Oregon Coast Guide: Beauty, Novelty and Curiosity

Follow a picturesque adventure tour along the Oregon Coast's Interstate 101 that captures the majesty and quirkiness of the state. The 338-mile exploration begins at the California border in Brookings concluding with crossing the expansive Astoria-Megler Bridge into Washington. The background and commentary from each chapter is concise and insightful giving you an intimate glimpse of a West Coast region bountiful in aesthetics and generally absent of tourist herds. Ideal for the roadtrip warrior or day-tripper.

En route, your itinerary will feature:

Natural and Historic Attractions
Humbug Mountain
Battle Rock
Bullards Beach
Sand Dunes National Park
Spinreel Campground
Tahkenitch Creek
Devil's Churn
Seal Rock Wayside
Beaver Creek
Yaquina Head
Devil's Punchbowl
Neskowin Beach
Sand Lake Recreation Area
Storm Rock and Three Arch Rocks
Octopus Tree
Haystack Rock

Architectural Wonders
Isaac Paterson Bridge
Bullards Bridge
Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge
Umpqua River Bridge
Cape Creek Bridge
Haceta Head Lighthouse
Yaquina Bay Bridge
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Cape Meares Lighthouse
Astoria-Megler Bridge

Tour Attractions, Artistic Works and Oddities
Whale Bone Sculpture
Moolack Beach Highway Collapse
Lil Sambos Restaurant
Tillamook Creamery
The Fish Peddler
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
Seaside Carousel
Haunted Astoria

Auteur

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions.

He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86.

Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com.

Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography.

His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism.

He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.