EDIT: I forgot to mention below, the whales are back again. Saw a bunch yesterday.
Saturday, 10/39
We woke to a clear morning. It was a busy Saturday. Few words, lots of pictures.
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A Walk About Depoe Bay
Then we went to the Farmer’s Market in Newport. Got lots of fresh vegetables. Made a brief stop at Nye Beach in Newport
Nye Beach
On the way back to Depoe Bay we stopped at some of our favorite overlooks.
Otter Creek Bridge Overlook
Cape Foulweather Overlook
Devil’s Punchbowl Overlook
Beverly Beach Overlook
Lunch was at home. Some young Indian couples were enjoying the rocks in front and taking pictures. I snapped a few from the balcony.
Then we were off to two more favorite spots, me in my official Mac Jones Patriot game jersey.
Fisherman’s Rock State Park
Fogarty Creek State Park
The creek was more like a river this time from all the recent rain.
Then it was home for a nap and relaxing on the balcony. Cocktails as usual. Another great sunset. I didn’t take more pictures. Just refer to yesterday. Dinner was homemade pizza.
Not today, it doesn’t. Clouds. Rain. Fog. We never left the condo. Well, Elaine got her walk in. I go a bit later. I got half a walk in before it started raining and I returned home. The car never moved today. We binge watched The Sinners on Netflix. And we watched the once undefeated Cardinals blow the chance for a great last second win against the Packers. Cocktails inside and leftover chili for dinner.
Friday, 10/29
Cloudy but clearing when we got up. At last, the sun was returning to Oregon. Elaine took her usual walk into town. I walked out to Center Point, snapping pictures as I went.
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No whale sightings yet, by the way. Very unusual. Lots of seals and/or sea lion in the water in front of our balcony. And we see the eagle almost every day. Yesterday we saw him with his dinner in his talons. According to the building superintendent, the eagles are nesting in the wood just across Route 101 from our condo. Apparently they prey mostly on rabbits.
We spent almost the entire day enjoying the sunshine on the balcony. The temperatures here are in the upper 50’s, but in the afternoon, with sun shining on the ocean and the balcony protected from the wind, it is very pleasant and it feels like 70 or 75. I sit out in just a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Cocktails were, of course, on the balcony and we had a beautiful sunset. Today the sun set at 6:01 pm.
Dinner was a delicious chicken and broccoli dish made by Chef Elaine. Then early to bed.
Not much to report. The camera never left its case, but I did snap two pics with my phone. It was cloudy but dry in the morning. It doesn’t start to get light here until 7:30-ish. At least we could both take our separate walks into town and back.
Downtown Depoe Bay at 8:00 AM
Depoe Bay Harbor at 8:00 am – World’s Smallest Harbor
We made a Walmart run late morning for a couple of items. Then we stayed in watching tv, watching the ocean, reading, napping, etc. We were able to sit outside for cocktails.
Dinner was takeout from Tidal Raves. For an appetizer, we split an order of Seahawk Bread (a baguette with smoked salmon, cream cheese, havarti, shrimp, red onion). Elaine had Herb Crusted Pacific Rockfish with a smoked salmon potato cake and a shrimp-caper cream sauce. I had Cioppino – Italian fish stew with clams, wild shrimp, crab, and fin fish in a tomato-herb broth. No restaurant dessert, but we have an ample supply of Tillamook ice cream in the freezer.
I did hook up my Amazon fire stick and we watched a new (for us) Netflix series recommended by my friend Bob – The Sinners. We watched season one, episodes one and two (of eight).
Quiet rainy Tuesday. The seas are starting to return to normal. By tomorrow maybe we will start to see some fishing boats go out. The harbor has been completely closed by the Coast Guard.
We drove into Newport (12 miles) for lunch at Local Oceans. Local Oceans and Tidal Raves (in Depoe Bay just a walk away from the condo) are my two favorite seafood restaurants in the USA. A description of lunch will provide the basis for today’s commentary and pictures. (We didn’t do anything else of any note.)
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Appetizers
Elaine skipped the appetizer course and sipped on an autumnal red sangria. I indulged in six oysters on the half shell. Three Yaquina Bay oysters, from just six miles down the road, and three Wallapi Soleil oysters from Washington state. Scrumptious. Accompanied by a Yaquina Brewery pale ale.
Elaine’s Main: Skewered Black Cod Salad
Skewered black cod in a salad with avocado, pepitas, roasted acorn squash, kale, purple onion, and cojita cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette. Accompanied by a glass of Adelsheim 2019 pinot noir.
Joe’s Main: Rockfish Italiano Sandwich with Fries.
I love this sandwich! I get it almost every time we come here. Panko-crusted rockfish, pepperoni, salami, pepperoncini, mozzarella, red pepper coulis on a hoagie with French fries. And a refill on my pale ale.
Needless to say, no dinner Tuesday night, just cocktails (inside watching the rain and the ocean slowly returning to a sense of normalcy).
I forget to include pics of me tending my fire in Trinidad. That’s me in my Guinness Toucan hockey jersey!
Sunday
We stopped in Newport on Sunday to kill an hour since we couldn’t get into the condo until 4 pm. While there we visited some old friends.
Monday, October 25
Sunday’s 60 mph winds had pretty much passed by Monday morning. But Monday was essentially a rain day. There were periods of dry and periods of driving rain. The seas were enormous. As you looked out, it was like one big white cap. We had breakfast at Gracie’s Sea Hag in Depoe Bay, across from the ocean. Mushroom omelet and hash browns for Elaine; Fried oysters, eggs, and hash browns for me (with the obligatory side of bacon). As we left Gracie’s, there was a brief lull in the rain so I snapped a couple of pics (using my phone, not my camera).
So, back home, it rained. As cocktail time approached, God saw fit to let the sun show through for a bit, so we, bundled up, had cocktails on the balcony. (Yup, our green folding chairs were still in the condo closet.) The sun stayed out for quite a bit. The seas were fierce. We hear this weather system is headed east eventually toward New England, so you all may get a taste of it. And, lo and behold, we had an eagle (or eaglet) land on the rocks right in front of us. Alas, no pictures to prove it, but it happened!
Dinner was homemade chili and Dave’s famous cornbread. Elaine made a big batch, so we’ll be having it again. More rain tomorrow, I fear. Back then or the next day. Forecast for later in the week looks better.
I said no post today, but just a quick update. We expected horrible weather on the drive. It didn’t happen. We had only light rain when it rained except for one five minute squall. It was windy but not windy enough to affect driving. In Depoe Bay the sun was actually out when we arrived, but it was very windy (50-60 mph). You couldn’t sit on the balcony because the wind blew salty spray from the rough seas onto the balcony. First time we ever saw that. Late at night we got driving rain. The winds died down substantially by morning. It’s 7:00 am Monday now. More tomorrow.
It was raining gently when we got up. We ended up doing basically nothing today. We drove into McKinleyville (15 miles) to go to Safeway for something or other. We had an early lunch back at the Eatery. We both had delicious clam chowder (chock full of clams). Elaine had a fish sandwich; I had fish and chips. Both were OK but not memorable. I did enjoy two Steelhead Pale Ales. The ales did me in. After a no nap Friday, I settled in for two-hour midday nap. Elaine read.
No pictures today. Live with it.
Thanks to everybody for all the comments. We read them, each and every one, and appreciate them all.
We were originally bummed when the hotel in Bakersfield and the lodge at Bodega Bay didn’t have FS1 in their cable lineup. In Trinidad we have no cable; in fact, there is no TV here. So we missed watching all three disappointing losses. Wait ’til next year! (Thanks, Fred, for letting me know I could have watched them on my computer using the Fox Sports app and logging in with my Cox account – that will hopefully come in handy some day.)
Sunday is a drive day from Trinidad to Depoe Bay. No post. Be back with a post on Monday.
It rained during the night, but when we got up at 6:30 am or so, the rain seemed to have stopped. I had my yogurt and Irish breakfast tea, and, lo and behold, is that a small patch of blue sky? We decided to quickly head to Trinidad center and Trinidad State Beach for some pictures before the rains came. We saw the Trinidad Pier, the small historical Trinidad Light, and Trinidad State Beach. The lighthouse was once fully functional but replaced many years ago by a modern one. The ground the lighthouse was on was fast eroding, so the town took it upon itself to move the light from the harbor area to downtown. Now it has been repositioned in roughly it’s original location. Frankly, it’s disappointingly small, but it has history. Pictures of the morning follow.
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We returned home, expecting the rains to come. They didn’t. Rather the sky cleared! Do weathermen actually get paid? Some pics taken today from around the house.
Anyway, we had lunch (chicken noodle soup and bread) and then headed out to Patrick’s Point State Park which has been rechristened Sue-Meg State Park in honor of the Yurok People who have used this land since time immemorial. It sits on a lushly forested promontory beside the Pacific Ocean with breathtaking overlooks. We drove though the park and visited three of the best overlooks and then stopped at Sumêg Village, a recreation of an actual Sue-Meg village from the past. The paths to the overlooks are steep dirt trails with lots of steps, some of them quite high. Tough going. I missed one step climbing back up one trail and went down in a heap. Elaine freaked, but I was fine other than a bruised ego. The little round hole in the building in Sumêg village is just big enough for people to get in and out, but not big enough for the bears in the area to get in. (We didn’t see any bears,)
Mussel Rocks, Wedding Rock, & Patrick’s Point
Sumeg Village
It was nice enough to have cocktails and cheese and crackers outside. The clouds rolled back in as we finished up. Then we had a nice fire in the wood stove you saw in the pictures above. Dinner was leftover Costco meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Early to bed. One more full day here. Forecast: rain, of course. We leave Sunday morning for Depoe Bay.
As a bonus, here is a short video of the raging Pacific:
Early to bed last night, up early this morning. First thing, check the weather. No rain. Here is the full moon at 6:20 AM from our front window:
As we had breakfast, the sun rose and the weather looked good. But the meteorologists insisted rain was coming. Since it was still rain free, we decided to do something. It’s redwood country so at 9:00 am we headed for Redwood National Park which is actually five or six different redwood areas spread across sixty miles along the 101 in northern California.
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It’s only twenty miles to the section we decided to visit. The visitor center is located right on US 101 at a beautiful (but treacherous) beach. Not a redwood in sight there.
Then it was on to the Redwood Forest. Because 60 mph winds three days ago brought many branches down, the scenic drive through the redwoods was closed. But the trails were open. We chose a three mile hike that took us to the “Big Tree”. It was a wonderful walk. Redwoods are amazing. Pictures tell the story. (No, that’s not a prehistoric monster in the photos, just a hunk of dead redwood.) Did you know that redwoods get 50% of their moisture from fog? We didn’t either, but it’s a fact.
Then we headed back to Trinidad for lunch at the Trinidad Bay Eatery. Good food! We split an appetizer – French fries covered in melted parmesan cheese and blanketed with fresh crab meet. OMG good. Elaine had mussels and fries as her main; I indulged in the gigantic Pandemic Black and Blue Burger with bacon and a side of onion rings. We had absolutely no room for their signature blackberry cobbler.
As we ate, the rain started. Major rain. Sideways pelting rain. We stopped at the local Murphy’s grocery store for a couple of items and then went home to hunker down. Our cocktails were indoors in the living room as we watched the rain coming down in buckets. No dinner required. Still full from lunch.
Early to bed with prayers for at least some rain free hours tomorrow.
So, Wednesday involved a five-hour drive north on US 101 through clouds, mist, light rain, and periodic fog. Not much traffic. The 101 here is known as the Redwood Highway, and one sees lots of redwoods, some very close to the road. Some are actually on the road on the backs of logging trucks. We stopped in Eureka, CA to visit Costco and pick up some wine and other essentials and to fill up with gas – $4.79 per gallon for premium, about 40¢ cheaper than at other stations in the area. While at Costco we had lunch.
We also stopped in McKinleyville, which is, as you probably don’t know, the home of the world’s tallest totem pole. At least they say it is the tallest. It’s surprisingly uninspiring as you can see in the photo down below. The Safeway we visited was equally uninspiring but it had the groceries we needed to buy.Â
When we arrived in Trinidad, it had stopped raining. The cottage is very nice – clean as a whistle and practically on the cliff overlooking the Pacific. The skies actually cleared for a bit and it was nice enough to have cocktails outside. The ensuing sunset was beautiful. We engrained it in our memory because the forecast looks worse and worse. The ten-day forecast shows nothing but rain. Good for California and the fires and the drought but bad for us tourists. By the way, through the entire drive from Scottsdale to Bakersfield to Bodega Bay to Eureka to Trinidad, we saw absolutely no sign of fire.
Back again tomorrow. Pictures follow.
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The Totem Pole in McKinleyville and the Coast from Downtown Trinidad
