Grant's Getaways: Oregon's Secret Garden

The beauty of an Oregon spring is the chance to strike out on new adventures where the scenery is never twice the same. So it is this week as we visit two striking sites for the price of one stop - The Dean Creek Elk Preserve and Spruce Reach Island.
Be prepared for something special along Oregon State Highway 38 near Reedsport on Oregon's southern coast: what appears to be dancing antlers across grassy fields at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. On some days, elk antlers are all you spy from the refuge viewpoint in the tall, wavy grass that obscures the large animals that lounge across the habitat at Dean Creek. The site encompasses 1,040 acres and it is jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
But Dean Creek's elk herd is just the start of this wild adventure. The real show-stopper is just up the road at Spruce Reach Island, where you see thousands of rhododendrons and azaleas and camellias -- over 300 different species. Stroll in and discover what some call, "Oregon's Secret Garden."

[@ghostsoup1313]

Definitely makes you want to visit Oregon!

[@Grimmmer]

Wow!