Somehow I missed out on all that Port Orford has to offer. It doesn't help that I lost a couple of days to rain. Unfortunately, when it's gloomy and rainy out, I become a hermit witih no desire to fight the elements. As was the case at Port Orford. But when I think back to the sights I saw but never returned to to explore more in-depth, I realize I missed a lot.

For a town of only 1200 people, what it has to offer is amazing. Three state parks, two of which are beaches, is a plus to any location. And P.O. has just that.

In addition, is Battle Rock Beach with all its picturesque sea stacks. Seemingly, the town hang out, it's where the locals go to watch the whales that come into Port Orford Bay; where the local men congregate to talk fish talk and weather; it's where bicyclists take a break on their journey south; and where tourists stop in to check out the Visitor Center and take a picture of Battle Rock, the site of a long-ago battle between American Indians and settlers. Located on the south end of town, right off the 101, you can always find someone there.

Paradise Point State Park, on the other hand, is more remote, at the end of a road just as you enter town from the north. It's the place to go for a perfect sunset and a long walk. If you walk far enough south, you come to Tseriadun State Recreation Site's Agate Beach, with its great rock formations and ferocious waves.

At Port Orford's southwest corner lies the massive headlands, Port Orford Heads State Park where trails meander through the heavily forested area and where views of the coast in both directions are free for the taking. It's also a black-tail deer habitat.