2013-09-25: Yaquina Head
As we approached Newport we got to see Yaquina Head Lighthouse in the mist - what a beautiful sight!
2013-09-25: Sunset
It was so nice to spend the afternoon sitting outside in the sun reading and even nicer to go to the beach here at the campground to enjoy a beautiful, albeit cloud-filled, sunset.
2013-09-26: Lava Delta
14 million years ago, lava gushed from huge fissures in Eastern Oregon and Washington and flowed 300 miles to the sea. Yaquina Head is a western most toe of the Ginkgo Basalt flow of the Columbia River. Erosion and faulting shaped this "lava delta".
2013-09-26: Yaquina Head Lighthouse
This 93-foot tall sentinel has stood at the edge of Yaquina Head since 1873. It is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon and can be seen from 19-miles out to sea.
2013-09-26: Pelicans
Atop all huge basalt rocks jutting out of the water around the head are hundreds, maybe thousands of pelicans. It's so much fun to watch them find an empty spot and then kind of helicopter down into it. It's a wonder they don't hit the other pelicans with their wings as they settle in!
2013-09-26: Devils Punchbowl
Devils Punchbowl is centered on a large bowl naturally carved in a rock headland which is partially open to the Pacific Ocean. Waves enter the bowl and often violently churn, swirl, and foam. The bowl is thought to have been created when two caves carved by the ocean collapsed.
2013-09-26: Black Oystercatcher
We spotted this black oystercatcher poking around for it's next meal. It eats a variety of invertebrate marine life including mussels, whelks and limpets. Despite its name, it rarely eats oysters! It uses its long, sharp bill to pry bivalves like limpets and mussels off the rocks and then to open them.
2013-09-26: King Salmon
According to the weather guessers, this was going to be our last sunset for a while so we headed down to the marina below the Yaquina Bay Bridge. While waiting, we got to watch a couple of fishermen cleaning their catch of king salmon as well as...
2013-09-26: Dungeness Crab
...a group that came to the cleaning station with their limit of Dungeness crab.
2013-09-26: Sunset
We were rewarded with this incredible view of the sun setting behind the Yaquina Bay Bridge.
2013-09-28: Bird Feeder
We had put our bird feeders out before the rain started so the chickadees, squirrels, chipmunks, towhees and steller jays continued to hang around and feed even in the rain. It's sure fun to watch them!
2013-09-29: Close Quarters
Although we've had rain for days, today was predicted to be and was the mother of all storms. The wind gusts were so strong they were rocking the coach so we decided to pull all three slides in which reduced our living space considerably. Better to be safe then sorry and we did survive! According to the weather service there has been some 6-inches of rain during September here!
2013-09-30: Fishing Fleet
The worst of the storms are over but the rains continue intermittently. We decided to go down to the historic waterfront to see how many of the fishing boats were still in port and if...
2013-09-30: Sea Lions
...the resident sea lions were back (which they were)!
2013-09-30: Pacific Seafood
As we were walking along the bayfront we stopped to look in a store and the heavens opened up again (and of course our raincoats were in the car). As we were standing at the door watching the downpour we noticed the activity across the street at Pacific Seafood. They were packing frozen, headless salmon (maybe) in plastic lined boxes getting them ready for delivery. Interesting operation.
2013-10-01: Yaquina Bay Bridge
Poured again early this morning. After getting our laundry done, we headed into town one last time. Every time we go into town, we have to cross Yaquina Bay on an arch bridge that was completed in 1936 and designed by Conte McCullough. The bridge uses art deco and art moderne design motifs as well as forms borrowed from Gothic architecture. We love seeing it from all angles.
2013-10-01: Yaquina Bay Light
The Yaquina Bay Light was built soon after Newport was founded. It was first lit on November 3, 1871 and was deactivated three years later when the Yaquina Head Lighthouse was built.