Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Oregon Coast

Meandering south along 101.  Miles of rugged shorelines -- cliffs, coves, rock stacks, sandy beaches.  Acres of moss laden trees clinging to cliffs.  Everything green and moist.  Mostly gray and overcast skies but occasionally a snippet of brilliant blue.

We say farewell to Lewis & Clark at Ft Clatsop near Astoria.  Our trail this year overlapped the Corps of Discovery since the Missouri River outside of St. Louis; to Ft Mandan in North Dakota; the Bitterroot Mountains, Lolo Pass, and the Columbia River.   While it was an amazing expedition -- they were successful because of luck, good will from people of color, and a young Indian gal.

And...we somehow manage to have our trip coincide with the ocean lovers dream:   ocean front camping & a full moon (think huge tides) & long period swells from that mega storm in Japan.  What that means is SURF, ROUGH WATER, and SNEAKER WAVES.  We were seeing 8+ tides.

We camped at the beach...but at high tide, oops, no beach.  The Coast Guard and Park Rangers were plucking hapless folks from isolated rock points.  We scrambled further up the dune from those sneaker waves.  We watched a wedding party crowded up under the high cliff & that bride's dress looked a bit sandy at the hem!  Waves crashed over the sea walls in small towns.  It was mesmerizing & loud & stunningly beautiful.  And...just beyond the surf line...there were the gray whales:  blowing, rolling, diving.


Ft Clatsop -- winter on the Oregon Coast for Lewis & Clark

Peaking through the glass floor of an Astoria brew pub -- friendly seals

Hiking out Cape Falcon.  See the surfers?



Cape Lookout view towards the spit -- we are camped behind the spit.  


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