You can not say you have explored Oregon until you have included the rugged coast line. The best way to get a flavor of it, is just get into your vehicle and travel Highway 101 from one end of the coast to the other. To me the southern coast offers what I like, rugged shorelines and not the crowd. It is suited for the person who either has limited mobility or prefers just to gaze at the ocean from the comforts of their vehicle. This part of the coast fits this to a tee, as the coast line is so rugged and steep there is less places to get down to the beach than in the central and north part of the coast.
Gold Beach has more to offer than an ocean view.
There is the famous Rouge River which you can follow up to the sleepy community of Agness. In the first part of June they have jet boat races which run up the river to the point of the wilderness. It is a timed event with each boat a minute and a half intervals. There are several places you can drive right onto the gravel bar and watch them scream past you at over 80 mph and in only several inches of water. The entire coast line from Gold Beach to Brookings has little pullouts and wayside parks to explore.