The Oregon Coast: 363 Miles of Possibilities and Experiences on The People's Coast

Lynnee Jacks - The Oregon Coast VA

Howard: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and this is Howard Fox and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast where we celebrate individuals and families, businesses and organizations. That seek out and promote the exploration, stewardship, conservation, access, and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Howard: Lene Jax is our guest today. Lene is the Industry Communications Coordinator for the Oregon Coast Visitors Association. She is responsible for communicating all that the organization and their Coastal Tourism Partners do to make the Oregon Coast an even better place to live and visit. Linnea, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast.

Howard: Welcome.

Lynnee: Yeah, thank you, Howard. It's great to be here.

Howard: Fantastic. You know, I have to share, I think the Oregon Coast, I've seen so many photos of it, and [00:01:00] it reminds me of this exotic land that I have yet to visit and want to visit so badly. I'm getting closer. I'm in Las Vegas right now. And it This coastline is just, it's magnificent, and how do you put up with all that magnificence?

Lynnee: Oh my goodness. It really, I mean, in my opinion, it is the most beautiful place in the country. Um, and there's just so much diversity here, too. I think that's what's adds to the magic of it as well. You know, we have these really rugged, dramatic vistas and dunes and sandy beaches. It's just, I mean, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Lynnee: It's incredible.

Howard: Excellent. Now, did you grow up along the coast, or did you find yourself here after, you know, going to school?

Lynnee: Uh, so I actually grew up in California, but I grew up visiting the Oregon coast seaside specifically because my grandma grew up here. So we visited every year as kids. [00:02:00] Um, but it wasn't actually until I went abroad and studied tourism in Iceland that I actually ended up connecting the dots and coming back to the coast to kind of carry out that study and work into a career.

Lynnee: So it's been a very full, full circle return to the coast for me.

Howard: Very nice. And I, one thing I have learned from the many destination marketing organizations, convention visitor bureaus that I've worked with, Is folks are, who are in this, their positions could be the executive director, could be the communication coordinator. They love their work and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Howard: And so it sounds like you've got the perfect job and in some ways you get to come home in a way because this is where your, your uh, grandmother was. How long have you been a part of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association?

Lynnee: I'm going on just over a year now. Um, yeah, I moved back to the States from Iceland about a year and a half ago. [00:03:00] And I had graduated with a degree in regional development, specifically for coastal areas. So, uh, it really couldn't have been a more perfect fit for this job and, um, the job opened up and I had to move to this area where I had visited as a kid.

Lynnee: And so, yeah, a year, about a year and a half and, and, and have been loving it. So.

Howard: Visitors Association, and I know you use the acronym, the OCVA, I may have to do that because it's a mouthful. How long has the, this organization been around? Okay. Now, the

Lynnee: We've been a destination management organization in some form for about 28 years. Which is a long time to see all the ways the region has changed and how tourism's evolved. So,

Howard: word association kind of means There's a bunch of partners here, and we used the word [00:04:00] tourism partners a few minutes ago. How many partners make up the Tourism Association?

Lynnee: so we're called the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and that's actually a term that just describes our organization and our staff, but our staff is constantly working with countless partners all up and down the coast. Um, we have smaller destination management organizations that manage, um, specific destinations along the coast coast.

Lynnee: For example, Canada beach or more of the South coast. So, we work really closely with them, um, as well as some of our local government and also all of the businesses and lodging and restaurant partners that are really the face to face. Um, interaction with our visitors.

Howard: Okay, and how do you think the Visitors Association, I do realize it's not lost, I was saying Tourism Association, how long in the How has the organization evolved, say, over the [00:05:00] years, because, I mean, the history and the culture, I mean, it's very unique, and I imagine, you know, people's needs, wants, desires change over time, and you've only been in the job a short time yourself, but how, what have you learned about how this, you know, the association has changed to meet the needs of how people.

Howard: People want to experience nature.

Lynnee: Yeah, great question. Um, well, I know that. Over time, though, we've really realized how important it is to listen to all the voices of the locals that live here who work here. And, um, so over time, we've really focused on building out this network of partners and people who can give feedback to their specific neighborhoods, regions, and industries because we, we are, there's so many moving parts to the economy of the coast.

Lynnee: Uh, we have this, we have fishing and tourism and, you know, all these other things that layer on [00:06:00] top of each other. So it's been so important to just create a big network over time and listen to everyone's feedback. We do a lot of surveying, um, and we build a lot of our strategies based on what we're hearing our partners and all of the locals say, um, about how they feel about visitors because it's changed so much over the last few years.

Lynnee: Um, you know, people know that a lot of the businesses and the economy relies on it, but we also know that there are a lot of negative impacts of increased visitation. So

Howard: Mm

Lynnee: it's a lot of listening and balancing. All of that feedback with potential solutions, so a lot of back and forth of planning and networking, just trying to come up with solutions that work the best for everybody.

Lynnee: So that this destination can be a sustainable place for people to live and visit for years to come.

Howard: hmm. Okay. What are some of the, and I'm going to use in quotes, traditional adventures, hiking, [00:07:00] biking, fishing, uh, that will draw people into the coast as well as some of the perhaps new or non traditional adventures. What's, what's, what is drawing the, the, the folks, the visitors? You know, to the coast besides the wonderful view, by the way, and your view is actually it's better than I like yours better than mine.

Howard: But,

Lynnee: you've got yours going to this school. Uh, yeah. So, well, traditionally, I mean, we know that people come to the coast for the views and for the ocean, you know, and a lot of people are coming really for that rejuvenation and relaxation aspect of the coast. But we're also known for our adventures. We get a lot of people that come out here because they want to, you know, there's a lot of surfing and paddling.

Lynnee: Another big one traditionally was the people that would bike down 101. So these are kind of the traditional things that [00:08:00] adventurers might associate with the coast. But as you mentioned, that's kind of expanding now and we have a lot of opportunity to. Diversify the types of, um, of recreational opportunities that we have.

Lynnee: So, hiking, of course, is always going to be a classic and a big one, and there's been a lot of work to fully realize the vision of the Oregon Coast Trail, which is a trail that would go all the way from north to south, and we have a lot of people that come to do that every year, and I imagine that once it's fully completed, that will be an even bigger draw. And then, like, with cycling as well, there are, we're, our infrastructure is exploding for not just road cycling, but for mountain bike trails and gravel trails, which are kind of like a hybrid between mountain biking and road biking, but they can go up into the logging roads, really just, like, go for real [00:09:00] adventure riding out there for 50, 60 miles and just putting together really adventurous routes.

Lynnee: So, yeah.

Howard: okay. Yeah. So I'm curious. What is your favorite way to take advantage of the coast and which what's your preferred way to in your adventure

Lynnee: Personally, my preferred adventures are surfing and cycling. Um, you know, surfing is the tried and true. Like when I live this close to the, to the ocean, I have my spot and I try and get out every, you know, once a week or so. Um, but cycling is another one that I didn't quite expect to be such a big part of my life.

Lynnee: Uh, but because I discovered it when I was living in Iceland. Um, I actually started gravel cycling when I came here as well, and it was very cool to see how my organization was really involved in, um, kind of the beginning of realizing all of these gravel roads here on the coast. We even have [00:10:00] like a gravel guidebook now, which is cool.

Howard: is the guidebook available up on the website?

Lynnee: It is available in our store. Yeah.

Howard: Okay, well, we'll go to it, because I would love for you to gift us with a tour of the website in a minute, because I'm curious about the, the, the gravel riding, and, uh, because I used to do 60 mile bike rides back in Chicago on flat, you know, the gravel on the side of the road, but I know you're talking about something a little bit different.

Howard: I did see that, uh, disc golf has made its way up to the Oregon coast area.

Lynnee: Yes, it has. Um, so we've been putting some of our resources into, um, expanding disc golf and marketing it. Uh, there's a pretty cool event that happened, I think, last October down on the South Coast that brought out a lot of disc golf fans. Um, I think we have something like 17 disc golf courses all over the, [00:11:00] all over the coast now.

Lynnee: Um, I'm sure it's growing. So yeah, I think that that's a really cool added adventure out here.

Howard: Very good. Now, speaking of the coast, because I know somebody is going to be interested in this. I know I am. How long of coastline are we talking about from the, the, is it the California border up to, how far?

Lynnee: Yeah. California up to the Washington border is 363 miles.

Howard: Okay.

Lynnee: Yeah, that's the number we've got listed on our website. Um, our 365 miles of publicly available coast.

Howard: I love that. I, I have got to make a trip up there. I'm so close. You said something a couple of minutes ago that I'm interested in. You used the word rejuvenation and relaxation and an area that I have That interested in for the outdoor space is this connection between mental health and being in nature [00:12:00] and what are some of the ways that folks are coming up?

Howard: to the coast and You know whether it's for their mental health and because I just need to have their feet in the water on the beach walking the trail But how is what what is being done or how is it being used for these? rejuvenation Wellness kind of mindfulness kind of activities.

Lynnee: Great question. Um, I think like you were saying a lot of people come out here for that connection with nature aspect. Um, I see a lot of people a lot more people these days that are really just like slowly hiking and. Really, like, getting down and looking close at all the different. Really unique plant life looking like mushroom hunting and things like that.

Lynnee: You know, people just kind of like taking the slower approach to travel. And I think that that's something that our, our [00:13:00] tourism partners and businesses have been able to kind of capitalize on a little bit. Um, I think that. As tourism expands here, we're, as a region, really just realizing how important this mental health, um, and relaxation aspect is to our tourism specifically.

Lynnee: So, there are hotels that are kind of, like, focused on this relaxation atmosphere. Um, there are always higher end opportunities where you can, like, go to do a spa day, but I think that everybody also knows that you don't really need to do that because the coast itself is Is just so like a place of renewal.

Lynnee: Just your feet in the water. And so I think that that is probably the biggest draw that kind of keeps our numbers of visitors climbing is that people just aren't getting more excited about that time in nature.

Howard: Excellent. I would love To have my cup of coffee in the morning, have to be [00:14:00] a big thermos, my chair, and my feet just on the water's edge on the beach, and I think I'd be a very happy camper just doing that. Speaking of the rejuvenation, the relaxation, and again, I'm looking at your photo, your background, my photo, my background, and I'm thinking, About access as well, because the coast, I mean, it's, it's not flat, obviously, how has the association work with their local partners to incorporate accessibility initiatives to, to make folks who maybe have, you know, a physical disability, maybe They're just, they're a little bit older, maybe can't handle as much of the, the exertion, but how, what have been some of the initiatives that the association has been helping their partners put into place?

Lynnee: We have been doing so much work around accessibility or travel, travel ability as we've. [00:15:00] Kind of been calling it, um, you know, as we talked about earlier, we call ourselves the people's coast. Um, and, you know, that goes back to that. 365 miles of public coastline being open for everyone and when we say everyone, we mean everyone.

Lynnee: We want. People of all ages and abilities to feel like. They can get out here and we'll have something to do out here. We want everyone to be able to get onto the beach, see the sand, be close to the waves. Uh, so some of the initiatives that we've been working on are things like beach mobility aids. Uh, we have mobi mats that have been rolled out on a lot of beaches across all up and down the coast and these are temporary pathways that allow people with like wheelchairs.

Lynnee: Or, you know, just people that, like, need to walk on more of a simple, straightforward surface. So, it's great for anyone who has a mobility device, or even just elderly people or [00:16:00] families that are pushing strollers. Allows them to get all the way out to the edge of the beach, um, and a lot of these beaches also now have, uh, david chairs, which are big track motorized wheelchairs that actually allow people to get up and over sand dunes, which is just so cool.

Howard: Well, very nice. Very nice. As individuals, families are coming to the Oregon coast to, to experience everything that you have to offer. What are some of the, perhaps, Alternative types of tourism to get people involved in helping to protect the resource. What, what, what, what is, what are some of those initiatives that's taking place?

Lynnee: Well, um, we, there are always opportunities for, if there are people that, you know, are aware of their impact and [00:17:00] want to travel sustainable, sustainably, uh, we offer a lot of ways for people to think about that and get involved. We have a carbon calculator on our website. Um, first of all, it's a great stop for people to just kind of see what a carbon impact of their trip might be.

Lynnee: Um, but then we also have a list of a lot of our partner organizations, like nonprofits where. People might schedule an entire trip around coming to do a trail build or a beach cleanup. Um, we also have citizen science types of programs, like, winter, we, uh, we get these King tides, which are the largest, biggest tides of the year where the swells are really big and we encourage people to take photos and upload them to Oregon King tides.

Lynnee: And that's a really big. Collection of of science data that is used for the future of this place. So

Howard: Excellent.

Lynnee: those. Yeah,

Howard: Excellent. You know, speaking of the, you know, just the [00:18:00] multiple ways to get involved in the community and the, uh, you know, you know, the volunteering citizen science, what's been the impact overall or not overall, it's that It's perhaps too, you know, too direct, but how are the residents feeling about the work that's going into making this coast, this wonderful coast, so much more accessible and having a great experience, but also not ruining in their, their mindset, this is my home.

Howard: I don't want to, I don't want to see it spoiled, so I imagine there has to be a delicate balance there.

Lynnee: absolutely. Yes. Um, you know, in our resident resident feedback work, we, we learn a lot that. For the most part, people recognize that whatever goes into tourism ultimately will benefit the locals. Um, when we are able to get a moving Mount Matt out. Locals get to use that. [00:19:00] More than the visitors, really, um, and when we market tourism, more businesses pop up, there are more restaurants.

Lynnee: So people know that and really embrace the increasing visitors. But we also know that in certain areas that balance is important, especially in the summer because. Here on the North Coast, being so close to Portland, we get a lot of visitor traffic in the summer, and that means a lot of traffic, a lot more incidents around trash buildup, um, incidents with wildlife, so we do really have to be careful about managing that, because that does become a burden on the locals, and we are aware of that as a destination management organization, so, so a lot of our investment kind of goes into looking at how we can mitigate those impacts, We're thinking about how can we drive more of that traffic down to the central coast and the south coast because it's a really big coast.

Lynnee: There's a lot of places to see [00:20:00] and also encouraging shoulder season traffic to kind of spread out. That impactful time is.

Howard: Gotcha.

Lynnee: Yeah,

Howard: more quick question. And I'm curious as an industry, I mean, the travel industry. Is hugely important across the country, especially as um, older industries are changing, you know, what could be manufacturing, could be oil and gas energy. You're by the water, I'm thinking fish. And I think I, it was either in your show notes or on the website, I was reading that fishing is a huge industry along the coast, but you guys.

Howard: Only a joy a fraction of what's, of what is caught, and, uh, how do you, what's, what's the outcome of that?

Lynnee: exactly right. So, um, we, we are a fishing economy and 90 percent of the [00:21:00] catch that's caught here gets exported, which means that most of the seafood that our visitors are eating is imported from elsewhere, which is crazy. So, so this is something that we feel, um, is kind of a role of our organization. Uh, we are conveners.

Lynnee: We have this really big network of partners. So. This is a big project area for us. We really want to invest in keeping more of our seafood local, keeping it in our little local food web, making it easier for locals and visitors to get their seafood directly from the small, like, family owned fisheries. So, yes, we have a sort of a sister organization that we run that work in ocean cluster initiative and that's where all of that work is housed.

Lynnee: Um, and it's really exciting to kind of see the opportunities for connecting all the dots and. Making our food industry specifically more [00:22:00] sustainable for the future of tourism.

Howard: Okay, uh, do you eat fish?

Lynnee: I eat a lot of fish. Yeah.

Howard: What is your preferred, uh, fish dish, or type of fish? Oh

Lynnee: I eat so much smoked salmon. I have a, there is a smoke house across the street and I go there and I get my weekly smoked salmon and I put it on my toast every morning. Yeah, it's, it's luxury.

Howard: I'll tell you what, you invite me up to, I'll do podcasting up and down the coast for you. I will bring the bagels,

Lynnee: Okay.

Howard: I will bring the bagels. Oh my god, you've, now I know I have to come for a visit. Oh my god, I love smoked salmon, cannot get enough of it. Uh, would you indulge us for a little bit to take us on a tour of the website?

Lynnee: Yeah, absolutely.

Howard: Okay, so I'm gonna share my screen with you. The miracle of technology. And Let's [00:23:00] see You are somewhere Let's just do that. Okay, so you should be Are you seeing my website?

Lynnee: Not yet.

Howard: Okay, it was there a minute ago. So let's do that again. Let's go ahead and stop sharing. Okay. We'll edit this little bit out.

Howard: Oh, um There we go. How about now?

Lynnee: Yep,

Howard: Excellent. I love it when technology works. Uh, that's the beauty of coming up to Oregon and just, uh, kind of, you know. rejuvenation, relaxation. It's turning off all of the electronics and just, you know, being one with nature. I wish I was that little guy there, uh, making snow angels in the sand.

Howard: That looks like really good sand too. So, uh, take us on a tour.

Lynnee: Yeah. Um, well, I guess [00:24:00] we can the homepage really hits everything. So if we just want to scroll down and talk a little bit,

Howard: see a little brother and sister, uh, getting along with each other. My brother, my sister and I did not get along, but that's okay. Uh, but, oh, you want to win? I love this. I saw this pop up. Want to win something cool. That's pretty good. So give feedback.

Lynnee: you can do that. And then that will enter, you know, in something from our store.

Howard: Okay.

Lynnee: Yes, we've got our 365 miles of possibilities.

Howard: Mm hmm. Okay.

Lynnee: Then we kind of go down into we really want to direct people right to being able to find activities and connecting them with. The local guides and outfitters that operate cool tours and adventures. So that's a tool that will let people find stuff that fits within their idea of adventure or relaxation, depending on what they're looking for.

Howard: Okay. Now, is there much competition here between the [00:25:00] North, Central, and South Coast? Or are they just all good? Everybody gets along. Kumbaya.

Lynnee: Yeah, you know, if we scroll down a little bit more, I'll give you a little breakdown of those regions.

Howard: Okay, so you got a little video

Lynnee: Yeah, that video is a cool highlight of some fun projects that are happening on the South Coast.

Howard: Okay, so folks, when you come visit the website, make sure you click on the play this button. Okay, so here, Dark Sky. So my, when I moved to Vegas from Chicago, one of the first things I wanted to do was to get out to the desert, which I have done numerous times, sleep under the stars while I car camp, but then take pictures of the Milky Way, and it's like, I can imagine it's gotta be gorgeous out there.

Howard: So, very cool.

Lynnee: yeah, yes. Um, a lot of famous Milky Way shots over the cannon beach stack. I'm sure when people think of the Oregon coast, that cannon beach rock is 1 of the 1st images that comes to mind. So,

Howard: Very nice. [00:26:00] Okay.

Lynnee: yeah, so these are our 3 regions. Um, and. I mean, the coast is, it's really big. I think when people think about the West Coast, there's a tendency to just kind of see California as this monolith of Highway 101 of Highway 1, but driving the Oregon coast actually takes like, 7 to 10 hours. And all on its own, so these are very different regions with.

Lynnee: Very different kinds of communities and nature.

Howard: Okay. So I have to ask my roommate, because she and her boyfriend want to move to Oregon. They want to open up an RV park for seniors. And I know somewhere over the border here, Gold Beach, Brookings, Harbor, I know it's somewhere in that area they want to go. Okay.

Lynnee: oh yeah, that would be really cool. That would do well.

Howard: Excellent. So we've got hiking, ATVing, kayaking. [00:27:00] Now, do you like kayaking?

Lynnee: I do kayak a little bit, yeah.

Howard: Very cool. Now we get to explore the towns. I know Tillamook, that's my favorite cheese. Alright,

Lynnee: It's everyone's favorite cheese. I

Howard: smoked salmon and Tillamook, so I'm like Tillamook. Uh, I'm like, okay, I'm in.

Lynnee: live pretty close to Tillamook actually, so. Yeah, great. Yeah, the food up here.

Howard: yes, okay, nice, super sharp cheddar and I'm a happy guy. Alright, so here's our fisherman.

Lynnee: Yeah, this is a little travel story right now. We're doing a campaign to highlight some of the stories about the, um, the people that work in the crabbing industry out here, which, you know, is kind of a. It's a very can be a dangerous line of work and it's very cool to just highlight these stories of the local people that are out there doing it.

Howard: Yeah. So you kind of need the, was it, was it the Deadly Catch up in, [00:28:00] uh,

Lynnee: That's the catch.

Howard: So you need the, the, the Deadly Catch, uh, Oregon. Okay. Okay. Very good. Oh, is that gorgeous? I have got to get on an airplane and get up there or drive. Uh,

Lynnee: definitely drive it. Yeah. Take your time when you're here.

Howard: Oh, I will, I would love to just take my time over a couple of weeks and drive the coast. There's a puffin. All right.

Lynnee: Yeah, we have puffins too. How cool is that?

Howard: Yeah, very nice. So, and also, uh, guests can sign up for the newsletter, and you've, you've got regions, things to do, places to stay.

Lynnee: Mm-hmm

Howard: to, to offer visitors here and have a wonderful experience.

Howard: If you had some visitors coming over from Iceland, all those friends you made over there, they're going to plan a weekend, a long weekend with them. You know, they're going to stay for, Well, longer than a weekend, but you know, if you had like a weekend, let's just go have some [00:29:00] fun first off. I'm a foodie. So I love my breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Howard: I love my coffee. Where are you going to take him for breakfast? If you had your way and travel was no, no, no, no issue at all. Where are you going to take him?

Lynnee: man. Well, you know, I would honestly, I would start for breakfast. I live in a tiny little town called Wheeler with like less people in it and I'll take him for breakfast at my local coffee shop before we hit the road

Howard: okay,

Lynnee: for more of a, you know, the long, the slow travel day.

Howard: so

Lynnee: don't think you're going to find the roost.

Lynnee: It's right there. Yeah,

Howard: it's there, see, look at that,

Lynnee: This is just the cutest little spot. Um, I try and sit in the cafe and work from there one day a week just to change up my view a little bit. And then the Salmonberry [00:30:00] is also here in Wheeler and it is all locally sourced food and just really innovative food right on the river is an incredible view.

Howard: okay, very

Lynnee: So much good food right here.

Howard: oh yes, see I, I, I think I could get, just get lost in eating the food, so, uh, and I need, I like the fact that you're doing your work in the coffee shop, because I used to do that, but with, Okay, Yeah, that's a whole other story. We'd be, that would be my therapy as like why I sit at a desk all day.

Howard: Okay, so where else are we gonna go?

Lynnee: Well, and then after that, you got to hit Newport for lunch or dinner at local ocean,

Howard: Okay Newport. I love this The search engine here. So you said Newport. All right, and we're not talking East Coast here La Maison, Lucky Thai Let's [00:31:00] see Yummy bowl Now, where were you going to take us?

Lynnee: local ocean. You keep hit that load more.

Howard: Oh, there we go.

Lynnee: There it is local ocean, sea foods, or, um. Our boat to table are all local seafood and locally sourced local source, vegetables and stuff as well. And food is amazing.

Howard: very nice. Okay, and how about dinner?

Lynnee: Oh, well, that was my dinner

Howard: That was your dinner? Okay, so it went light, light, uh, you got a snack, a snack for lunch, where are you going to, what's your, how about entertainment? I mean, just go watch the sunset with a beverage on the beach, or is there some great experiences that are available, music or other things happening up and along the coast?

Lynnee: see. You know, from here down to Newport, it's [00:32:00] a lot of really great views and hiking

Howard: Okay,

Lynnee: and then past that as well down in, um, Or, you know, if, if travel time was not something to be concerned about, I'd want to take people to see the dunes as well. And there you can rent ATVs and get out really far into these like, crazy landscapes.

Lynnee: We

Howard: okay. See, that's what I'm all about, taking, you know, I'll have my camera with me. So, very nice. I, I, you know something, I'm thinking if my, the roommate and the boyfriend go up there, I may just have to join them on this new, next adventure, because I can do coaching and my podcasting from anywhere. So, that's good.

Howard: Anything else on the website that you'd like to draw our attention to? You said you had a store, by the way.

Lynnee: do have a store that's right there by Request a Guide.

Howard: Requested?

Lynnee: in the white space to your right.[00:33:00]

Howard: there we go. Oh, store. It's always the last place you look. Okay, so.

Lynnee: out.

Howard: So, okay. You know, I was having a, uh, uh. A discovery call today, and I was, here's the URL for the website, and I kept getting nowhere, so it could have been my, my connection, but, uh, yeah, so, alright, no worries, so, folks, there's a store, but you can also request a guide.

Howard: And trip plane ahead, so the inspiration guide, just give your name and email address, phone number, address, so a nice physical guide you're going to get. Very nice. And subscribe to the People's Coast Newsletter. I think this is wonderful. Excellent. Excellent. Well, uh, anywhere else you'd like to take us on the tour here, or should we go back to our conversation?

Howard: Mm

Lynnee: Well, at the top there, we have this Be Kind to the Coast drop down. Um, and this is full of resources for people who want to know how they can [00:34:00] give back when they stay. Uh, we have a program called Kind Traveller. So people can check out which hotels are registered with Kind Traveller and then a portion of their stay will go to Kind Traveller.

Lynnee: Be donated to 1 of our nonprofits,

Howard: Oh, beautiful, beautiful. And

Lynnee: had some stewardship ideas and just ways that people can travel and lessen their impact on when they're here.

Howard: excellent. And I love the way destinations such as yours, I mean, if they really want to attract. The visitors for experiences, whether it's a short stay, long stay, day trip, you know, having this information available on the website and making it easy to navigate is, is key. And I love just the fact everything somebody would want if they want to come for a visit.

Howard: It's right here. So this is great. Thank you. Thank you for this. Um, I'm going to go back and just stop sharing. We are back. Miracle of technology. Uh, thank you for that tour. I, I just, [00:35:00] I'm like, okay, I think I need to plan my next trip here. Um, before we head out today, there's a couple of, uh, features of the podcast that I, that I like to, uh, introduce my, my guests to.

Howard: One of those is the, what I would call the aha moment. This is kind of when you, you look back and here's the job, here's my work. This is what I get to do for a living and the impact that it's making. What would be your aha moment?

Lynnee: I'll have a moment. Uh, well, we get to work on so many cool projects. But 1 that really had an immediate impact and on home, it was probably the work that I did around. We mentioned those earlier, but those are those temporary waterproof pathways that let people with mobility issues get out to the beach. So, we actually pulled together funding and invited organizations all along the coast to apply for funding to [00:36:00] purchase their own mobi mats for their cities or for their, their parks or beaches. And we also created a toolkit to teach people about the permitting process and everything that they might need to know about how, how to install them, how to clean and maintain them just to make that process more approachable.

Lynnee: And so it came together really quick and it was just so incredible to see how quickly those applications came in and to even see a few of them get purchased and rolled out and announced that same summer. It was just the community feedback on these is so cool because you get to see people using them people who haven't been on the beach in years and years.

Lynnee: Who are just so excited and it just there's so much joy around it. Um, so it's just been really cool to have a project that has such an immediate impact and, um, is bettering the lives of our visitors and locals that get to use these every day.

Howard: Very nice. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. You know, there's another [00:37:00] question. It just, it just dawned on me, you know, the really the getting the community involved and you've got so much experiences to be had when it comes to the history and culture. How are visitors coming into the coastal area? And kind of learning about, say, the history of Oregon, the coast, the, you know, the, the settlers that came in the first peoples that were here before them.

Howard: How are folks getting to learn about that part of the experience?

Lynnee: Great question. Yeah, um, there's so much history and culture here. Um, you know, the Oregon coast is home to historically and presently inhabited by several federally recognized tribes. Um, We have the tribe of the Coos, the Lower Umpqua, the Siasaw Indians, the Siletz Indians, the Coquille tribe, um, and the tribe of the Grand Ronde.

Lynnee: And we have a lot of exhibits up and down the coast that, um, pay tribute to a lot of [00:38:00] their culture and history. And there are also a lot of Indigenous led events that the public can come to. Um, there are a lot of visitors that plan their entire trips around some annual events, like, like the Yachats Peace Hike that happens on the Central Coast every New Year's.

Lynnee: Um, and then we also work really closely with Oregon black pioneers who pull together history of black owned businesses. Um, and just all of these stories of black history on the Oregon coast. And we think that, you know, there's so much value in elevating these stories. Um, and they have a lot of exhibits up and down the coast as well.

Lynnee: So all that information is available on our website.

Howard: Okay, very nice. Before we head out, any final thoughts that you'd like to share with our audience and could be a quote, a book, just or an experience or, you know, what's, what will be the call to action that you'd like to leave for our listeners?

Lynnee: Um, you know, I think I really just [00:39:00] want to encourage people if they're traveling a trip here to. To think about the aspect of slow travel and getting to know these communities, um, think about. Think about the forest, the rainforest when you walk through it, how everything is so deeply connected underground.

Lynnee: Everything is working together. That's how all of our small communities are. Um, we're really separated by the distance of the coast, but we come together through a lot of partnerships, through a lot of local food, through really cool collaborative projects. Um, so I just want people to kind of think about that really cool network that's behind everything when they visit here.

Lynnee: Um, part of what makes us resilient, yeah.

Howard: Excellent. So if our listeners, uh, I think I know what the answer to this is going to be. If our listeners would like to learn more about everything in the Oregon coast has to offer, where are the best places to go?

Lynnee: Uh, visit theoregoncoast. com and then on Instagram we [00:40:00] are the People's Coast and on Facebook we're the People's Coast.

Howard: Okay, excellent. And we'll provide, of course, the back links to the website, to the social sites. And I know you've already shared some photos with us, so we'll have it. We'll put some collages up on our web page with, uh, to incorporate those into the show notes. Linnea, it's been a pleasure to have you on the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast.

Howard: And I, I'm going to go downstairs and tell the roommate and her boyfriend, okay, I'm coming with you because I want to, I want to come see this part of the country. And it just, you know, it's, uh, you've made a Great, uh, uh, presentation, and a compelling argument for why we should be coming, I should be coming to the, the Oregon coast, and, you know, for our visitors, it's, I think, if you've never been here, you gotta come, and I do have one question, it's kind of a gotcha question for you, Linnea, my photo has blue sky, it's got some clouds in [00:41:00] it, your, your photo there has some blue sky, um, how much blue sky am I actually gonna see when I come for a visit?

Lynnee: Oh, you got us there. It is not blue sky right now.

Howard: Okay. Okay.

Lynnee: You know, in the summer, most days, actually. So, in the shoulder season,

Howard: Okay.

Lynnee: that's a good look. And when it's great, it's beautiful.

Howard: I can imagine. Now, would you, some of our, uh, guests have described their destination as a four season destination. Would you describe the Oregon coast and all the places from north to south? Those 325 miles, 65 miles. Would you describe The experience is a for visitors as a four season destination.

Lynnee: Um, well, in the summer, of course, you get long days and it's warm. So that's a lot more beach time. Um, but in the shoulder seasons, you know, there's still so much to do. There's a lot of great local food. You can still get out and [00:42:00] hike because. Even if it's raining, you know, usually when you're under like, tree cover, you're not getting a lot of that missed.

Lynnee: So you're very well protected in these forested areas. You can still come out here and cycle most of the year and then in the dead of winter when it's coldest and rainiest, this is still a really great place to just come out if you're seeking some solitude and quiet. So there's something for everybody all year.

Howard: You have totally sold me. I thank you so much. I appreciate that way again. Thank you for joining us today and spending time and sharing about the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and the great work you're doing up and down the coast to really, you know, make the experience of coming for a visit so much grander and I'm.

Howard: I definitely, I've committed, I'm going to commit online for all my 2, 500, 3, 000 listeners. I'm going to, I'm going to do some episodes up in the Oregon Coast area. So, thank you for your time. It's been great.

Lynnee: Yeah, thank you [00:43:00] so much and we can't wait to have you up here.

Howard: Alright, I want to get some of that smoked salmon and I do commit if I get there I will bring the bagels. Trust me on that. Alright, listen, stay in the line. We're going to do a quick close and you and I can have a final chat. Okay.

Lynnee: Right.

Howard: All right. Okay, folks, we have just been chatting with Lynnae Jacks. She is an industry communications coordinator for the Oregon Coast Visitors Association.

Howard: I tell you, if you've never been to Oregon, you gotta put it on your, uh, your to do list. Not even a bucket list. You gotta make plans to do it. I just, you know, it's been fascinating to Uh, here on a share about this, this region, these 360 some miles of coast and all that it has to offer, whether it's outdoor adventures, whether it's good food and or just, you know, rejuvenation, relaxation and you, of course, you have the, the history and, uh, hope you, you know, put this on your to do list now visit their [00:44:00] website.

Howard: Lots of great information there. Uh, visit theoregoncoast. com and we're going to provide a backlink to it as well as to the social sites on Facebook, Instagram and the other social sites. As for us, you'll be able to find this episode on our website. OutdoorAdventureSeries. com. We are also on LinkedIn and Facebook on our Outdoor Adventure Series pages.

Howard: The video of this episode, along with Linnea's touring of her website, their website, we will have that up on our YouTube channel. And of course, wherever you listen to your podcast, just search for Outdoor Adventure Series, and you will find this episode in And our entire podcast library. And of course on our website, uh, we're also going to have some collages of some of the photos.

Howard: And I know there's some iconic photos that Linnea shared with us and we'll have those as a part of the collages as well. Okay, folks, [00:45:00] wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there and have a phenomenal day. And we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the outdoor adventure series podcast.

Howard: Take care now.