We stopped off at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. This is usually a prime place to see migratory whales in the summer and winter. There were loads of information stations around telling you about the different whales they can be seen and how to spot them. Unfortunately it was the wrong time of year for us so we didn't see any whales but we did take in some lovely views.
We continued along the 101 until our next stop at the Sea Lion Caves. Entrance was $14 each so not cheap but as well as being a tourist attraction, it is also an animal sanctuary, we didn't mind paying our money as much knowing it was going towards a good cause. The cave is America's largest sea cave and to reach it, you have to go down 208 feet in a elevator. Once at the bottom, you are literally in the cave with only a few metal wires between you and the animals in the cave. It is cold and it is smelly but it is such a unique experience to see the sea birds and sea lions relaxing, playing and sleeping in a cave inside the cliff, you soon forget about the discomfort.
We spent about an hour in the Sea Lion Caves watching the animals, reading the exhibits including the bones of a big old Sea Lion who had crawled all the way into the back of the cave to die and taking in the views before hitting the road again.
For our next stop, I was desperately trying to find a place called Thors Well which I had read about online. We couldn't see any signs for Thors Well as we drove along so as soon as we got to the marker on Google Maps where it was supposed to be, we pulled over to take a look. We had stopped in Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. From the car park, we walked down the path that took us to the shoreline and then hopped onto the rocks for a closer look. From the car park, we could see loads of people on the rocks and commented just how dangerous it looked but once we got to the rocks ourselves, we realised that it wasn't that dangerous if you were sensible and stayed away from the waves and watched where you stepped.
Thors Well is a bowl-shaped hole in the rocks on the shoreline, it was probably a sea cave before the roof collapsed. It is supposed to be most spectacular during a storm where the waves crash over it and water seems to disappear down into it. We were not there during a storm but it was cool to see the hole filling up and emptying.
By this point, we were hungry and a little chilly so we did a quick search for somewhere close by that did good clam chowder, in a bread bowl (the only way to eat clam chowder!). We found a place called Salty Dawg in Waldport which was just a little further down the 101 so we headed there. We arrived and started to worry that maybe we had come to the wrong place. From the outside, it looked like a social club in a shack, inside was a little more welcoming but the best part was the clam chowder which tasted so good and came with cheese on top and other seafood (prawns and crab) as a surprise in the bowl.
So full that we could barely walk, we headed back on the road to our destination for the night, Newport.
Newport is a seaside / port town with a big fishing industry. We stayed in the Hallmark Hotel where all the rooms have balconies overlooking the beach. The hotel was located near Nye Beach but also within walking distance of the Historic Bayside.
We liked the little touches offered by this hotel - locally produced taffy at reception when you check in, free tea, coffee, hot chocolate and hot apple cider (non alcoholic) all day and the rooms had fridges, microwaves and a bag of pop corn for you to pop yourself.
We headed out to Nye beach which was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. It reminded me of my home town of Hastings. There were quirky sea themed houses, cute little nic-nak shops, fish and chips bars and of course, the beach. Unlike Hastings it was a sand beach and in better weather, would have been lovely to chill out on. Instead we went to an Irish themed bar for a spiked coffee and a beer.
We then walked to the Historic Bayside which was about a 15 minute walk on the other-side of town. Along the way, we came across a local brewery that Lee had to try out. The beer was good but the best bit was watching the tractor competition on the TV. Pumped up, modified tractors with sexy names were in a competition to see who could pull a weight the longest distance. The weight seemed to move down the trailer the further the tractor went making it more difficult. Who knew such a sport could be so entertaining. It was mesmerising watching them and we both agreed not to leave the bar until there was a winner.
We reached the Historic Bayside which on the side of the road closest to the water, had fish factories and on the other-side, bars, restaurants and tourist shops. We watched a couple of guys crabbing off one of the piers, they didn't catch anything but we did see a couple of seals (who may have stolen their crabs) and some jelly fish.
We decided to have dinner in one of the locals bars where we sat at the bar and met a local couple who had moved to Newport from California (for the weather!!), a guy from Portland visiting Newport for business and Joe and Siobhan, fellow travelers. We really enjoy sitting at the bars in the US as you get to meet so many fantastic people and learn so much, its much better than sitting on a table on your own.
We headed back to our hotel where we enjoyed a night cap in the bar before heading back to our room to enjoy our comfy bed and sea view.
We had researched the weather before our trip to help us with packing, Lee even had print outs of the temperature chart across all the states for each month. We knew it was going to be cold in Yellowstone and we expected to need warmer clothes once we reached Maine at the end of September but we didn't expect to see such cold weather on the Oregon coast. The temperature in Newport was 55F / 12C and the constant thick fog made the air feel damp and cool. We had to dig out the colder weather clothes from storage (i.e. the bottom suitcase in the boot of the car) and had taken to wearing long trousers, unheard of so far on our trip. We both really hoped that the coast was a blip and we would get some warmer weather soon!
I really liked the look of the Lighthouse state park and the coast line looked like a good place to explore. The mist made it look a bit spooky/eerie though and the soundtrack was a perfect accompaniment.
ReplyDeleteThe Sea Lion cave must have a been a great experience, the pics and footage don't do it justice, I am sure. They do give you a real sense of what it was like though and just seeing a bunch of Sea Lions snoozing, laid out on the rocks looked a bit funny, the way they were draped around.
Some fab pics on the way out to the Cape, I loved the one of the road bridge. Hehe, saw Sam flinch slightly with the 1st time-lapse/burst pics whilst Lee stayed still :-) Sam was better on the second sequence though! The Hole was cool, I loved the slo-mo close up of it filling and emptying.
Waldport looked quaint and the chowder did look good 0 no wonder it was filling it looked like it had a thick layer of melted cheese on top!!
Newport did look like a typical seaside town and the view from your room was great. Tractor racing did look fun and sure the beer helped make it even better.
I am pretty sure I worked out who was who in your bar photo, from Sam round it is businessman, couple from cali and couple travelling.
It did look from the whole vid that the temp was much cooler from previous days!