. . . with Joe & Elaine as they travel the USA and the World.
Spent our last day in Oregon near Portland driving up to Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon side and back to Portland on the Washington side. Spent the night at the Courtyard Marriott at Portland Airport. We were home by noon on Tuesday.
Pictures of the Last Day
It was pouring down rain, but the show must go on. Big crowd at the 60th Annual Depoe Bay Salmon Bake. The smoke fired fish was delicious. Cole slaw was yummy. Neighborhood kids were selling home made desserts for $1 – we had a brownie and a marionberry muffin. Elaine bought a Salmon Bake tee shirt. Then we scurried home in the rain to dry off and warm up.
Cocktail hour goes on, rain or shine. We started indoors watching the ocean, then moved out to the balcony when the rain finally stopped. The seas were rough even though it was low tide.
Tomorrow, Sunday, will be our last day in Depoe Bay. We leave early Monday morning for a day near Portland along the Columbia River and a night at a Narriott near the Airport. We fly home Tuesday morning. No post on Monday morning. May do one Monday afternoon. Final post on safe arrival at home on Tuesday.
A few pictures from late on Thursday. After dinner at Bay View Thai, we stopped in to Gracie’s Sea Hag Bar in downtown Depoe Bay. It’s quite an eclectic place! Where else do you see a Stevie Wonder wanabe and an indoor fire pit? Then there were the two people sitting outside our condo watching for whales.
Friday was mostly cloudy with sun around noontime. We got up early and drove back to Yaquina Head Scenic Area to view the tide pools at low tide. There was a school group there, but there are plenty of tide pools at Cobble Beach. Cobble Beach is comprised totally of cobble stones, and they can be tough to walk on. We managed to stay upright and make it to the rocks with the tide pools. They are quite interesting as they contain what the sea leave behind after high tide. Yaquina Lighthouse looked quite different in the fog. We were home by 10:00 AM after a quick stop to in Newport to pick up some stuffed clams and scallops for tonight’s dinner.
For lunch we drove back into Newport – we sure know that route now. It was back to Local Ocean Seafoods to get another Grilled Octopus Salad – in a previous post I said it was grilled calamari, but it was octopus then too. It is sooooo good! Elaine had Ling Cod Fish and Chips. I had a grilled Ling Cod Sandwich. After lunch we walked the bay front, watched the sea lions again (no pictures this time- promise), and got Tillamook double scoop ice creams.
Dinner was at home as we begin the process of emptying the fridge in preparation for leaving on Monday morning.
We awoke Thursday to fog and clouds, but by 10:30 AM it had totally cleared. It’s just a short trip south to Yaquina Head Outstanding Scenic Area in Newport, and that’s what where we went for the day complete with picnic lunch. This area is administered by the Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management. They have a great interpretive center, but we’ve done that, so we just enjoyed the scenery. Pictures, of course, will tell the story. They also have tide pools where you can view sea life at low tide. We plan on coming back tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM when the tide is out.
There were a dozen of more whales frolicking close to the observation platforms, sort of like what we see daily on our balcony. We had a nice picnic and hung around watching the whales. Then it was home for a quiet afternoon of reading, napping, and cocktailing. The weather for cocktails was perfect. We didn’t need the polar fleece and blankets. Rather we were in shorts enjoying the sunshine.
For dinner we walked into town and ate at Bay View Thai Cuisine. The food was good. Then we walked home (it seems longer going back than it does walking into town).
Wednesday dawned with a heavy overcast – not promising. Optimistically we embarked on a day trip south to Yachats, an arty and touristy town about 90 minutes south. As we passed Newport and crossed the Yaquina Bay Bridge, it magically cleared. We had sun all the rest of the way until we again passed through Newport on the way back. You could always see the weather lurking just off the coast though.
We stopped at Seal Rock, the Alsea Bridge at Waldport, Devil’s Churn, Cape Perpetua, and Neptune Beach before stopping for lunch at the Drift Inn Cafe at Yachats. Then it was back to Depoe Bay as the clouds rolled in again.
Instead of 75 degree sunshine for cocktails, we sat bundled up in polar fleece and blankets for the whale show with wine and gimlets. Dinner was leftover chicken cacciatore.
Pictures are Better than Words (Click to Enlarge)
Not much time to write this morning. We hung around Depoe Bay all day including a return stop at Cape Foulweather, a stop at Boiler Bay, a visit to Fogarty Creek State Park including a picnic, a few shops in Depoe Bay and a Guinness at Odowney’s Irish Pub, and whale watching on the balcony. We walked to Tidal Raves for dinner. I’ll let the pictures tell the story. Regarding whales, they are everywhere! We see as many as ten at one time from the balcony. The state rangers have reported that there are over 230 in residence in the area, up from 125 last year, probably a result of warmer waters in California. They are hard to photograph because they pop up randomly for just a few seconds. But you see spouts everywhere.
On to the pictures (click to enlarge):
We awoke Monday morning to beautiful sunny skies that lasted all day long. Nothing big planned for the day. At 10:30 we hopped into the car and drove the 12 or so miles to Newport for a walk along the harbor and bayfront. On our walk we stopped at the Sea Lion Docks to watch the critters.
These are California sea lions. On our previous visits in late May/June, there may have one or two of them sunning themselves on the docks built specially for them. They leave in droves in May to go the California Channel Islands to breed. Then they return in August/September. Well, they are definitely back. And in great numbers. It seems there may be up to 1,500 sea lions in and around Newport Harbor. The numbers are up due to El Niño conditions that causes the waters around California to be warmer than usual.
After watching the sea lions, we walked up Bay Street to Local Oceans Seafoods. It is a combination fish market and restaurant, and it’s our favorite spot in Newport. Lunch was delicious and picture worthy. Elaine sipped Pinot Noir and I guzzled Dead Guy Ale (from the local Rogue Breweries). We split a grilled calamari salad that was simply to die for. Then I chose a special – a grilled rockfish sandwich with fries. Elaine had fish wraps. Mine was fabulous. Elaine enjoyed her lunch but envied mine.
So we love our condo and have stayed here twice before. My only complaint has been that the furniture on the balcony is not comfortable for a big guy like me. On our second trip here we brought our comfortable portable chairs with us on the road trip, mainly to use at picnic spots along the way. So I was able to bring one in and use it on the balcony. This time we flew. We couldn’t bring our chairs. So, thinking well in advance of my comfort, I ordered the same chair from Amazon and had it delivered to the condo in Depoe Bay on the day we arrived. Elaine (and some others) thought I was nuts. Anyway, the chair ($30 including shipping) was here when we got here. And I am comfortable with my cocktails on the deck. Brilliant! (I don’t love the chair color, but the choices for immediate delivery were limited.) Here’s a picture of the chair (inside where it rests for the night in case of rain). The chair will remain here for others to enjoy and maybe it will still be here on our next visit. I could take it home on the plane, but we already have two of them at home.
Dinner was cheese, crackers, and fruit. That’s all we needed after our delicious lunch. Of course, gimlets and pinot noir were also in evidence. It was all enjoyed on the balcony to a beautiful sunset. Here’s a video of what we watch every night as we sit on the balcony:
The plan for Sunday was a drive to Tillamook (about 90 minutes up the coast) for cheese buying and a Tillamook Dairies Ice Cream. We headed out about 9:15. Great views at a couple of spots (click on pictures to enlarge):
We got to Tillamook and first stop was at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. They make four kinds of delicious Brie here and we bought a small round of Pepper Brie and another of Herb Brie. We also bought two small jars of preserves – one marionberry, one huckleberry. Then it was off to the Cape Meares Lighthouse to enjoy our picnic sandwiches that Elaine made in the morning:
Then we drove back to visit the Tillamook Diary Factory. Well! The joint was packed! The huge parking lots were almost full, but we found a good space. In we went. To buy cheese the checkout lines were 50-60 people long. To get an ice cream the lines were over 100 people long. Not for me! No ice cream is worth a 30 miunute wait in line. So off we went heading back to Depoe Bay. It was a great ride in beautiful weather. We made a brief stop on the way home at the nearby Quick Mart where we bought a half gallon of Tillamook marionberry cheesecake ice cream — no lines.
After cocktails with crackers and brie on the balcony and watching the Patriot’s game, Elaine cooked dinner: scrumptious chicken cacciatore, salad, and delicious ice cream. There was one happy football fan (me) and one sad one (Elaine).
Tomorrow: the story of the chair and other exciting adventures. Come back!
Saturday was beautiful until the fog rolled in late afternoon. You could see it coming. The temperature can drop 20 degrees in 10 minutes. We still love it, fog or no fog.
We went to Safeway this morning and filled the larder. Then we had a nice lunch at Mo’s West. Mo’s is an Oregon coast landmark restaurant chain (famous for their chowder) with loads of branches. Mo’s West is at the Otter Crest State Scenic Overlook and is the smallest one. We both had a cup of chowder. Then Elaine had fish tacos; I had seafood saute filled with clams, scallops, shrimp, and oysters. For desert we shared a yummy marionberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Marionberries are Oregon blackberries.
Next door to Mo’s is the Flying Dutchman Winery tasting room and outlet. We bought six bottles of their Pinot Noir to fill the Geoghegan wine cellar to overflowing. We also stopped at the Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce to buy our tickets for next Saturday’s 60th Annual Depoe Bay Indian Salmon Bake.
Then it was a quiet afternoon and evening at home. We enjoyed cocktails outside on the balcony. Warm sunshine gave way to cool fog. The whales were active as usual. Elaine prepared a nice lamb pilaf dish for dinner. Tomorrow we head north for the day to Tillamook to stock up on cheese and eat ice cream.
Today’s pictures courtesy of Elaine’s new Canon camera (click pics to enlarge)
The flight from PHX to PDX was fine except for the late gate change that has go all the way from gate A25 to B6. Long walk! First class on AA was very nice with a decent lunch served. Picked up our silver Jeep Compass 4×4 – third rental in a row with a Jeep SUV. This one in named Jerry the Jeep. The traffic around and well outside of Portland was horrific. Everyone in Portland must be headed to the shore for the weekend. We stopped in McMinnville in the Willamette Valley for a wine tasting and bought six bottles of pinot noir. After McMinnville the traffic was OK. After a quick bit of essential shopping near Depoe Bay, we arrived at our usual condo, the Beacon. It is as beautiful as ever.
Weather is perfect. Cool but very comfortable in the sun. The whales are here! We watched three or four cavort just of the shore for an a hour or so as we sipped (gulped?) cocktails. Dinner was at Tidal Raves. Elaine had delicious red curry BBQ shrimp and I had the albacore tuna special. Naturally there was a bottle of wine – Monk’s Head Oregon Pinot Noir. The sunset outside was beautiful.
After dinner we went back to the condo and went to bed, tired but happy. The weather forecast is unbelievably good. Hope they are right (for a change).
