Oregon Trail

After leaving Seattle, we headed south into Oregon and then went west to the coast after passing through Portland. This brought us to our first stop in Lincoln City, Oregon and the start of our Oregon Trail. Now I know that the real Oregon Trail started in Independence, Missouri, but because we are planning to travel along Highway 101 which is the coastal highway in Oregon, I decided to call this part of our journey the "Oregon Trail".  

 

Be prepared for lots of ocean pictures. We drove half way across the continent to see the west coast so we're going to do it right. All our pictures contain artistic qualities of fog, clouds and rain. That's to set the mood; west coast, rain, you know the routine. This picture was taken at Cape Foulweather, so named because Captain Cook was impressed by the high winds and surf. 

Unbelievably, this was taken at the same place. Now is it sunnier or just looks like it because Grammies in the picture? We are about 200 feet above sea level which we, as prairie kids, think is about the right height to avoid tsunamis.

There are a number of lighthouses along the coast because of the rugged rocky coastline. There are a number of different beaches with different types of sand. This beach is made up of cobbles, a type of volcanic stone which has been washed up on the beach for thousands of years causing the rough stones to be round and smooth, about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. As the waves push the cobbles up and down the beach, they have a sound like nothing I've ever heard. Sort of like a billion castanet players, all out of tune.

This seagull is doing its best to swallow a star fish. He kept trying. Too stubborn to quit; he was still swallowing when we left. 

Huge waves crash on the rocky coastline sending huge sprays of water upward, drenching innocent bystanders. I tried to get Grammie to step just a bit closer to the edge for the best photo, but no luck. Perhaps she's not that innocent.

Along the coast there are a number of wild inlets where waves are crashing and roaring. This is the Devils Cauldron where waves are focused and explode with sound and energy. Too bad you can't hear it. Very impressive; honestly. 

Winds can roar across the water and hit the coast with enormous force, sometimes up to 100 miles per hour. Trees along the waters edge have few branches on the water side and lean toward the hill, caused by the enormous wind forces. 

Even among the roaring waves and surf we saw seals basking on the rocks below. 

The road along the coast was everything we had hoped it would be. Winding with beautiful vistas around every turn. Grammie clamping her eyes shut with every cliff side turn; it was great.

Rugged and wild, this is a beautiful beach. The sand is more like we're used to, soft and sort of a beige colour. You can almost see families picnicking and splashing along the shoreline. A little warmer and sunnier would make this a lovely spot to spend the day.

Another lighthouse. What a spectacular location. I can't imagine staying on that big rock during a major storm.  Based on the size of waves we saw, it seems that this isn't anywhere near high enough although its been there for years and hasn't been swept away yet. The road in the foreground gets covered by water during high tide which was just coming in when we took this picture. I'm sure bad weather would do the same. Isolated. Sorry, I'm not a water person, that scares me.

This is another type of beach. You can't tell from the picture, but the sand is black here. So, along this drive, we've seen cobbles (rocks), regular beige sand and now black sand. It hasn't been a boring drive that's for sure. Our Oregon Trail now ends but it's been better than we hoped. 

We've arrived in northern California and have set up for a couple of days in Klamath, the giant redwood capital of the world. Now, lets go check what the trees are up to. Come along if you wish.