Oregon

Oct.10, 11, 12, 13, 14

We are at a campground by Newport OR called Whalers Rest.  Newport has a wonderful old town area down along the waterfront that we visited.  Lots of shops and restaurants.  We ate lunch at Mo's and had fish and chips and chowder.  Found a boat which sold live crab so we bought a couple and took them home and boiled them.  Having them for dinner tomorrow night.  California Sea Lions are along the water with their loud barking sound.

California Sea Lions

Tuesday we drove back up the coast to Pacific City and Lincoln City to check them out.  Looked at a campground in Pacific City that we were going to camp at but people had told us it was tight to get our motor home into.  We found it to be O.K. and would stop there next time.  Went shopping at the outlet mall in Lincoln City. 

Wednesday we visited the lighthouses around Newport, Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head.  Yaquina Bay is the second oldest standing lighthouse structure on the Oregon coast.  It was only in service from 1871 to 1874 before the brighter Yaquina Head Lighthouse was commissioned and eliminated its necessity.  The light is built on the top of a house where the keeper and family lived.  The house is open and furnished as it was when it was a working lighthouse.  Yaquina Head Lighthouse in a 93 foot high tower and the tallest on the Oregon coast.  Illuminated in 1873 and is still a working lighthouse.  We were able  to climb to the top and saw a wonderful view of the rugged coast.  Oregon has one of the most beautiful coastlines we have seen. The Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia is as beautiful.  Highway 101 winds along the rugged rocky coast and we got wonderful vistas of the ocean below. 

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

Inside lighthouse keepers home

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

View from the top

My reflection at the top of lighthouse

Thursday we had a delicious dinner at the Local Ocean Seafood Restaurant.  We sat at the bar right in front of the open kitchen and watch our dinner being prepared.  We had Fishwives Stew and was loaded with all kinds of seafood in the tomato broth with crusty bread.  It was one of those memorable meals that you never forget.  All the dishes being prepared looked really good.  We will definitely go there again. 

Fishwives Stew

Friday we left Newport and drove to the next campground in Florence called South Jetty.  It is a nice wooded campground and plan on staying for 9 days. 

Oct. 15, 16
Today the weather in going to be sunny.  We have had lots of cloudy days since being on the Oregon Coast.  We  spent the morning in Florence's Old Town which is along the water.  Lots of shops to visit and little farmers market on the grassy area at the end.  We couldn't resist eating lunch at one of the restaurants.  We had delicious clam chowder, bread and salad.  It rained hard in the night but by Sunday morning we had sunshine.
Today we drove to see another lighthouse back north or Florence.  Heceta Head Lighthouse, illuminated in 1894 has an automated beacon which is seen 21 miles from land and rated as strongest light on the Oregon coast.  We couldn't tour it because it is closed for renovation so just took pictures.

We are staying in Florence all next week and moving further south on Sunday, Oct. 23rd.  Next week we plan on doing some crabbing off the dock if the weather is nice.  Happy Travels, Barb

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Sea Lions enjoying the sun by Sea Lion Caves