Days: 31-35
Mile: 3356
We are currently in one of those places where I can’t put my camera down. I think you will see what I mean. This post is full of photos. It’s just that every time you go around a corner, every time the sun comes out from under the clouds, or the sea mist rolls onto shore, the beach, the tide pools, the rocks, no matter the direction you look, it’s just breathtakingly beautiful.
We are camping in the Cape Perpetua area just south of Yachats, OR, a small coastal town with a population of 1,013. Our campsite is situated between highway 101 and the Pacific Ocean. I think Cape Perpetua on the Oregon Coast is one of my favorite places in the world. This scenic area encompasses 2,700 acres of important coastal habitat and was set aside for its exceptional ecological characteristics.
We are not “front row” however, have a great view of the ocean without the constant wind and salt spray. Sunsets have not been as spectacular as we hoped, as there are no clouds. The sun just drops into the ocean and is gone.
The last five days we have been exploring this scenic area, walking the beaches to look for agates, taking short trips into town for lunch and hiking to the Cape Perpetua headland to enjoy the views of the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve and rugged, rocky shoreline.
Yachats has a wonderful little park right on the ocean. We find ourselves gravitating to the park every day after lunch. One day we found this big boy basking in the sun. We sat and watched him for over an hour, wiggle and moving along the rocks to find a comfortable place to settle in for a nap.
Yesterday we drove down south on highway 101 to Florence, OR. In just 24 miles the geography changes dramatically from the lava rocks and steep cliffs of Cape Perpetua to sand dunes. Gary and I were instantly reminded of Sleeping Bear Dunes along Lake Michigan.
When the tide goes out there are plenty of tide pools to explore. When we are not looking for sea creatures we are looking for agates. So far we have found three. But finding an agate on theses beaches is tough. There are millions of stones.
Turns out this was a great time of year to be here as the wild flowers are in bloom. Here are just a few of the different flowers we have seen.
Top Left – Right: Thimbleberry, Hogweed, Wild Lady’s Glove, Evergreen shrub: Shallop, False Lilly of the Valley, Broom.
Comments
8 responses to “Oh, the Oregon Coast”
Beautiful pictures. The Oregon Beach area with all the rocks is one of my favorites too.
Stunning pictures. Too fun to see Kaizen on the beach. Safe travels today.
We love the sand dunes of Lake Michigan but I waited for hours and the tide never went out. (:
Hi Annie
We have never met, but my husband and I attended Manual and graduated with Gary.
I have been fascinated by your journey and am loving your descriptive posts. I think you’re both very brave and I’m a little jealous of your ability to just take off and feel so free.
I also love the song The Cape. How appropriate to have that quote on the back of your camper!
What has prompted this response is that you’re in Yachats.
My husband ( Gary) and I lived in San Diego when we were first married. We made lifelong friends there and have been back many times. San Diego is beautiful, so where do they go for vacation….. they go to Yachats!
We plan to join them there sometime in the near future. They do stay right on the coast and get all the wind and ocean spray.
Oregon, Washington, and Alaska are the 3 states we still need to mark off our list.
I ran into Bill McDaniel a few weeks ago at an alumni luncheon and he said that he and Susie would be joining you in Alaska.
Sorry for such a long and rambling post. I just wanted to let you know that I’m enjoying being on this trip with you.
Be safe.
What spectacular photos. Almost bring us there. Thanks for posting.
What spectacular photos. Almost brings on us there. Thanks for posting.
Gary you will have to ask Derek to tell you the story when he and his sister thought they’d lost me on the Oregon Coast. They wanted to go somewhere, gambling, I think and I did not want to go with them. I told them I’d just take a walk, write in my journal, enjoy the beautiful place. The time flew by and I took a long, long walk north on the beach before turning back. It was a magical experience to see the sun slip below the horizon as darkness fell. I think you might hear something about wanting to call the police – priceless!
Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to see it, but judging from the outerwear, I should maybe like to go in August. 😬
Thank you for sharing your fantastic experience with us! ❤️