Whale Tales and Kite Flying!!

You have to be persistent to be a blogger.  I just spent 90 minutes writing this blog, only to have it totally disappear, whereupon I lost my internet connection.  So here goes the second round!!

Yesterday was a GREAT day to be on the Oregon Coast with my RV family!!  Our first stop was in Depoe Bay where Patty and Dan were to take a one hour ocean cruise.  With my past record of seasickness, rather than feed the fish, I chose to walk around town.  It's a good thing we like jello however, because all the tours were booked ... so we ALL cruised through the touristy shops.

This is the beautiful Depoe Bay bridge, next to the smallest harbor in the world, or so they say.  It was really busy with boat traffic, including the Coast Guard who had to wait several minutes for boats to clear the harbor.

On the way back to the car, we walked down the ocean side of the road to beautiful scenery like this.

Weren't we surprised to find whale spouts right off shore!!  After three or four spouts (sucking up air for their next dive) they would head back down to the deep.

Sometimes we saw backs and tails, sometimes not (probably the babies) ... but these guys definitely showed us their stuff!!

Patty has some whale tales to tell granddaughter Laila when she returns home.  We watched for about thirty minutes and saw several swimming in the cove.  What fun to try and spot them!

From there we walked under the bridge to the fish cleaning station.  Here seals swim around waiting for the guys to throw them a morsel or two.

They weren't the only babies ... this seagull baby had just been served lunch by mom, then began flapping his wings, practicing his flying.

On the way home for OUR lunch, we stopped at Cape Foulweather.  Definitely worth a stop, you can stand inside the building at the windows and look almost straight down to the water.  There were several whales swimming in this little cove also.

After lunch, we met Nick and Terry down at the beach for some kite flying.  I purchased a Prism Quantum stunt kite in Lincoln City last week, to go along with my Prism Snapshot speed foil.  Nick helped me set up my new kite while Dan got his Snapshot in the air.  The speed foil is just that, made for speed and skimming the top of someone's head (Dan Chance's favorite sport) while the Quantum is more maneuverable and quicker to respond.  What a kick THAT was!!!

Miss Terry got to fly her new Revolution kite, a quad line requiring even more finesse.  Nick, Patty and Dan became chasers for Terry and I.  After all, someone has to chase after our kites when they crash and untangle the lines!!

I switched back and forth between my stunt kite and the speed foil ... what a difference and what FUN!!  I could do this all day!!!

Sunburned and wind blown, after a couple of hours, we were pretty exhausted!  

Time to meet up with Barbara and Tom Westerfield for dinner at the Chowder House in Nye Beach.  The tacos were excellent, but the fish and chips iffy ... the fries were round slices of potatoes instead of "fries".  The clam chowder, served with almost every meal, was among the best we've had!!  The bread pudding was also delicious, but I paid for that ... TOO MUCH FOOD!!!

It was a GREAT day with AMAZING friends on the BEAUTIFUL Oregon coast ... it just doesn't get better than this!!

Today Patty and Dan will head out for their rescheduled boat trip while I track down some special dog food for the kids.  If you can't find me, I'll be on the beach flying my kite!!

Hanging In Newport With Friends!!

There were a couple of destinations on my plate yesterday, but I never made it to either.  Instead, I took a drive out the South Jetty to visit with THESE friends ... the locals of Newport.

There's a big parking lot at the end and walking trails over the sand dunes to the beach beyond.  Apparently the sign doesn't lie, because all of the fisherman on the jetty were on THIS side of the danger zone, a good sign that I should stay there also!!

 Even on this beautiful sunny day, the waves were hitting the end of the jetty pretty hard.

Here you can view the bridge from another angle, play in a small tide pool, catch dinner or just watch the world go by.

Dan discovered a gold mine the day before, so I went to Old Town next to take advantage and bring home some liquid gold ... chowder that is, thick, rich and delicious clam chowder.  Along the way there are some really great murals to check out. You might go early ... parking is at a premium in this area.

Bad pictures, but this is Pacific Seafood Company.  The same Pacific Seafood that resides in Bay City which we discovered while attending a rally at Garibaldi.  In our opinion, these guys have the best clam chowder on the coast.  We went back again and again to partake of their awesome food!!  It's really a cannery ... processing shrimp on this day ... but there is a fresh seafood market inside, along with a tiny restaurant.

There were probably 30 people processing and kicking out Oregon baby shrimp by the pound!!  By noon, processing will be complete and you can watch the second crew come in to sterilize everything from floor to ceiling.

They also have canned albacore ... some of the best I've ever eaten, rivaling what I used to can myself.  I'll be taking home a case or two!!

From there I made a stop at Pirate Alley for some yarn.  It's like Disneyland in this little section of town ... kind of creepy really, with all the pirate statues around.  You never know whether they are real or concrete.  I'm always looking over my shoulder ... but there are many cutesy shops here, from restaurants to antique stores.  It's good for a pirate picture or two and some beautiful yarn!!

In the afternoon, our friends Barbara and Tom Westerfield pulled in to town, so we set up a dinner date with Nick and Terry Russell, the Chances and myself at Kam Meng Chinese Restaurant, one Nick highly recommended.  The story of this beautiful lady that came to the United States from China is fascinating, to say the least.  Besides that, the food in wonderful ... best hot and sour soup I've ever had.

From the time she was little, Huiya Chen was left handed and heard music in her head, which made everyone (including her parents) think there was something wrong with her, destroying her self confidence.  When they moved to Oregon and she heard you could play pianos at the University for free, she rode her bicycle there, just to be able to play.  She has never had a lesson and does not know how to read music ... but that doesn't keep her from playing the tunes she hears in her head, which are amazing.

The walls are covered with her paintings and the music you hear playing in the background is hers.  She's got personality plus ... and offered to play for us ... practicing her new song she said.  What a talent!!!  Although she says some people don't want her to play while they eat, we encouraged her by clapping loudly!!  You definitely should stop in if you can ... the food was outstanding and Huiya Chen's outlook on life is infectious!!  Ask her to play the piano for you!!  You can read more about her story and hear her music at huiyachen.com.  Check it out!!

This morning we are going to Depoe Bay so Patty and Dan can take a boat ride out of the smallest harbor in the world.  Although I'd love to go, I get terribly seasick in the open ocean, so I'll hang out in town and do a little shopping.  Later we hope to get in some kite flying.

Tallest One On The Oregon Coast!!

There are many lighthouses along the Oregon coast, like Yaquina Bay lighthouse ... small, unassuming and haunted.  The Yaquina HEAD Lighthouse however, is the tallest in Oregon at 93 feet and one of the few that hasn't officially been the home of something you can see through.  Nick Russell loaned me his book ... Haunted Lighthouses ... so I can keep you up to date on midnight wanderings along the coast.  I just love ghosty stuff!!!

Yaquina Bay was the site where a 16 year old girl disappeared after she entered the building, long after the lighthouse was closed (replaced, since it couldn't be seen much from the sea).  The case was never solved and they say she roams the restored building at night.  It's replacement, Yaquina Head supposedly has a construction worker buried inside the double walls (or maybe the old lighthouse keeper) who occasionally talks to people, but no ghosts have been seen wandering around the premises.

The light was made in Paris in 1868 and first lit here in 1873.  The fixed Fresnel lens can be seen from 19 miles out in the ocean.  There is a $7.00 per car fee if you do not have a Federal Park Pass.  The entrance road takes you directly to the parking lot at the Interpretive Center.  If you aren't interested in that and don't want to purchase a ticket to tour inside the lighthouse, just make a turn around the lot and head for the exit, turning right, which will take you to the lighthouse parking lot.  Otherwise you have a long walk ahead of you.

Behind the lighthouse on the ocean side is a rookery for many types of birds.  You can't miss it because you will smell it LONG before you see it!!  There are cormorants, murres, puffins and seagulls, many sitting on nests filled with babies.  All this dark brown stuff??  It's birds!

Everywhere you turn there are beautiful vistas here ... well worth the entry fee!!  There are also a couple of trails you can hike to higher ground.

Flowers are blooming like only Oregon can grow!  If you look close at the outcroppings to the south, you will see lots of seals sunning themselves on the rocks.

Most of these rocks are also covered with rookeries full of squawking babies and moms fighting to keep their square foot of space.  Below these guys are tide pools you can drive to, well worth the trip down to the lower parking lot that you passed on the way to the Interpretive Center.

One last look at this beautiful sight.  I have to say the Oregon Coast has some of the most magnificent scenery I've ever seen.  I think I could live here!!!

Earlier in the day Patty and I hit the Fred Meyer store for some essentials like shirts and capris.  We made a quick stop at Quilters Cove where I picked up this book of quilts that look like they came from the seaside.  This shop is geared toward wall hanging scenes more than quilts in the normal sense, meaning they don't have much fabric, but tons of patterns for small "picture" quilts.

I've been working on my second weaving project in between trips to town ... this will be several washcloths so I can practice different patterns on each one, as well as hems.  Lucky for me, Miss Terry had some extra shuttles and offered to wind some of my yarn on bobbins.  I'm set to weave like crazy now!!!

If everyone's schedule jives today, we'll meet up with the Westerfields, coming south from Tillamook.    By the way, if you are having trouble getting online at some RV parks due to poor reception, check out Nick's Blog ... We're Connected.  He's found a GREAT solution and is sharing it with everyone.  If you want to purchase it from Amazon, be sure and use the link on his page to get to their site, as a "thank you" for the information!!

Spouting Off!!!

There wasn't much on our plate for Sunday except the big Farmers and Craft Market in Lincoln City.  It's nothing like Astoria, but big for a small coastal town.  You can't miss it right on Highway 101, not too far past the array of bright colored flags at Northwestern Kites.  Go early ... parking is a bear!!

I picked up things like ham and cheese scones and soft peanut brittle.  Anyone heard of that before?  Kind of an oxymoron in my book!!  Apparently it was made famous by the Davenport Hotel in Portland.  It's kind of like the inside of a butterfinger bar .... and is it ever delicious!!!  There's lots of other things, like squash, green beans .. you know, things that are good for you!!

With our meager purchases in hand, we split up ... Patty and Dan went to the Outlet Stores and a nice Sunday drive while I hit the kite store and got lost trying to find some more yarn!!  This is Siletz Bay, a huge waterway/wildlife refuge you drive around as you enter Lincoln City.  I stopped for a picture, scrambled down a steep embankment and landed in a pool of water at the bottom, but I got the picture!!

It was then I remembered the Birkenstock store in town.  I have one pair I bought in Hawaii 30 years ago that just finally gave up the ghost.  Although they didn't have the exact style in the color I wanted, I did find a great pair that I hope will last just as long.  Not that I will be wearing Birkenstocks when I'm 95, but you never know!!

Just south of the town of Depoe Bay is Boiler Bay.  It has plenty of parking and lots of picnic tables ... a good place to stop and enjoy the ocean.  There's no access to the beach here ... you are perched on top of the cliffs.

That's a good thing in this case, because you have a great view of the whales swimming right off shore!!  This was a sight I never expected to see.  As far as I could tell, there were only two swimming around in circles spouting off right and left.   Of course I didn't have my long lens with me, so these are cropped quite a bit.  They weren't the biggest whales I've seen ... maybe these were teenagers!

They were just lounging around ... no big leaps or splashy displays ... but we did see lots of spouting off and whale tails!!

Once they took a few breaths, they slowly dove under water again.

I watched for about an hour!!

A little further South I stopped at the Devils Punchbowl.  There's a Mo's restaurant (actually a small shack) here if you want a snack, along with several picnic tables.  

Take the walkway at the end of the parking area and head south .....  it's a short walk ...

where you will find the bowl, carved out of sandstone by the wave action.  There is a trail to the beach off to the right, but I never did find it.  Once down on the beach, you can walk into the punch bowl through an arch several stories high, hidden on the right hand side.  Don't go at high tide however, as this baby fills up with water pretty quickly through the hole you see here!! 

As you walk around the edge of the cliff to the left, there is this neat dead tree ... maybe only a photographer would think it's neat ... and the crows of course, which perch on top!!

At the end of the walkway is a second beach, perfect for surfing.  Personally, I don't know anyone that surfs, but it's fun to photograph wipe-outs!!  There are at least two trails down to this beach ...  just look for the pickups with surfboard racks and you'll find them.

The waves were pretty small and the surfers probably new at this, but it looked like fun ... except I imagine the water was pretty chilly!!

The end of a great day was only made better by the dinner Miss Patty cooked.  How come my "simple" recipes don't come out this good??  She made some amazing squash and we polished off the casserole from the day before.  

Oh ... did I mention my neighbors left? .... YAY!!!  When I got back in the afternoon, they were gone.  Now for some peace and quiet ... that is until the next bunch arrives!!

Yay ... It's Moving Day!!!

Not mine, but my neighbors!!!  Keep your fingers crossed that indeed the 7 people in the 30 foot bumper-pull trailer next to me leave the park.  Last night was the LAST night of their stay, according to the date on their card hangar.  No more loud music, bodily function noises and temper tantrums!!!  YAY!!!

Early yesterday, Patty Chance and I made a screaming fast drive back to Florence, with me playing race car driver.  Poor Patty was hanging on for her life!!  She had not been to the Farmers Market at that location, and wanted to pick up a few things.

It was wet and wild the entire trip, with rain sprinkling on and off as we pulled into Florence.  Because of the weather, there were only about five sellers set up, including the one vegetable vendor. He's got some great stuff if you're going through town on a Saturday!!

On the way home, we stopped at the State Park in Yachats, pronounced Yah-hahts.  In the native Siletz language, it means dark water at the foot of the mountain.  When the government decided to open up Coos Bay to homesteading, the Indians were forceable marched to this location where the hunter-gatherers were not allowed to hunt, but were made to grow their own food.  That idea failed miserably resulting in many deaths from starvation.

When the natives were finally allowed to hunt and began a resurgence, they were again forced to move as THIS area was opened to homesteading.  In the late 1800's, a small town and post office were located here and during both World Wars, this area supplied spruce trees for airplanes.

It's a great place to stop, check out the tide pools and have a picnic ... but not yesterday because the wind was blowing like crazy and it was pretty cold.  

Early in World War II, a shelter built near the top of Cape Perpetua was used as an observation and radar station, looking for enemy submarines.  Foxholes and gun emplacements lined the shoreline and military personnel were housed in the local skating rink.  After the war, the Coast Guard discovered several Japanese mines had floated up on the beach, which they promptly destroyed.  I never thought of the Oregon coast as a war zone!!!

We have driven by the sign that says Log Church Museum several times, but never stopped, so we did a quick drive-by.  In the early 1900's this little church was built from local timbers, but soon the congregation outgrew the cross-shaped building.  

When the new church was finished, this one was purchased by the Historical Society on the condition it remain a museum.  It might be worth a stop since it is filled with local historical items.

We didn't go inside because it said closed, although the docent came out with the Open sign ... we were on a mission to get back to the rigs before getting any more wet than we already were!!

As we left the little church, this beautiful house got our attention because of the gardens.  Everywhere you go up here there are plants growing crazy!!  It sure makes you want to refurbish your yard when you get home!!

We got back just in time for the rain to stop as we made a reconnaissance trip to Wally World for rations.  I re-warped my loom .... I trashed the previous project once I learned the yarn/thread I was using wasn't going to work .... and should be able to start weaving today on a new project ... in the quiet ... when my neighbors leave!!!  

Patty made a great casserole last night ... I'm taking notes and hoping her cooking karma rubs off on me ... and I finally fell asleep to Def Leopard banging away next door.  As long as a troop of boy scouts don't move in, I'll be a happy camper for the rest of the week!!!

Shake The Dice And Roll Again!!

Sometimes your plans go awry .... like they did yesterday for us .... and you just have to shake the dice and roll again for a new destination.  Jurassic World has been on my radar since it opened at the movie theaters a couple weeks ago.  Since Oregon feels like a jungle most of the time, what better way to spend an afternoon than in Jurassic Park.

I previously checked the website for times, but I should have checked it again.  When we arrived at the theatre at 11:30 am and I ordered my popcorn, she threw a pair of 3D glasses on the table.  Wait ..... we don't want to see it in 3D!!!  Wouldn't you know, they switched the regular and 3D showings that morning.  Can you put that popcorn back??  Our show won't be on until 3:00 pm.   So what will we do for three hours??

The roll of the dice put Patty, Dan and I North in Depot Bay ... WITHOUT my camera!!  Well for heavens sake!!!  They say the best camera is the one you have with you ... which was my phone ... a poor substitute to say the least!!

This is taken from the bridge overlooking the harbor.  Patty and Dan want to take a boat trip from here out to the ocean to see if any whales are playing along the coast.  I get terribly seasick ... so I'm not sure if I'm up for that adventure!!  At any rate, going from this harbor under the bridge I'm standing on, would be pretty spectacular!!

If you look straight down, the guys are always filleting fish at this cleaning station for those that have braved the California waters on fishing boats.  Every once in a while they will drop a scrap or two to the seals waiting below, which the seagulls try to steal.  It's pretty entertaining to watch!!

A couple hours later, after lunch at the Chinook Winds Casino buffet, we headed back to Newport to the theatre.  Jurassic World was a GREAT movie ... but then I love shows like this!!  It had a different concept than the previous movies and wasn't quite as exciting as the last three, but man-o-man ... those dinosaurs sure do look real!!  The good guys lived, the bad guys got eaten, the heroine was a little overdone in her white skin-tight suit and spent the entire movie running for her life in high heels ... all totally believable!!!  I can't wait for the DVD to come out!!

Back at the mobile castle, I'm really glad to hear Nick and Terry finally have an internet connection helped along by a booster antenna they were able to set up.  I was feeling bad that I had a signal and they did not!  I also need to contact Terry to find the name of a big yarn store near Lincoln City!!!  I don't know how we came to be so dependent on our phones and the internet, but without them, I feel totally disconnected from the world.  

Time to shake the dice and roll again ... there's several picture opportunities along this section of the coast that I don't want to miss!!