It was late November, raining, and I had recently moved to Astoria and reconnoitering to get the lay of the land. A sign on Oregon Highway 105 just south of the Old Youngs Bay Bridge caught my eye: Big O Saloon / Cookhouse/ Wateringhole / Olney, OR / 9.5 Miles on Hwy 202.

Id never seen a cookhouse. Id never driven Oregon Highway 202. Id never heard of Olney. A groovy painting of a crosscut saw on the sign sealed the deal. I was going right now.

Fifteen minutes later, I walked inside the Big O Saloon and could not believe my eyes: wood, antlers, a wood stove, stuffed woodland creatures, a bear trap, chainsaws galore, wasp nests, and a female bartender sporting a nose ring and cat eye glasses! An hour later, I knew this place was a story factory. Three months later, Id become a semi regular at the Big O, the self proclaimed horniest (all the antlers) bar in Oregon, and I can confidently declare this joint as one of the most wholly distinct drinking joints of all the drinking joints on the Pacific Northwest Coast. I make this claim because in my 17 years of living here, Ive visited practically every one of them.

Dale and Shawrron Searls took over the Big O six years ago and transformed the space into a unique and comfortable establishment that boasts a friendly crew of Highway 202 regulars and attracts customers from as far away as Manzanita and Vernonia. The Big O is also attached to a quaint general store and one-pump filling station.

The saloon is much more than a saloon; it has established itself as a community cultural center that hosts an oyster feed in February, a pig roast in September, an annual screening of Sometimes a Great Notion, and live music about 12 times a year. The Big O also features an outdoor beer garden and fire pit and displays one of the most distinctive and randy logos Ive ever seen. Lets just say it has something to do with a bull elk in a rugged procreation stance. I bought a half dozen T-shirts with the logo, and they were a big hit at Christmas.

The Big O sports a loggers motif décor. Thus, it was only natural that Dale milled the bar himself and locals donated the ancient loggers trade items that adorn the place. Its practically a museum inside the saloon with Dale and Shawrron acting as de facto curators by rotating in new artifacts that someone wants exhibited.

The saloon serves hearty and inexpensive Americana meals that include specials like the whiskey burger. About the only option for the vegetarian is the cheese sandwich thats not officially on the menu. Just make sure you specify you want it grilled.

As I said earlier, The Big O is a story factory where people actually talk to one another and dont fiddle on their smart phones because there is virtually no cell phone reception. In my sporadic visits, Ive met a woman who shared her recipe for pickled salmon, been given a smoked smelt by a perfect stranger (I ate it right there), discussed the complexities of the Affordable Care Act with a Cover Oregon expert, met a timber baron, heard the tale of Portland Trail Blazer legend Bill Walton bicycling by, and ran into an old girlfriend I hadnt seen in five years. I also learned that R&R Canadian whisky is the regulars favorite well drink, and this utterly baffled me. Who drinks a pedestrian Canadian whisky in a rural bar on the Oregon Coast? I asked the provenance of this bizarre custom, and I got the story. Its a good one, too, just like all the stories that unfold here.

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Matt Love lives in Astoria and is the founder of Nestucca Spit Press, which recently published Driftwood Forts of the Oregon Coast. The book is available at all coastal bookstores and through www.nestuccaspitpress.com. Love can be reached at nestuccaspitpress@gmail.com