Coasting Along

As we explored the town of Waldport, we came across a "Cruizin for Crab" event held there.  We had all day, so we decided to stop a while and cruise through the lot near the bay.

 Most of you are too young too young to remember when car doors opened like this.  The car below is a 1947 Mercury Sedan, beautifully restored. 

 What also caught our eye was the 1957 Chevy convertible with matching trailer.  Can you imagine the looks you would get when you drove this down the highway?

After the car show, we got back on Hwy 101 and traveled south, stopping at Smelt Sand Beach.  In the parking lot was a warning sign for the locals and visitors.

 We headed for the ocean, just steps away, and found this memorial to Jack and Conner, two young, strong men who had drowned here in Feb. 2011.   A nearly waist high sneaker wave caught them by surprise, giving them no chance to climb to safety.  Their friends would also have drowned if they had tried to help.  After reading this, the sign in the parking lot took on a whole different light.

As the four of us looked out on the ocean and the jagged rocks, it was easy to understand how something like that could have happened.  This stretch of the coast is a great place for taking pictures.  The black rocks along the shore and their interaction with the waves make for some really awesome pictures. 

 As usual, I came back with hundreds of pictures, and managed to discard over 200 of them.  The Nikon allows me to capture shots like the one below, with the wave seeming to explode upon impact.

Around lunch time we stopped in the small town of Yachats (pronounced Yah-hots).  At least that is what the lady at the visitor center told us.  We all were pronouncing it many different ways.  The town has gone through 11 name changes, most of them variations of the current one.

Of course, we window shopped, then went down a side street to go through The Little Log House by the Sea.  The small church was built in 1930 and served by Evangelical pastors and Presbyterian ministers for many years.  In 1970 it became a museum and is still used for weddings and local events.

As we headed back to the campground, we stopped at the Port of Alsea, which is located in Waldport.  There were a lot of fisherman out in their boats and along the shoreline that day.  The weather was beautiful, and it must have been good fishing. 

As we walked on the dock, we talked to one family that had caught a crab right off the dock.  Sure enough, there he was, not too happy being in the cooler.  I asked the little boy if he had named him, and he replied that his name was Bob.  The father piped in and said his name was going to be "Snack"!

The Bakery Called Us

Well, the bakery didn't exactly call us on our cell phone, but after Sandy read about this local bakery, it was definitely calling us metaphorically.

This place is open to the public only on Thursdays and Saturdays.  It opened at 10 AM, and there were local people in line when we got there around 10:30.  I think Sandy was stopping traffic so we could be assured of a place in line.

A glimpse of heaven in one place!  All the goodies were calling my name.  My inner self was saying "order one of everything and we'll deal with it later".  Fortunately,  I didn't listen to that voice inside my head.  I wound up with the Almond Croissant and the Pain au Chocolat.  Don picked out two puff pastries.

Sandy was trying to decide what she and Jerry wanted to take home.  People were in line behind us, so this is not a place where you could be indecisive.

 Not only were there lots of Danish pastries to choose from, there was a whole rack of bread.  This reminded me of the wonderful bakeries they have in Europe.  What happened to all the good bakers when they migrated to Arizona? Maybe they were too busy baking bread to be enticed by the call of the West.

 As we exited with our purchases of baked goodies, I think there were maybe a few anxious people in line.  Maybe we had taken one of the last types of Danish pastry that they really, really wanted.  As they say, the early bird gets the worm, or should I say the early people get the yummy stuff?!

Go Fly a Kite!!

At our age, no one has to tell us to "Go fly a kite"....we do it on our own!  So, are we 6 years or 60 plus years.  Or 7 years or 70 plus years?  Who cares?  We had fun at Agate Beach flying Jerry's new kite.

 Both Sandy and I tried our hand at it, even though Sandy said she didn't have any luck flying kites.  At least it was windy enough that we didn't have to run to get it airborne!

It seems that Don got the job of corralling the elusive and evasive kite.  It flew sideways to avoid his hands,

and dipped as he tried to grab the string.

Don heard it say, "nanny, nanny, boo, boo" as he turned around to confront it.

 Actions speak louder than words and I think Don is making some sort of hand gesture....

And once again it snuck around him.  I think he might be a bit frustrated at this point.

He takes a swing and misses.....

So close....it is almost time for the wayward kite to be taken down!

Finally, the cantankerous kite is captured!

Yaquina

Three years ago, we visited, or at least viewed, all the lighthouses on the Oregon coast.  We decided to go back to the two Yaquina lighthouses, Yaquina Head and Yaquina Bay.  At our age, it is like re-reading a book.  The words and plot haven't changed, but we've forgotten a lot of the details!  In a few years, we probably can hide our own Easter eggs....

The Lighthouse by the bay was only used for 3 years, between 1871 and 1874, and it was in disrepair for many years.  Fortunately, it was saved from the wrecking ball by a local group and completely restored and is open for tours.

 Nearby is the Yaquina Bay Bridge that seems a bit hazy due to all of the fog and mist.

The days along the coast have been crazy this last week.  It continued to change every hour or so.  We'd leave to go exploring, and there would be sun and a nice blue sky.  Fifteen minutes later, the clouds would roll in and it would be raining hard.  Another half hour would bring clouds, wind and no rain.  We could be comfortable in short sleeves for a short while, then would be reaching for our jackets or long sleeves.  This process would repeat itself many times during the day.

On we went to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, a beautiful structure looking west over the Pacific. It was closed that day, but we had climbed to the top when we were here in 2011.

As you can see, the ocean was churning, with the waves creating a lot of surface foam. If you're on the hill by the beach, the noise is incredible.  Below is a beach not full of sand, but small, black, shiny rocks.  As the tide goes in and out, the rocks tumble over each other, creating a very loud racket.

 The clouds were once again covering the sky, leaving not a smidgen of blue sky.  My picture looks like it was taken in black and white because of the overcast.  It's interesting to see how foreboding the ocean looks when the wind is blowing and the sky is gray.  So different from the day we walked on sand at Cannon Beach!

Seeing Sea Life

Looks like they put the welcome sign out for us!  It was a good day for touring the aquarium in Newport Beach.  It was drizzling when we left in the morning, and raining off and on all day long.  That reminds me of all the rainy days we experienced while in Alaska last year.  I’m thankful that most of our time is spent in Colorado and Arizona, where the sun shines at least 300 days a year.

The otters didn’t mind the drizzle; after all, it was feeding time!  The 3 otters that live here at the aquarium were rescues and can’t live on their own.  Now they are guaranteed daily meals that are restaurant quality.  I bet they eat better than we do.

For extra money, you can actually swim with the sharks here.  I was content to watch them swim over and around me in the tunnel.  For another $40 you can have a seal kiss you……all four of us passed on that offer too!

This fish likes living on the “ledge”.  He huddled up against the glass, only moving when nosed out by one of the sharks.  Once the shark was gone, he went right back to his favorite spot.  When I first saw him, I thought he was dead and just plastered against the window.  He fooled me, alright.

Guess this must be the place….for Sandy at least!  Jerry had his ice house at McMenamin’s, so it was Sandy’s time to claim her special spot!

If you look closely at the top of the photo below, you can see someone’s fingers hand feeding the Wolf Eel!  I don’t know if I would be that brave.  I’m rather attached (in more ways than one) to all of my digits.  This is one thing that is definitely NOT on my bucket list.

One of the prettiest displays was the tank filled with Pacific Sea Nettles.  It’s mesmerizing to watch them undulate through the water, dragging their long tentacles behind them.

Is it my imagination, or does it look like this octopus is having a bad day?  He looks like he is mad and upset.  Maybe it was because the flash from my camera irritated him a bit.  Yep, he’s giving me the “stink eye”.  That octopus was a real sourpuss.  I bet he doesn't have any friends on Facebook, and doesn't care about it one way or the other.  I'm not even going to send him a request.......serves him right. 

Beaches and Bays

Driving north from our Beverly Beach abode (for at least a few days), we stopped first at the quaint town of Depoe Bay.  It is nestles up to the forested hills on the east, with the Pacific Ocean lapping at its feet.  It is beautiful during the summer months, but not very hospitable when the winter storms bring gale force winds accompanied by sheets of rain.

Today was the first day of fall and it seemed like Mother Nature turned off her sunshine and blue skies.  I know that fall is the rainy season here, but did she have to be so prompt?  Couldn’t she have procrastinated a few more days, or maybe even another week or so?

One of the cute restaurants in Depoe Bay is called the Sea Hag.  The old couple standing in front looks like they have been there for awhile. They are about as weathered as the Oregon coastline.  Will this be the way we look in another few years?  Good grief, I hope not!

Sandy knew there was a Mo’s restaurant at Otter Beach, famous for their seafood.  Back we went, with GPS in hand, so we could fill our stomachs with some more delicious clam chowder.  I think we have eaten seafood in one form or another for at least 3 days straight now!

 Sandy said she is becoming “fished out” (is there such a thing?).   I’m thinking I’ve had my fill of clam chowder for the week even though it has seemed to be just the thing to order while we are “coasting” along.  Bon Apetite!