Late post today. Sorry. Enjoying the sunshine.

By the time we finished our walks, the sun had risen from behind the hills to the east and the sunshine was bright. It stayed that way all day until the fog rolled in starting at 5 PM.. In the morning we visited four of our favorite spots. Great sun for gleaming ocean photos. About the calmest ocean we’ve ever seen in Depoe Bay, so no crashing, thundering waves today. We see dozens of whales every day. It is almost impossible to get a photo, since all you really see is the whale spout as it surfaces, then maybe his back as he rolls over, and may a fin as he dives. The eagles who lived nearby last year are apparently gone. We haven’t seen them. Lots less sea gulls than usual. Lots more pelicans than usual. The usual amount of seals.

Today’s Learning Experience – Seagulls

Among the most tenacious and clever foragers on the planet (or as I call them, flying rats), the seagull is a family of birds that lives near the coast. There are more than 50 documented species found all over the world. The most common species you’re probably familiar with are the European herring gull and the American herring gull, but there’s plenty of diversity across the entire family. This article will cover some interesting facts about the appearance, behavior, and diet of the seagull.
Seagulls do share some superficial resemblance with an eagle, including a large body and hooked bill, but gulls are generally not considered to be birds of prey. They are more closely related to auks, plovers, and other shorebirds, whereas eagles are related to kites and vultures.

3 Incredible Seagull Fact

1) The seagull is considered to be among the most intelligent birds in the world. Some gulls will drop a mollusk shell onto a rock to break it open. Others have been observed baiting fish with bread. One of the most amazing facts is that they can remember new foraging strategies and pass them down to the next generation of gulls.

2) Unlike most animals, the seagull can drink both freshwater and saltwater. A specialized gland right above the eyes can collect and then flush out the salt right through the nostrils.

3) Seagulls have a small claw halfway up the lower leg that allows them to roost on high ledges without falling off.

Now it’s picture time (Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures.)

Otter Creek Bridge

Cape Foulweather

Cape Foulweather was discovered and named by Captain Cook during a raging blizzard, today the weather was anything but fowl.

Otter Rock Beach

Devil’s Punchbowl

Boiler Bay

Dinner was at the Bay House, one of four Oregon AAA four diamond restaurants. Alas, I forgot my camera and my phone, so no pictures. Fear not as we return there next Thursday night for an encore. The food was wonderful. We both had duck (Smoked Muscovy Duck, Black Lentils, Crisp Brussels Sprout, Parsnip, Carrot-Cardamom Purée). Elaine started with the date appetizer (Bleu Cheese, Roasted Eggplant-Quinoa Salad, Mango Tuile, Hummus Vinaigrette) while I had rockfish over risotto. Elaine had lemon tart for dessert while I feasted on three delicious ice creams.

Another day without a morning walk. It’s all supposed to clear up by tonight.

We drove into Newport for lunch at Pacific Kitchens. I had clam chowder and an oyster burger with bacon (fried oysters instead of hamburger). Elaine had fried calamari (I helped) and black cod fish tacos. Elaine had a Pacifico beer; I had a local Arch Rock lager.

Otherwise it was a quiet day at home. It magically cleared up for an hour around 6 PM before clouding up again. I got a few pictures from the balcony.

Friday Morning

Friday morning broke clear with a slight bit of fog. We took our separate walks. For something to do I took a pictorial retrospective of Depoe Bay signs. Here it is. Tomorrow there should be some good ocean pictures in bright sunshine.

Ré the last picture: something new has been coming soon for a LONG time.

The View from the Bedroom on a Rainy Day

Cold Weather Gear for the Balcony

If you came for pictures, you can sign off now. It rained all night Tuesday night and well into Wednesday. No walks. It was cloudy and foggy all day Wednesday and it started raining again right around cocktail hour. We had cocktails in the Seahawk chairs in the bedroom watching the crashing waves and the rain. In Trinidad the Pacific was like glass. Practically no waves at all. Here the waves are big and noisy/

Dinner was takeout from Tidal Raves.

Appetizer: Seahawk Bread – baguette, smoked salmon, cream cheese, havarti, shrimp, red onion

Elaine’s Main: Herb Crusted Rockfish – smoked salmon potato cake, shrimp-caper cream sauce, brussel sprouts

Joe’s Main: Cioppino – clams, wild shrimp, crab, fin fish, calamari, tomato-herb broth, toasted garlic bread

All delicious! We had Tillamook marionberry ice cream for dessert as we watched a couple of episodes of Silent Witness, a British series on BritBox. I bring my Amazon fire stick with us and hook it up to the TV and we can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and BritBox. Silent Witness has 25 seasons. We are on season nine.

It’s Thursday morning now. Rain. It will be another low key day and another short post tomorrow. The forecast for Friday through Monday is excellent with lots of sun. Hopefully the camera will come out of hibernation on Friday.

Monday evening was cloudy and cool, but that didn’t stop cocktails on the balcony. Dinner was homemade bowtie pasta with sausage and Caesar salad.

Tuesday was cloudy/foggy almost all day. There was no rain and the sun poked out occasionally during the afternoon. It was a low key highlighted by lunch at Local Oceans Restaurant in Newport. Before lunch we had a quick look at the Sea Lion docks just down the street from the restaurant. Full house!

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The Sea Lion Docks

Lunch was wonderful. And it was very filling – just snacks for dinner tonight.
Drinks: Pinot noir for Elaine, local amber ale for Joe
Appetizer: Halibut Ceviche (Raw halibut marinated in lemon juice, lime juice, lemon juice, onion, and tomato)
Joe: Rockfish Italiano Sandwich (Panko encrusted rockfish with pepperoni, salami, Mama Lil’s pickled peppers, mozzarella cheese, and red pepper coulis on a hoagie.
Elaine: Grilled Calamari Salad with roasted fennel, poblano pepper, shiitaki mushroom, orange, onion, Niçoise olives, queso fresco, fresh herbs and white balsamic vinaigrette.

Travel from Trinidad on Sunday was uneventful. It was alternately foggy and sunny. It’s Highway 101 all the way – part divided freeway (65 mph) and part winding one lane road (40-55 mph). We made a couple of stops just to stretch our legs and take pictures. First stop was in California; second stop was at Arch Rock in southern Oregon.

California Coast

Arch Rock Oregon

We arrived at the condo at about 4:30. All new living room and bedroom furniture. Very nice. The Seattle Seahawk folding chairs are still here! After unloading and unpacking we spent an hour or two on a sunny balcony. Last year (when we here a month later than this) we saw only a few whales the whole time. This year we have already seen dozens.

We had breakfast this morning (Monday) at the nearby Surfrider Resort. No oysters so I substituted fried razor clams with my eggs and hash browns. One has to make do. It’s mid afternoon Monday right now and we will soon be off to fill the larders. Then we shall enjoy a quiet restful remainder of the day at home.

See you tomorrow.

Posting Saturday night rather than Sunday morning since we’ll get an early start. Probably no post on Sunday, a travel day. See you Monday.

So, the fog yesterday (Friday) never really burnt off completely. Cocktails on the deck were a chilly affair. And the chicken that I barbecued was stringy and tough. Bummer. We won’t have chicken again tonight.

Saturday broke very foggy again. Short write today. We decided to drive south just past Eureka to Ferndale which bills itself as a quiet Victorian town. And it’s a bit inland, so we hoping we would be away from the fog. Ferndale is delightful. It the town where Guy Fieri grew up. It has been host to two movies – The Majestic (2001) with Jim Carrey and Outbreak (1995) with Dustin Hoffman, Renee Russo, and Morgan Freemen. It supposedly has the westernmost tavern in the continental USA, the Palace Saloon. It was closed, so we didn’t imbibe. In any case, Ferndale is a delightful little town with lots of shops. We had a nice stroll around before driving on to Fortuna (which was boring).

As we headed home to Trinidad the fog around Eureka was still heavy and we feared we would have a cold deck awaiting us. But no! Trinidad was bathing in beautiful sunshine. The temperatures are only in the 60’s, but it’s beautiful in the sun while cool in the shade. For lunch we bought sandwiches at Murphy’s Market and enjoyed them on the deck. We also got some hamburgers to grill tonight for dinner. (That tough chicken will get tossed.) I also filled up with gas at the Trinidad Chevron across from Murphy’s – $6.91/gallon for premium.

Cocktails on the deck were delightful. Sunny and relatively warm. As usual, the view is to die for. And we watched a buck naked swimmer go for a dip. Whatever floats your boat!

That’s it from Trinidad. Tomorrow (Sunday) is a travel day as we head north to Depoe Bay. There may or may not be a blog post for Sunday. If not, we’ll see you on Monday. Thanks to all for the comments!

Totally fogged in (49º) when we got up and it stayed that way until almost noon. You could barely see the beach just below us. Inland was sunny (or so they say). Anyway we putzed around all morning and then set out on a drive. North this time (about 30 miles) to just pat Orick and Redwoods National Park. We visited last year but couldn’t drive the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway because it was closed as a result of a big windstorm just days before our arrival. Limbs were down and the clean-up wasn’t complete. This year it was open as usual. The parkway parallels CA-101 for about 12 miles. There are lots of trailheads along the route. We stopped once and did the circular Big Tree trail. We saw it last year as we did do a long hike from the Visitor Center. But it was good to see the tree again. It missed us. And there were very few people about. The quiet amongst the big trees was serene.

So, it’s Redwood Country, but it’s also Elk Country. We came across the herd of Elk grazing right on the road (CA-101) and stopped, naturally, to get some pictures. They are totally unbothered by humans taking their picture from just a few feet away.

So, that’s basically it for today. I’m barbequing chicken for dinner. Right now it’s cocktail time. (I usually write the blog late afternoon but don’t post it until early morning after I upload all my pictures.)

PS: The Camera

For those interested in my camera. You might remember I dropped my trusty Canon G7X Mark II in Ireland last year. I actually got it (sort of) working again. B&H Photo gave me $250 for it in trade in value. My new camera (and I love it!) is the Sony RX100 VII. I occasionally snap a pic with my phone (Moto G Power).

We woke to glorious sunshine and it lasted all day. The plan today was to visit Eureka, just 20 miles or so south of Trinidad. Our previous sole contact with Eureka is driving through it on the way to Trinidad and stopping at the Trinidad Costco Eureka (population: 27,000), for your information, is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon and the westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states. Our modest plan was to visit its zoo and its historic old town and to have lunch.

Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures.

The Sequoia Park Zoo

The Sequoia Park Zoo is small and its most noted feature is not animals. It has the Redwood Sky Walk through a redwood grove. Remember, we are in redwood country. (Aside: we saw absolutely no sign of fires in our drive from Scottsdale to Bakersfield to Santa Rosa to Trinidad.) The skywalk is exceptionally well done and we enjoyed it. Of course, we also saw animals. No lions, tigers, or elephants here. Bears are coming to a new enclosure being built. Our favorite were the red pandas which we saw being fed. The eagles were impressive as was the scarlet ibis. So here are pictures of the skywalk and our stroll through the animal enclosures. It’s a fun zoo!

The Sky Walk

The Animals

Eureka Old Town

Old town is interesting. Obviously regentrified, it is filled with old Victorian buildings, the most impressive of which is the Carson Mansion. It has been reborn as a private club. You can’t go in (too bad, for it must be filled with interesting nooks and crannies), but it is certainly impressive from the outside. Another restored structure is the Pinc Lady. And there is a yellow building that is now a large B&B. You’ll be able to easily pick these three out by the colors in the galleries below. There are also some colorful murals and old commercial buildings including the old theater and a bank. We had a good walk around and then adjourned for lunch within Old Town at the . . .

The Lost Coast Brewing Company

The Lost Coast Brewing Company specializes in burgers and, of course, beer. Since we have a big dinner planned tonight, we wanted something less. Elaine had a bowl of New England clam chowder and a Lost Coast IPA. I had a (too big!) Caesar salad and a Revenant IPA. Good lunch!

Then it was home for naps and ocean watching. We have seen a couple of large grey whales, lots of seals and/or sea lions, and plenty of birds. Elaine also saw a guy swimming alone out in the middle of the bay. Weird. No boat near him. We’re not sure where he came from, but he did make it back to shore, a long swim. We had the odd cocktail on the sun shiney deck before getting ready for dinner.

The Larupin’ Cafe

The Larupin’ Cafe is certainly eclectic. And busy! We had a great meal. They provide a gratis house appetizer platter – home made bread, two cheeses, chicken pâté, a mustard, and salmon on cucumber. I added four delicious oysters to the mix. For mains, Elaine had STUFFED BELL PEPPER & PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM – feta and herb stuffed bell pepper served over a large portobello mushroom then finished with braising greens and pine nuts – along with house salad and sweet potato. I had scrumptious LAMB CHOPS – Kosher, Australian lamb drizzled with port wine, balsamic & fig reduction – with house salad and a twice baked potato. For dessert Elaine had a lemon tart, more like a cheesecake, and I had crème brûlée. We cross tasted. The wine was a 2014 Manzoni pinot noir. Great meal.

And then it was home to bed under the most star filled sky I have seen in many years. I wish you could take a pictures of the stars. All in all, a perfect day!

Well, not a normal beach day. More later. Anyway, for once the forecasters were spot on – cloudy in the morning (but no rain) and clearing shortly after 1 PM. In the morning we made another run to Murphy’s for the stuff we forgot to buy yesterday. (Murphy’s is exactly ½ mile from our front door.) Lunch was sandwiches at home – smoked turkey for Elaine and prosciutto for me, both with cheese of course.

When the clouds cleared we decided to find the trail to Indian Beach below Sea Cliff Cottage, the official name of our house. We made it down the trail to the beach and enjoyed a nice walk the length of the beach – about ½ mile in length. Lots of sea gulls, the odd people walking dogs, and one lonely young seal sleeping behind a rock at one end of the beach. There were more seals resting on rocks just off shore. Very enjoyable walk and great for photography with all the sea stacks.

Today’s learning experience: Sea stacks are amazing vertical rock formations standing in the sea that were formed entirely by wind and water. The formation process usually begins when the sea creates cracks in the headland, causing them to later collapse, and forming free-standing stacks. Eventually, the same process that created the sea stacks will also cause them to collapse.

Anyway, here is photographic evidence of today’s beach day. Click on the gallery to bring up a scrollable window with full size pictures – the gallery preview may show just thumbnails of the pictures.

Our House Above the Beach (Look Closely)

Seals On or Near the Beach

Sea Stacks and More

Cocktails as usual on the deck. Dinner at home (leftover Costco meatloaf and mashed potatoes). Tomorrow night we will be visiting Trinidad’s gourmet restaurant. All in all, a great day.

Cheers!

House Learning Day

Ah, the vagaries of a new house. How does this gol-darned oven work? How do you use the remote operated gas fireplace? How do you just watch regular TV? How does the BBQ work? The oven and fireplace were easy. The TV, not so much. The instructions in the welcome book were totally wrong. Regular TV is on HDMI 1 input, not component. Figured it out. The welcome book says the Weber BBQ has a direct propane line and no propane cannister is needed. Wrong! It still wouldn’t light because the tank attached to the grill was empty. Fortunately a full new tank was right there and it all worked once I swapped the tanks. But it only works with a lighter; the built-in igniter is dead. (I had to make sure the barbecue worked before we went grocery shopping.) All is good now.

Breakfast

Elaine took me to breakfast first thing. We went to the Seascape Restaurant right down by the Trinidad Pier. Elaine had a scramble. I had a hangtown fry (scrambled eggs, more like an omelet, with bacon and oysters. Ah, oysters! We walked around the pier area and took a few pictures.

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Luffenholtz Beach and Lookout

After breakfast we went headed home. Our house is at #30 Scenic Drive. We drove down Scenic Drive drive for a few miles to see what else was there. The road is paved nicely from town to our house. After that it is rutty pavement and just dirt for stretches. Lo and behold, there is a pretty low key casino on the road – the Heights Casino. Further on the road got pretty bad and continuing seemed chancy. We continued anyway and found Luffenholtz Beach and Lookout. Brilliant! Pictures tell the story. Oh, and sometimes you see strange things. On the way back we saw a few goats grazing on the top of a garage or out building along the road not far from our house. Go figure.

Shopping

Later in the morning we headed to Murphy’s Market, Trinidad’s sole grocery store. It’s very well stocked for a small market in a small town. We got everything we needed: Zero calorie Coke, BBQ stuff (steak and chicken), butter, crackers, cheese, water, fresh produce, bananas, eggs, English muffins, etc.

Quiet Afternoon

Then it was a quiet afternoon at home to recover from the three day trek to get here. There was sitting on the deck and watching birds and sea life (Elaine) and reading/naps (Joe). Then, of course, there were the de rigueur cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the deck. Dinner was a co-production – Joe on the grill and Elaine in the kitchen preparing the sides (Caesar salad and potatoes).

Weather

The weather for the day was spectacular! Very little morning fog and a bright sunny day. It’s in the sixties and quite cool (for us) in the shade, but it very nice and warm in the sun. Lots of sunscreen required on the deck! The forecast is promising – chance of showers Wednesday morning and then nice through Sunday (when we leave).