West Coast adventure #2

Chris Finch

Well-known member
Unfortunately a May departure wasn't possible. The travel agency for Nikki wants 2 years of OR experience and I was getting bored with my old job so I got a new one.

We will both be even more busy this summer so we can't make it there for our anniversary.

But we have a vacation planned for the middle of September. The itinerary is to fly into Portland and make our way to the California border.

The Oregon regs for ocean ground fish and crabs are way more lax than Washington and there are way more opportunities for shore diving( eventually a jet ski death sled would be in order). You can dive year round there and winter temps are high 40's-50!!!

I like the area between Coos Bay and Port Orford, and am going to get in touch with a realtor before we get out there.

If anyone is local and wants to meet up or has some property/mini farm they are planning on selling let me know. Any info on cool stuff to check out would be appreciated too. Thanks again guys
 
Envy, jealousy, covet.... Certainly all sins, but MAN does this adventure make take my chances!

I can't help in OR, but have to believe you're on the best next step of your life. Hopefully some dive operations open up for you out there, too.
 
Chris, it's not too late for you to consider Maine. You have a set of job skills that would set you up well to dive for scallops, a growing and lucrative fishery up here.

If you can stand the winters, that is.
 
I thought they closed scallop diving there. I have heard some stories about people diving in Maine, the lobsterman are none too friendly.

Urchin is where the coin is.... also whelk

I love Maine but I'm done with winter, snow, and people. It's time to head west and peg some big ling cod and cabezon.

And I know this will hurt some feelings here, but Dungeness crabs taste better than lobster.
 
Chris,
I have no skin in the game, only been to Maine once....but what's with the people? You said you've had enough of them....
 
It's not Mainers it's people in general, out west has 1:25-100th the population density of where I live now.

Mainers are way better than the MAJORITY (stepping in more toes here) New Yorkers, jersey people, and people from Massachusetts. The mainers aren't to fond of outsiders though, especially when you want to hunt or fish "their" game. I can't blame them though.

If I move anywhere with snow it's Alaska, I'll take winter if I could have that amount of freedom.
 
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I hear all that Chris. I live on Long Island and by our standards, It's really rural. I hunt, fish and surf right in my immediate "yard"....
But I work with so many people who just do the grind and I'm astonished. I can't imagine putting up with all that they deal with (taxes, traffic, etc) and they do nothing....NOTHING...they work, and submit to all the BS suburban trappings with no real hobbies other than living vicariously through their kids sports.
 
Chris--Depends where in the state you go. Southern Maine is like the more rural parts of MA and CT. But northern, eastern, and especially western Maine is really sparsely populated. You don't have the public land you do out west, but you do have the "unorganized townships", where you can hunt and fish where you choose and nobody will ever bother you.
 
I really like the graham lake/Ellsworth area but like I said no more snow and my ice fishing gear will die in a pyre.

If I didn't need the salt I'd move to Idaho or be neighbors with a buddy in Wyoming. The hunting that lucky bastard does is unreal! The fishing is insane too. But it gets wicked cold there, almost zero taxes and no stupid guns laws is that trade off.
 
I really like the graham lake/Ellsworth area but like I said no more snow and my ice fishing gear will die in a pyre.

If I didn't need the salt I'd move to Idaho or be neighbors with a buddy in Wyoming. The hunting that lucky bastard does is unreal! The fishing is insane too. But it gets wicked cold there, almost zero taxes and no stupid guns laws is that trade off.

Or, you could just talk us to death and end up retiring here in CT...
 
Do as Horace Greeley advised. The East Coast rat race is not for you.

Golden years & retirement? Horse $hit! You will be more concerned with quality medical care, not quality of LIFE.

Live your life now or regret it later.
 
Chris

Sounds like a plan. Just a couple of things to think about. Winter on the west coast isn't cold but it is stormy. The waves are huge and seas are rough. Not too many boats venturing out of the estuaries at that time of year.
 
Winter would be be for crab diving (coos bay is supposed to be very good for Dungeness and red rocks, the cribs hold rockfish and
The odd ling too), ducks, decoys, mushrooms, etc.

I'm really stoked to get out there.
 
Good luck with your move! I've never been to the PNW, but everyone I've met that has ever been there love's it. By the way, isn't duck season 107 days in the Pacific Flyway? That's almost 1/3 of the year!
 
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