August 30-31: Newport to Winchester Bay, OR
Trip Start
May 31, 2010
1
66
82
Trip End
Ongoing
Winchester Bay, Oregon
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Drove from Newport to Winchester Bay, OR
Seal Rocks: The sunshine made the ocean so blue; great for pictures. This looks like a different place at low tide.
Went a few more miles into more rain and fog; rained all the rest of the day.
The RV park is right on the bay; our site faces the marina. There were several seals swimming around right in front of us. At night the lights across the harbor are reflected in the water—beautiful.
8-31: SIGHTSEEING from HECTA HEAD south to WINCHESTER BAY on Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.
Heceta Head Lighthouse constructed in 1894. Nice half-mile trail along the edge of the cliff. Excellent tour by a volunteer; explained items used by the lighthouse keeper. Interesting seeing the revolving Fresnel-lens Lantern. Great views of ocean; lots of birds.
Great place for picture is the Viewpoint a little past the lighthouse; could even see the lantern light as it revolved.
Darlingtonia Wayside botanical preserve for the cobra-like plant, Darlingtonia Californica. Short walkway to the bog; very interesting information board about the carnivorous plant.
FLORENCE:
--Old Town is right on the Siuslaw River; great boardwalk and nice shops, restaurants, and galleries. Great views of the river and the decorative Siuslaw River Bridge from Old Town Park.
--Firehouse Restaurant is now one of our favorites—crab encrusted halibut, garlic fries, deluxe chowder full of crab and shrimp then baked with cheese on top. Sooooo Good!!
--South Jetty Road: Drove along the dunes that are covered with sea grass. A couple people were crabbing off the pier near the jetty; no one caught any while we were there.
Oregon Dunes Day Use Area: Great boardwalk overlooks of the dunes and ocean.
Tahkenitch Lake: Fantastic view from Five-Mile Road. Quite a few nice lakes in this area.
REEDSPORT:
--Umpqua River boardwalk—great views.
When we saw the northern part of this river, it was narrow with lots of rapids; interesting to see how wide it is when it empties into the ocean.
--Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area headquarters: Hiking trail maps and information about the dunes.
Comments
When we were younger, my parents took my brother and I on an RV trip across the country. A lot of these views are so similar, it takes me back! I love the small town/backbone of America feel. Great images!
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