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!