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| Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon |
Phase II of the trip continued; Exploration of the Oregon Coast via a good old automobile-Day 4; Newport, OR to Crescent City, California
When we arose this morning, the day looked promising. Well, it was promising, but in ways we never expected. Going down for the hotel breakfast about 7 a.m., I walked out to check out the weather and it was still dark outside. But it was clear and a slight breeze was blowing. The breeze would have been welcomed as the previous two days the air was dead still. I could see the bridge over the inlet in Newport, Oregon, about 1/2 mile away.
However, by the time we left the hotel at 8:30 a/m., I could see the air had turned a bit foggy and it was still. That should have been a clue to me as to how the day would unfold in front of us.
We drove north a few miles as I wanted to photograph the Yaquina Head Light, just two miles north of Newport, Oregon. By the time we arrived, visibility was about 1/4 mile and closing fast! The front gates were open and no one was in the state park's little building, so we drove in. As we got closer to the ocean, the mist of the fog started to get very heavy. I got out of the car to make some images as the fog was a nice addition. As I photographed the light, the mist turned into a biting light rain coming off the ocean below. And the wind was kicking up.
After about 15 minutes, I had had enough of wet and cold so we left the lighthouse and headed south to the Yaquina Bay light. It was only 4 miles south, but by the time we arrived, we could see nothing. Not even the ocean was visible. We had no idea where the lighthouse was. Was this going to be how the entire day for us would be? All we could do was press on and head south on Route 101 with our destination Crescent City, California.
Our next stop was in Seal Rock. There, the fog surrounded the sea stacks and the ocean was really angry! Waves were crashing on the off shore rocks making spectacular splashes up and over giant rocks. I made some images and, again, the camera and lens were pretty wet when I finally got back in the car. Luckily, again, the camera is weatherproof.
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| Haceta Lighthouse Keeper's House |
I dried my "weatherproof" Olympus E-M5 off (it is weatherproof, by the way) and, again, headed south to Haceta Head lighthouse. Well, the fog was still so thick that, like the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse earlier in the day, we could not even find where the lighthouse stood. But, the fog cleared slightly and I spotted the Lighthouse Keeper's old house on a cliff and made some images of it. Again, it was driving rain and the camera and I got wet, wet, wet.
Continuing our journey south through some really thick fog and heavy rain, we drove out a couple of miles to the Umpqua River Lighthouse. Currently, not in use, it was used to guide boats between the jetties of the Umpqua River as it met the sea. There is now an automatic lighthouse that is more a piece of equipment than a lighthouse. I could see and hear it off in the distance. Something else we discovered at the site was more driftwood than I have ever seen in my life. I'm talking about 100 ft. long whole trees! Thousands of pieces of huge driftwood at the inward edge of the beach, obviously pushed up there during some severe storms. There was one seagull (the rats of the bird world or flying rats, as I call them) was sitting on a piece and, I think, was hoping for an handout. I made a few images of him and went on my way. I liked the way they turned out.
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| Sea gull windsurfing for me; Showing off! |
About noon , we stopped in Coos Bay for a lunch that was as home made as restaurant food can get. We saw this sign at a very small restaurant and lots of cars in the small parking lot and we had to stop and try The Stockpot. We weren't sorry. The food was as good as your mother made. Not only was the food good, but our server was just as friendly as a puppy and the chef (I think she was the owner also) took some time to speak with me. The funny thing about the restaurant was that the restrooms were outside around back. One picked up the key, walked outside and around the corner and used the restroom! Kind of like the old gas station restrooms. Come to think of it, the building may have been a gas station at one time. However, I recommend you stop there for breakfast or lunch if you are passing through Coos Bay, OR.
We then drove south to Bottle Rock Beach, Gold Beach and Sebastian Point. I made some images of some sea stacks, a old sunken tug boat in the harbor and some really interesting pines in a dark, dark, forest.
As we continued south, just before we crossed the California state border, the weather cleared and we, again, saw blue sky. Even though the weather was bad, it was great for photography. Too many photographers go inside when the weather is bad. Don't do it. Go out in the bad weather and you will have a chance at making images very few will attempt. I loved this day.
We found a nice, independent hotel in Crescent City, California and have settled in to our room. Earlier in the day, I purchased a nice bottle of cabernet sauvignon and am enjoying a glass as I write.
Tomorrow, we visit Redwood National Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. The state park has been highly recommended to my by my cousin Diana, who has visited extensively on the west coast with her husband Jay. Having full time RVers for cousins is a great asset and I appreciate their help in planning my travels. I think Eureka may be a nice place to bed down tomorrow night.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis Mook
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