice gamey smell?

gross dude

 

[SeaFoamGreen]

Aruka seems to surf as much as or more than anyone else that posts their repopos, no? Definitely more surf than VaBah. Place cant hold a swell for more than a few hours, right? The Oregon cost is changing with a lot of young peps living out there these days especially Newport. NOAA moved their headquarters there maybe 10 years ago, so there are quite a bit of science types around, many whom surf. Lived in that zone in the late 90's. While it was pretty dead socially, had a good job, a good lady, surf was never crowded, and spent Jan and Feb on the Baja Peninsula but eventually bailed. That said, now that I am in my late 40's I'd be fine there. Just have to like the rain, 5mill hooded wetsuits, sharky vibes, and have other hobbies beside surfing and be able to travel maybe once a year to warmer waters. Driving to Baja for a 2-3 weeker is quite doable. Fishing, crabbing, and hunting is good in that area as well. Can get a little crowded on weekends, OSU is just under an hour away and all the kids surf these days, but vibes are much better than the north coast if not downright friendly.