Gardiner
Douglas County, 97441
Gardner nestles between the mountains and the Umpqua river estuary on the north side opposite Reedsport. I used to stay away from Gardiner because the huge pulp and plywood operation there made so much noise and stench. This is all dead now, huge relics spread like beached whales along the western edge of town. Now I slow down to look and I am surprised. Gardiner has some of the finest old homes on the Oregon coast. And if you care to scramble out onto the mud flats the little soft shell mud clams are abundant.