A Quiet Saturday

We woke on Saturday to mostly cloudy skies, but the Weather Channel was optimistic for at least some sunshine. Lo and behold, they were right because by late morning the clouds were gone. Another beautiful sunny day. Elaine and I took separate walks before showering and getting ready.

Crisis #2 of the trip raised its head last night when I realized that I didn’t have the Virgin Atlantic confirmation number for our late August flight to London. I need it because seat assignments open up on June 25^th, and we like certain seats. So I called our friends Janet and Michael (they have our house key for emergency purposes) who promised to go to the house and call me at 8 AM Saturday morning. They called right on schedule and I walked them to the file for my Europe trip. Voila! I had the confirmation number.  Thanks, Janet & Michael.

It was a low key day. In the morning we drove to Newport where we planned to walk around the Bayfront region and then have lunch. Newport is our preferred “big” city, about ten miles south on Oregon’s scenic Highway 101. It has a Walmart and most of the other stores you might need. And there is lots to do here (Aquarium, Rogue Brewery, historic beach districts, Yaquina scenic area, etc.).  Newport is also the home of the Yaquina Bay Bridge which dominates the skyline.

REMEMBER AS ALWAYS TO CLICK ON PICS FOR A LARGER VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW!

The Bayfront is about a one mile strip of Bay Boulevard that unsurprisingly is right on Newport Harbor. Fishing is still a major injury here, and you can watch the boats going out and coming in. Right in the middle of the Bayfront is a huge fish processing center where fish are prepared for shipment far and wide. But the majority of the strip is populated by touristy shops of all descriptions and lots of restaurants with great views. There are also three “attractions” grouped together: Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum, the Undersea Gardens, and the Wax Museum. We have always given them a miss as they almost universally reviewed as expensive rip-offs.

We arrived at the top of Bay Boulevard at about 9:40, beating the crowds and getting a prime parking space. The restaurant we had chosen for lunch was at the other end of the boulevard, so we would spend a couple of hours checking out the shops. There is also a section of the harbor that has sea lion docks where wild sea lions come to perform (and beg). Last year there were three sea lions in attendance, but today the docks were empty.  We visited several shops along the walk.

We reached the restaurant, Local Ocean, a bit too early, so we went out on the fishing boat marina for a close up look at crews preparing the boats for fishing. The restaurant, a very popular one, started filling up before 11:30, so we secured a table early. I had a cup of sweet and sour shrimp soup to start followed by a grilled rockfish sandwich (with slaw, spicy tartar sauce, and mozzarella on a hoagie roll with french fries). Elaine had a Crab Po’Boy (Dungeness crab with green chili avocado puree and grilled Parmesan on a crusted hoagie with fries). Elaine enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir. I opted for a pint (well, two pints in the end) of Na ZdravÍ Pils brewed by the Southern Oregon Brewing Company in Medford, OR.

Then we sauntered back toward the car for the return trip to Depoe Bay and an afternoon at leisure. We stopped to buy wild salmon for tonight’s at home dinner. We stopped at a bead store where artistic Elaine picked up some beads for a little project. Then I had time for my nap. Elaine spotted more whales and spent some time out on the rocks trying to get close ups. No dice on the pictures.  The whales are mostly under water and surface their backs at random spots just briefly to spout, so it’s difficult to have the camera ready to take a picture.

By cocktail time it was still beautifully cloudless, so drinks on the balcony were very pleasant. It feels 20 degrees warmer on the sunny balcony than going out the front door into the shade.  We`also ate dinner on the balcony (broiled salmon, potatoes, and a salad with ice cream for dessert.  And one of our bottles of wine, naturally.  Later on there was a beautiful sunset to end a beautiful day.