Leaving Winchester Bay this morning we are going to inch our way up Rte 101N a short way to Depoe Bay. The wind was so strong we debated as to whether we should leave or not... but in the next half hour it calmed down a little. We rolled up the coast highway saying goodbye to the communities we enjoyed over the last few days. There are over 100 state parks along the coast and they are really beautiful. Many allow camping and all of them have terrific day use facilities.
Crossing over the Suislaw River the road skirts the coastline, hugging the beaches, and then climbing up cliffs to look out over rolling breakers and then winding down again. The angry ocean today is full of white caps as far as we can see. We meander through Yachats known as the "gem of the Oregon coast" with 635 villagers located at the mouth of the Yachats River. This is a vacation destination, perfect for those who enjoy quirky art festivals and music festivals throughout the summer.
Next was the community of Waldport huddled between the ocean and the Siuslaw National Forest. A very quaint little place with lots of brightly painted buildings. (They love bright yellow here...) We stopped for gas and learned that in Oregon it's a state law that the attendant has to pump your gas. Felt like we were back in the "old" days.... Our friend at the gas station told us we could get 80 mph winds later today! Looks like we are going to be able to experience a real "northwester".
A few minutes in the car brought us to Depoe Bay where we found the Sea and Sand RV Park which sits up on a bluff. There are 3 tiers of RV sites and we have a perfect view of the ocean. We got set up, but didn't put the slides out tonight... the wind is really rocking us and the gusts feel longer than 40 mph. Once settled we walked along the RV Park walkway along the bluff.
After a while we left camp and stopped to watch the waves throw water onto Main Street in Depoe Bay. There are lots of people parked along the sea wall watching the water come over the wall. With this storm and the high tide the waves are awesome, atleast 10 feet.
Further south on Rte 101 is the town of Newport and home of the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It's a fun place. As we arrived they were feeding the Sea Otters (which are huge) some very large clams, then we moved on to see the seals and Octopus. They had a great exhibit about the creatures that live in the sand and rocks. We got to touch a red Sea Star and green Anemone (sticky on the side) and you can hardly feel their tentacles. We learned a lot about the tide pools they live in. We walked through an aquarium as many different types of sharks swam over our heads and beside us as we sat along the glass. It was great. Other aquariums held sea life we had never seen before like Sea Nettles and white Jelly Fish. The aquarium was a lot of fun. After our visit we'll be much more prepared to explore tidal pools.
We had hale again on the way home. The sky is a strange looking dark gray with sunshine holes and patches of blue sky. It's beautiful, but ominous looking. We had another great day.....
Pictures: Depoe Bay RV Site, Sea Wall on Main St, Sea Otter floating on his back having dinner, Puffin, Sea Nettles, Green Anemone & Sea Stars
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