Tuesday, September 20, 2016

I was up early and took a peek out the front window.  I tried to very quietly get Joani up, but after a quick peek she headed back under the warm blankets.  The Elk were so very skittish that just moving the curtains made them wary.  I settled for a picture through the dew covered front windshield.  I learned later that the big buck was a pretty rare sighting in the meadow.

We moved a little further south along the Oregon coast today (43.5 miles, 79,775.4 total) to a campground just north of Yachats.  You just have to forget there is even a "c" in the name - it's pronounced "YAW - hots". 

Our destination, a National Forest Service park (half price to us geezer) named Tillicum Campground, was a few miles north of Yachats located right on the beach.  As we were checking in, the park host said she didn't think we would fit into site 19 (it said 40 ft. when we made the reservation!).  The park was full so it was fit or find another park.  I had to work to squeeze into a spot that probably was never meant for a coach our size.  It was worth the trouble - the surf was breaking just across the road maybe a hundred yards away!

Our neighbor, Dave, was keeping an eye on me as I eased by his mirror with no more than a couple of inches of clearance.  I found I had quite an audience watching the parking exercise as evidenced by all of the comments we heard when we were finally tucked into our site.

 In places, a beautiful mixture of green, black and tan sand made fascinating designs.  It reminded me of the sand art the kids used to play with.

Sunday, September 18, 2016, Connie Hansen Gardens

It was a little gray outside and spitting rain, but it was our last chance to visit the Connie Hansen Gardens (they were only open on Tues, Sat and Sun), so we headed into Lincoln City.  Sam was so ready for a drive we took him with us.  Fortunately, the garden was pet-friendly, so Sam got to enjoy the flowers with us.  I think the rain might have enhanced the beauty of the garden.

The flowers below looked more like painted enamel than a living plant.

I really need to find the name of the flower below (Joani just told me it's Fuchsia) - it has to be one of my favorites.  If we ever settle in one spot again, I would really like to have these in our garden.

 Chinese Dogwood Cornus kousa

The 3/4 inch diameter fruit of the Chinese Dogwood is edible and can be used to make wine.

Later, Katie and Mike treated us to dinner in Newport.  The historic Bayfront area was popular for its seafood.  We saw the fishermen unloading the days catch on the docks as we waited for our table. Local Ocean Seafoods was clearly a Newport favorite.  There was a 30-minute wait at 5:00 in the afternoon.  The freshly caught Rockfish on our sandwiches was great and well worth the wait.

The California Sea Lions were piled on floating platforms by the docks drawing a lot of attention.  They were pretty low energy until somebody moved the wrong way.  That usually started a chorus of barking.  Only the males venture this far north.  The full-grown adult males are 8 feet long and weigh in at half a ton. 

The low hanging afternoon fog made for some nice photo ops.

Thursday, September 15, 2016, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

About 25 miles south on Highway 101 was the cute Yaquina Bay lighthouse at, you guessed it, Yaquina Bay State Park.  It was at the south end of Newport, OR.  The state bought the land and built the facility in 1872.  It operated until 1874 when the new Yaquina Head lighthouse was built a few miles away.  The light was too small and too far inland to be of much use, so it was decommissioned.  The house was used for a multitude of projects over the years.  It fell into disrepair and was only recently refurbished by volunteers. 

It may not have been too functional, but you have to admit it made for a picturesque setting.  How about the view out the upstairs landing window.

A great many steps took us down to the beach.  Actually, we had to walk back up over the dunes and then back down to the beach, but it was all about the fresh air and exercise.

We walked about a mile to Nye Beach, an artsy section of Newport, where we had lunch at the Chowder Bowl.  It was one of Katie and Mike's favorites.  It had to be some of, if not the best clam chowder I have ever tasted.  My fish and chips were pretty great as well.

Joani and Katie spent some time visiting the unique little shops and galleries while I tried not to lose them.

Glass bowls created by Kenny Pieper were beautiful and fascinating.  

Photos were not allowed in the gallery, so I grabbed this from Mr. Pieper's website.  Each glass was exquisite and unique, but it was the display method that blew me away.

The Yaquina Head lighthouse on a spit of land jutting out into the Pacific was still in operation.  It was another mile down the beach, so this was our closest picture.

Crab dinner for two?

The Yaquina Bay Bridge was a sight to see!  The bay was so large the only way around it was almost a four-hour drive.