We've had our heart attacks, our cardiologists say all is well, so we'll try again! We'll head over to the Oregon Coast and finish what we started last July. We'll take a week, start in Yachats and work our way up to Seaside and come home via the Gorge.
We left home at about 12:15. Sunny weather, temps in the 60s. Drive to Bend uneventful. Stayed at the Sleep Inn; nice dinner at the Worthy Brewery across the street.
Watching baseball playoffs - Red Sox vs. Astros.
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Great Day! We left Bend about 9:30. Beautiful sun all day; temps in the lower 60's. After gassing up in Sisters, we took the scenic route over McKenzie Pass on rt 126 to Springfield and Eugene. What we witnessed up there was very sad. Just about a year ago, September 2020, the McKenzie Fire burned 173,000 acres. We noticed the burned timber all the way from the eastern side of McKenzie Pass, around the lava fields, and on down to the McKenzie and Blue rivers. A shame.
We joined Rt 101 in Florence and headed north. Just south of Yachats we stopped briefly at Cape Perpetua to check on the Devil's Churn, one of our favorite places to see the power of the waves!
We arrived at the Fireside Motel in Yachats about 5:00. After freshening up, we hiked north along Trail 804 which runs about 3/4 of a mile, ending at Salmon Beach. A great walk! We witnessed a pretty nice sunset to boot! The shoreline at Fireside is awesome! Crashing waves!
We enjoyed a great dinner at an upscale place call ONA. First meal of fish and chips!
Tomorrow we work our way up to Lincoln City.
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| Three Sisters |
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| Devils Churn |
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| Fireside |
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| Hot Dog in Eugene! |
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ONA in Yachats |
Cloudy this morning, but it wouldn't start raining until about 10:00 so we had time to walk along the shore, watching crashing waves! This is what makes the Fireside motel so great! Crashing waves right outside your door!
We enjoyed a great breakfast at the Drift Inn in Yachats, the kind of quirky place that makes Yachats so interesting!
We headed north up 101 in a steady rain. First stop was Seal Rock, which looks very different at high tide, with no tide pools to explore. Just before the bridge into Newport we turned into the Oregon State Marine Science complex and visited the Hatfield Marine Science Center.
We stopped in Newport's waterfront district and were pleased to see that the sea lions were back. They weren't here last July - they migrate to California for a month then return. Their barking is quite the sound!
We went on up to Nye Beach. After enjoying a great bowl of clam chowder at Nana's Irish Pub, we went across the street and purchased our "peace pole".
Continuing north, in the rain and wind, we stopped at a few places to look at the ocean, like the Devil's Punchbowl and Haceta Head Lighthouse.
Once in Lincoln City, found our hotel, the Lincoln Sands (A Choice Ascend property). Very odd! Its a remarkably well done renovation, right on the beach. Very luxurious but lacks a lot - bad lighting, not enough furniture and more. We'll leave a note for the manager.
Fine dining, right down the street, at Kyllos. It had stopped raining by now, but still windy and 58 degrees. Supposed to clear tomorrow.
Beautiful, sunny day! And, remarkably, no wind! Temp in the mid 50s. Heading north on Rt 101, our first detour was the H.D. Van Duzer Forest Corridor along rt 18 on the way to Salem. We weren't sure what it was, but its on the map! Actually, its the western end of an AVA region known for ideal weather conditions for vineyards. We only went about 25 miles, turning around at the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde. Its a pretty ride with lots of al colors. Interestingly, closer to the coast there is no foliage color!
Back on 101, we turned north on a back road and went up through Pacific City, Cape Lookout and on up to Cape Meares Lighthouse. Then over to Tillamook, reconnect with the 101 and back to Lincoln City for our second night at the Lincoln Sands. Dinner at McMenamen's at Lighthouse Square. (We were interested to learn that there are more than 50 McMenamins in Oregon!).
A final note on the Lincoln Sands. Congratulations to the architect and the contractors! This was a renovation, not a new build! Excellent job! However, our room #2218 was non-functional! There isn't a flat surface in the place! We piled stuff on the couch armrest. There is no desk, no end tables. I had to bring the chair and end table in from the patio. Lighting is very poor. After dark, the two end table lamps in the living area are not sufficient; can't read or knit. The light over the bathroom sink is bright but not for makeup. All these problems are easily solved. I'll write to the manager!
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| View from our window |
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| Stellars Jay |
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| Cape Meares Light |
A partly cloudy day, a bit warmer than yesterday.(Weatherman says this will be the end of nice weather!)
We drove back up to Tillamook and visited the Tillamook Cheese factory. They've built a beautiful visitor center with a viewing area of the factory floor. Very interesting to see those bricks of cheddar cheese!
Continuing on 101 along Tillamook Bay to the town of Garibaldi, which features a rather large marina with lots of working fishing boats, charters, etc. After our picnic lunch, we walked around the piers looking at lots of old tubs!
A little further north we come to Rockaway Beach for a short walk in the sand. We arrived in Cannon Beach, a place we'd always heard of. I was disappointed. Its quite a large resort town with miles of large hotel properties between 101 and the beach. Very limited public access to the beach. It was hard to find a good view of the famous Haystack Rock.
Our hotel is another Choice Ascend property. In Seaside, its called Kathryn's Riverfront Inn. Like the Sands its a complete renovation project - very well done! Its beautiful! This time, our room is completely furnished!
Dinner tonight at another McMenamins, up the road at a hotel/golf complex on the beach in the town of Gearhart. Our next goal will be to eat at all 52 McMenamins!
Back to the room to watch the Red Sox get hammered by the Astros.
Tomorrow to Portland's IKEA and on to Hood River.
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| Haystack Rock - Cannon Beach |
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| Tillamook Rock Lighthouse |
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| Kathryn's Riverfront |
We've had our heart attacks, our cardiologists say all is well, so we'll try again! We'll head over to the Oregon Coast and fini...
