Historic Newport bayfront is a "required" stop when visiting Newport. It is here that you can find all the commercial fishing boats as well as several fish processing facilities. When we were here earlier in the summer, there were no sea lions but at this time of year they can be found in the water, on the docks and rocks barking away.

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We headed down to the boat launch area, my favorite location to take a sunset picture. We were a bit early so we got to see this fisherman's catch of the day - a halibut, rock cod and his limit of crab.

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The reflection of the Yaquina Bay bridge at sunset is probably one of my favorite sunset pictures.

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We were driving along the north jetty when we saw some movement in the water. We stopped thinking it was perhaps a seal playing or feeding in the water. Alas, it was not a seal but rather a diver that was crabbing in a most unique way. He was diving down and finding them in the kelp beds. He would grab one, bring it to the surface, measure it to determine if it was a keeper. We checked the bucket and he already had 3 nice ones to cook for dinner!

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Yaquina Head Lighthouse has been active since 1873 and was the fifth lighthouse to be built in Oregon. The lighthouse, the tallest in the state at 93-feet, stands at the end of the head which is some 108-feet above sea level. This is probably my most favorite lighthouse.

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We didn't spot any whales from the head this time but did see lots of seals playing in the water and sleeping on the rocks.

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The small town of Depoe Bay not only is a great place for whale watching but is also home to the world's smallest navigable harbor (6-acres). We watched this Coast Guard vessel slowly navigate it's way through the narrow entrance from the sea.

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The weather is beginning to change which gave us this nice stormy sky sunset.

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The weatherman reported that we should brace ourselves for high winds, high surf and probably half an inch of rain due to hurricane Oho. As promised, we got it all with high enough winds to cause us to pull in our slides on the ocean side of the coach. There was a bit of a lull in the storm mid-day so we jumped in the car and headed for Seal Rock to see if we could get some good wave pictures.

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Al sat in the car as I tried to brace myself because of the wind and then came up with the brilliant idea that I really should take a panorama shot with my phone. This is the result of his idea - mind you he stayed dry without that windswept look that I had. BTW according to the news we ended up getting about 1/3-inch of rain from this storm.

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Halloween isn't my favorite holiday but I decided we needed a few decorations so this is what you get!

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We have had Charlotte the spider with us since La Conner, Washington. The web is to the right of our entry door and is anchored to the slide and awning arm. We believe the spider travels in the shelter of the slide and believe it or not, the web somehow survives the traveling. A few times she has had to rebuild and/or do some repairs when we've arrived at our destination. It will be interesting to see if she is still with us when we arrive home.

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Newport has several districts of distinction: the historic bayfront, the art deco district and Nye Beach. By the 1890's this area was a mecca for summer vacationers. It was connected to the bayfront by a boardwalk at that time and was a place that summer crowds gathered on the beach for band concerts and other entertainment. It attracted artists, writers and students of natural science who still frequent this area. The expanse of beach in this area is a great place to look for agates, fly kites and enjoy this incredible view of Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

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Nye Beach is also the home of the Lincoln County Vietnam Memorial, a conical bronze sculpture created by Frank Boyden. The obelisk was designed to cast a shadow over the dark surface of a wall of words resting below it on the ground every April 30th to commemorate the date the Vietnam War came to a close. The words, which read, "Light is an appointment we must all keep when we are quiet and can find the way" are taken from a poem by Tom Crawford. Abstract herons grace the obelisk and the birds are depicted flying in an upward spiral, which is supposed to be symbolic of ascending spirits.

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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. When we were here earlier in the summer, we saw the bowl totally dry for the first time due to an exceptionally low tide but today the water was filling the bowl.

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We made a stop at Cape Foulweather and were treated to 3-4 young whales playing and/or feeding in the surf. Kidding with another couple I told them that they had been dropped here at "whale daycare" while their mothers went out to feed. The whales were staying quite close to the top and even riding in the waves. Since Cape Foulweather sits some 500-feet above the water, we could watch the whale movement quite easily.

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