It was foggy this morning. A man in the laundry room told me yesterday that it was going to rain today. Unfortunately he was right. It started raining at about 9:30. I am soooo glad we went to see the Light house yesterday. There is another one about 20 miles up the road from here that I want to see. It's the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. We saw it off in the distance when Rob, Bella, and went into Newport on Sat. afternoon.
I did some Pivot work until noon and then decided I couldn't stay indoors any longer.
Bella and I loaded ourselves into the truck and headed north. We have a new Lighthouse to go visit.
We pulled in to the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. At the entrance I asked if they gave a Military Discount, she asked if I was active and I told her I was retired. She said at 62 I could get a seniors pass. I told her I was only 61. She said oh, you're so close. She said if I were active or disabled vet and then I remembered! I said my husband has a disabled pass and I showed it to her. She said well normally it has to be him, but since I was so close I could go ahead and use it. So I hung it on the mirror and drove on in.
We drove to the Interpretive Center. We watched a movie about the building of the lighthouse and then wandered through the displays. It is all nicely done. I looked around in the gift-shop and resisted, once again, purchasing a small model of the lighthouse. I resisted at Heceta, although I really wish I had a little model of each of them. Its just that if I collected them I'd have to figure out where to put them when we moved. So, perhaps one day I will have to come back for them.
From the Interpretive center we walked along the lighthouse trail. It follows the headland's southern bluffs. We passed above Cobble Beach and took a picture of the beach below with all it's tide pools, birds and harbor seals. It is compiled of millions of round basalt rocks that produce an applause-like sound as the waves roll in. When the tide is low (as it was today) a vibrant ocean floor is revealed-pools of colorful animals including orange sea stars, purple sea urchins, and giant green anemones. The Rangers had set up two Binoculars aimed at the birds on the rock as well as one aimed at the harbor seals resting on the rocks.
I really wanted to go down to the beach, but I didn't think that Bella would enjoy walking on all the cobblestones or enjoy the tide pools.
We walked to the lighthouse and looked around. It is pretty, but not as pretty, I don't think, as Heceta.
At 93 feet it is the tallest of the continuous operational lighthouses on the Oregon coast. It extends out from the Oregon coast one mile into the Pacific.It was first lit on August 20, 1873. At that time it took alongside a two-story keepers's dwelling, a barn and outbuildings.
Across the street from the parking lot at the lighthouse was another interesting Beach with an arch
We walked back along the lighthouse trail and then along the Quarry Cove Trail. About a quarter of the way there the trail was closed so we had to turn around and go back. We went back to the truck and drove to the parking lot near the Cove.
The Quarry cove trail overlooks the cove, and to the south Agate and Nye Beaches. At Quarry Cove artificial tide pools were constructed in what was a rock quarry in 1996. By 2000, changes in ocean currents covered the cement tide pools with beach sand. In 2001, a harbor seal colony moved onto the newly developed sandy beach. They built an observation deck to allow visitors to view the seals from a safe distance, but on a day like today, when there are no seals on the beach we can go down to the beach, water and rocks.
Bella and I hiked back up to the truck because I had an idea. I didn't know before heading down there that we would be able to walk on all that sand, so I had to go back for my flip flops. With all that sand of varying degrees of wetness I had to try them again. So I walked around all over the various sandy area.
It showed up better, but still not great.
We left Yaquina and continued up further north along Hwy 101. It was already 3:15, and it had rained on us as we returned to the truck the last time. As we drove on it stopped raining. it was funny, because it was clearer out over the ocean like maybe it would clear up.
We stopped at a place called "The Devil's Punchbowl" It was pretty cool looking
To the left of the punchbowl it was also quite lovely as well.
From there were drove further on up the road to Otter Rock and Otter Crest. It is also really pretty.
We drove back to Newport and went to a Steak & Seafood restaurant. It wasn't especially good. But was fun. The ribs were good and I brought most of them home.
As soon as we got home it started raining for real and continued off an on throughout the evening.
I watched TV and then went to bed
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