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.
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