It was Monday September 19th when we arrived at South Beach State Park in Newport, Oregon after traveling 150 miles from Long Beach. The state park offers electric and water sites for $29 per night which was a bargain to us. This was a very nice park with walking trails to the beach and jetties. On our way to the beach we saw a sign posted about a bear sighting just a few days before we arrived. the return trip back to the campground was much quicker than going to the beach. Not knowing what to expect about the coastline other than gorgeous views, putting bears and beaches together was one thing for sure we were not expecting at all.
A few of our highlights on our first day out was when we saw the tallest lighthouse on the coast at Yaquina Head, Otter Rock's Devils Punchbowl, Cape Foulweather and most exciting was watching a school of whales and getting a close look at the sea lions. We could hear sea lions barking from the campground but had no idea we would see so many in one place. They have taken over a dock at the Port of Newport and the noisy ruckus they make is one that can't be ignored.
Our second day out we decided to take a ride over to the east of us near Philomath, Oregon. Making sure we stayed out of the forest we took Hwy 20. We saw acres and acres of chestnut and walnut trees. The ground underneath the trees was covered with nuts because they were ready to be harvested. The sun was going down and we had a 70 mile return trip. Our plan was to go back on Hwy 20 but that didn't happen. The road closed at 6:00 PM for road construction and we had not pay attention to the signs on our way to Philomath. The alternate route was Hwy 34 which went right through the Siuslaw National Forest exactly where we did not want to be especially after our experience in Mt. Hood National Forest. The sharp turns and numerous switchbacks coupled with headlights in the rear view mirror made it a very long trip back to the campground.
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| The light at Yaquina Head was first lit on August 20, 1873 and became automated in1966 ending the need of station attendants. |
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| The murres call the cliffs home. |
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| Cobble Beach- you walk on black round rocks known as cobbles and as the waves recede you can hear unusual sounds like watery tinkling or a waterfall. |
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| As the waves crashed into the rocks it was like watching numerous waterfalls. |
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| Fog was always around. |
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| Cave in the cliff at Yaquina Head |
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| Busy little bee |
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| Stairway to Cobble Beach |
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| The shell on the far right remind me of two doves. Do you see it? |
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| Notice the jeans and jacket on the beach. Not like the beaches in the south. |
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| The birds make a mess on the rocks. |
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| The was a first for all of us to see a seagull on a nest. |
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| Seeing the force of the waves as they crash into the cliffs is a show not to be missed. |
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| Another flag shot and a time to says thanks to all our military and veterans. |
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| The gray whales do not breach often but when you see their tail out of the water they are going down for a deep dive. |
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| They are hard to photograph. |
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| Watching the gray whales and waves will take up a good portion of your day |
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| Hwy 101 offers many places to watch the surf. |
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| Some of the waves will shoot 40 feet into the air. |
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| God must have spent a little more time when he created the Oregon Coast. |
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| View from Cape Foulweather visitor center. Winds can reach 100 mph in storms. |
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| Devils Punchbowl where the ocean slams into the hollow rock formation shaped like a huge punchbowl. |
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| These waves can get up to 120 feet resulting from winter storms. |
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| They were trying to ride them in. |
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| These seagulls are big compared to the ones we see back home. |
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| Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, Oregon |
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| Main span is a 600 foot arch |
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| What is Terry watching? |
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| Barking California Sea Lions They are noisy. |
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| The males will grow to a length of 8 feet and weight up to 1000 pounds Females will grow to 6 feet and weigh up to 250 pounds |
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| They fought to keep another sea lion from getting a spot on the dock. |
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| Adult and juvenile male sea lions resting on the jetties. Female sea lions stay in California waters year round. The male sea lions migrate back to the south during the summer for breading season. |
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| Reflections of the boats in the water caught my eye. |
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| The sun beginning to go down on Yaquina Bay. |
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| The trail to the beach is paved through woods then it turns into sand as you walk through the beach grass. |
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| Tsunami evacuation route signs and warning signs are seen along Hwy 101. |
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