Actually, these two places are in opposite directions from South Beach State Park, but I had to get out today anyway and dump my tanks, so I figured it would be a good day to visit each of these.
Yachats is 24 miles south and was recommended by a friend of mine who used to live near here. Instead of the flat, wide beaches I have been seeing, the beaches are rocky in this area, with birds and sea lions.
Sunday was probably not the best day to visit such a small town with limited parking for big vehicles, but I finally was able to find a spot and headed up towards the farm market. I could not resist taking a photo of this yard!
This photo is looking back at the beach area, just north of the "downtown."
More rocks and logs, plus a lot of birds.
The Yaquina Head Lighthouse is just south of Newport and about 10 miles north of the state park. It is on a long and high peninsula that juts out into the Pacific. It is a national park, so free for us seniors. There is a nice visitor center, as well, which is not pictured here.
There are tours of the lighthouse, but you have to pick up a free pass at the visitor center, which I did. Only problem was the hoards of flies swarming around--lots of swatting but luckily they did not seem to be biting. I really have seen very few flying insects around Oregon, so it was a surprise.
The lighthouse is the tallest in Oregon and was built in 1873. Lens is a first-order Fresnel.
A first-order Fresnel lens is 6' in diameter. There are some rare ones slightly larger, but even the biggest lighthouses in the U.S. such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse have only the first-order lens. (The smallest are called "sixth order.")
I skipped the dump site on my way out this morning because of the long lines, but this is what I found when I got back at the state park at 4:00 p.m. Lots of people checking in and blocking the entrance to the dump site. The rangers were going down the line looking for people who already had reservations so they could expedite their check-in. It took only about 5 minutes for the line to move so I could drive into the area where I could empty my tanks. I can go about four days without dumping my "grey" water, which is the water that results from dishwashing and showers. I was at my limit, so it was worth the wait. Ridiculous that this state park has only ONE sewer dump place for about 200 campsites!
Almost all parks have a registration line and a bypass lane, so after dumping, I was able to zip past the line and park again in my spot. Got a couple more days here before heading to my next spot in Bend, Oregon.
Went for another long bike ride today, and since I had remembered by cable lock, I could visit the two attractions nearby. (Now, if I could always remember my helmet, I would be happy.)
The Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center is owned by Oregon State University and is free. It is well worth an hour or two stop.
Several touch-pools for kids and adults who are brave enough to touch spiky and slimy things.
Very nice displays with lots of things for kids to do.
I thought this walrus skull was impressive.
And this Orca skull.
The aquarium is right around the corner, but was very disappointing especially since it cost almost $20 per person. If you have seen Monterey Bay Aquarium or the one in Baltimore, skip this one. Only interesting thing was the puffins I videotaped, below.
This is the aquatic bird exhibit.
The puffins were really acting silly--diving and flapping and running back and forth on top of the water.
Click on the link to the video I posted on YouTube that shows this much better than a still photo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6cXaWEBG4 (Hope this link works.)
There were some seals and sea otters outside, but I couldn't get close enough to see them. These are some turkey vultures that someone found. They really don't belong in an aquarium, but they needed a home.
Nice state park, and even nicer beach! Actually, I have not seen a bad beach anywhere in Oregon. Overall, sand is soft underfoot where dry and hard where it is wet, so as to be easy to walk on. Very few shells to collect, however.
This was yesterday's long walk to the beach. The first part was paved, but I had to walk on the soft sand for quite a while. I wore my beach sandals, but they kept falling off. Need to get better beach shoes that will stay on. This photo was taken at the beach looking back at the tree line where the paved path ended. Map said it was 1/3 of a mile. It lied.
It seems that all the beaches in Oregon are very flat, so even at mid-tide, there is a lot of sand that is slightly covered with water. Easy to walk on, however.
Finally made it to the handicap beach access which was paved the entire distance. Rough climbing up the dune, however.
This photo is looking north to the jetty that forms the south side of the Newport harbor entrance. Can't walk out on the jetty because it is formed by huge rocks at various angles.
Ah, a paved trail back to the campground. This part was supposed to be only 1/4 mile long.
Apparently, because of the jetty trapping sand, the beach has moved out over the past 100 years. They had markings back to 1899, but were too worn to be photographed.
Today, I got my bike out and rode to the post office and then to the bridge over the harbor. There is an aquarium I was going to stop at, but had forgotten my bike lock, so I took the road to the jetty and then followed the bike trail through the state park to my campsite.
All over this coast, you will find tsunami signs and traffic signs showing the fastest way to high ground. Makes you certainly think.
Tomorrow, I am going to tackle this bridge on my bike. At least I think I am. It looks like a very long bridge and has a really narrow bike trail. I noticed a button to push at the end and a traffic sign saying that bikes were on the bridge if lights were flashing. Will need to think about this.
There are two lighthouses in Newport, across the bridge. One is new and one is old. I am guessing this is the older one.
Way in the distance, you can see the other lighthouse. That rock wall is the jetty on the other side of the harbor opening.
I took the jetty bike trail back to the campground. No soft sand, thankfully.
Today, I went for a drive to the cheese factory and then to the nearby lighthouse. You can see these three rocks from the campground, but it was a very pleasant drive along the beach.
Maybe I could live here? This is Oceanside, Oregon, a very pretty place.
Good motorhome parking at the Cape Meares state park by the lighthouse. Now if only cars would not park in the RV spaces.... Grrrr!
Nice entrance sign for the lighthouse.
I have visited a lot of lighthouses on both coasts of the U.S. and this is the strangest one because you walk downhill to get to it.
If I had longer arms, I could have touched the top of the lighthouse from the path.
It's a very short lighthouse because it is on a tall cliff. The lens is a First Order Fresnel, which is the largest they come. I learned that the order is measured by how wide the lens is in diameter--6' in this case. The biggest lens I have seen, and I think the biggest in existence, is the Cape Canaveral lens, in the museum just south of Daytona Beach, and possibly the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, which at 270' is the tallest in the U.S. (Can't remember the name of the lighthouse museum, but will look it up.)
No matter. This short light can be seen 30 miles out to sea!
Another beautiful view of the coast, looking northward.
