Camping out in the rain - with a roof.

Byline: Best of . . . The Register-Guard

The best thing about November: outdoor lightweights have stowed their camping gear. That means less crowding for us in the great outdoors.

Sure it's cold, it's wet and sometimes the wind bullies us around, but we embrace the "no bad weather, only bad gear" philosophy. Clad in rain pants and jacket, good boots, snug cap and gloves, we enjoy a good brisk walk on the beach or in the woods.

A campfire feels more inviting when we sense the frigid air just beyond its toasty circle. And what's hot chocolate for if not to warm frozen fingers?

With a few extra tarps, a good tent, dry kindling and wood for a fire, we're good to go. But the truth is, this time of year, we stay in yurts as often as we rough it by pitching a tent on the ground.

Yurts - those 16-foot-diameter, walled tents that dot the state's campgrounds - have a reputation for being hard to get, requiring reservations months in advance. But we've learned that they're often available as a result of last-minute cancellations.

On weekends, it's a crap shoot. But midweek, especially during the off-season, it's easier to yurtify.

We discovered this last June on a weeklong coastal camping expedition. We found yurts available due to last-minute cancellations at Harris Beach State Park near Brookings, at Sunset Bay State Park near Charleston and at Cape Lookout just north of Tillamook.

Yurts have electric heat and light, beds for five and a small table and chairs. You can't smoke in them or cook in them - which is good, because being outside is the whole point of camping.

We acknowledge upfront that singling out a particular yurt in a particular park is a fool's game. Every park has its own outstanding features. Team Best of ... has argued endlessly whether Cape Lookout's excellent beach access outranks the secluded beauty of Sunset Bay. Truly, it's all good.

But this time of year, we give the nod to Carl G. Washburne State Park and its two cozy yurts.

During the summer, we tend to buzz by Washburne on our way elsewhere. But when the weather turns, our outdoor jaunts become more last-minute affairs.

Maybe it's been a harried week at the old computer. Maybe the rain has eased back just a skosh, or maybe the opposite is true; a real storm is plowing in off the Pacific and we want to watch.

Washburne is a mere 75 miles from Eugene. If the yurts are already spoken for, there are plenty of fine campsites available, many sheltered by the overhanging limbs of towering trees.

Washburne doesn't take reservations for these campsites, so it's first-come, first-served. We're usually able to find a spot.

We like the hiking trails that start at the campground - the magical Hobbit Trail that winds down to a secluded stretch of beach is among our favorites on the coast. Another three-mile trail takes us over to the Heceta Head lighthouse.

And just a short drive south are a couple of highway pullouts where it's fun to sit on the stone wall (in rain pants, of course) and watch sea lions slipping into and out of the waved-hollowed caves below.

Foul-weather jaunts aren't for everyone. If you don't have the right gear or you can't stand mud, you'll be one unhappy camper. But there's something fine about a wintry day on the coast, wind whipping the trees and tearing the froth off cresting waves that makes it worth the effort.

Venture down the Best of ... trail. We've been there, done that, and we'll tell you all about it at www.registerguard.com/ bestof.

BEST CAMPING IN THE RAIN Washburne Park yurts Directions: West on Highway 126 and north on Highway 101; Washburne Park is about 12 miles north of Florence on the east side of the highway Cost: Yurts go for $29 a night; second best are tent camping sites, $13; sites with electrical hookups are $17 Reservations: Campsites are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis; for yurts, call [phone]