Friday, June 30, 2023
California ➡️ Oregon ➡️ Washington
Today was an early morning departure because the boys wanted to ride the dunes and this day we had a bit of space and so we tucked in our day. This morning drive was spent driving Rt 101 along the Oregon coast. Right at first the coast was very foggy and you really couldn't see much of the ocean. The morning was spent in Florence, Oregon with our first stop at the Sea Lion cave. It is America's largest cave that houses sea lions. The cave was 2 acres, 12 stories high.
From California to Oregon
Oregon's foggy ocean's coast
As we'd go inland, which the route often took us in, it would clear up.
Lupines
Update - oh no! they are not! They are foxgloves.
And once I got over that they weren't lupines (as we flew by they looked like it) I enjoyed them for the flower they are.
Pictures of things we saw in a day...
PILES of sawdust
and green bridges
with fascinating structure of steel
sand dunes
of other wooden supported bridges
and land and sky and 'sea'
Sea Lion Caves --- Sea lions and also a habitat of several species of particular birds.
down we go... 180'
There was a lookout that if the sky was clear you could see the Haceta Lighthouse. Today was not a clear day. I prayed for a break in the skies but it stayed foggy. The birds and waves were fascinating to watch, though. The one with a fish in its beak would go under the lookout and feed it's little ones.
no sight of the lighthouse
then back to the top!
Our next stop was only about 4 minutes away, the Haceta Lighthouse. It's a working lighthouse and it shines its light 24/7, 365 days a year, guiding sailors and telling them where they are. Each lighthouse has a certain strobe and that will indicate to the sailors where they are.
I thought of Jesus. He is our lighthouse, a light that indicates where we are. We are also like a lighthouse, needing to house the light of Jesus that shines, sending out His strobes of light.
There was a trail that went up behind the lighthouse and you could see right into the light area.
It was quite fascinating.
We stopped at a pulloff just passed the lighthouse and had a neat view of it.
This is where I discovered these flowers aren't lupines... 🥺😄🤷♀️
Then on to Thor's Well, as quick as we can, which was our next stop being about 15 min on from the lighthouse. We were running out of time before our time slot for the dune riding, but we really wanted to see this since we were so close. It's in a series of tide pools, with a tunnel of water coming in and is waters are deep so they're not sure how the waters go out of it. But every little bit the wave comes in and sends up quite a spray. All ended just fine in spite of the tight squeeze.
Thor's Well
It was something they enjoyed but my heart stalled and I gasped as we flew up and down. It was very windy which wasn't so nice because of all the blowing sand and it was cold! It was also quite steep at places and I had a hard time relaxing for fear of catapaulting over the edge. We didn't. They stayed fairly calm but I was so grateful we made it back safely!!
Filling out all the paperwork, reading safety checks, and watching a film all in preparing us to ride the dunes.
Oh my! stuck again!
(I am grateful for all the pictures that I managed to squeeze in as I held on tightly! 🙈)
And then, just like that, we turn eastward, heading to our campground in Kelso, Washington.
We leave the west coast.
Mt. Hood, snow capped and a ski slope
The lights of Portland, Oregon
Through Oregon and into Washington
Dark arrival after a day full of good things and sights. Levi's were minutes from our stay but we got in too late to get together around a campfire.
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