A little early morning coastal fog that quickly cleared off. Beautiful all day.

It’s hard to find new stuff to show you from my morning walk as I take the same route every day. But here are some more shots of Depoe Bay along the 101. Nice pink car. The local gas station/convenience store. The pirate at Pirate Coffee Company. The Inlet. The Inn at Arch Rock which looks like a nice place to stay – it’s always “no vacancy”. Mr. Niceguy, the other marijuana dispensary in town (Pete’s competition). Mile marker 127. The road up to Depoe Hills – this wasn’t here when we first came to Depoe Bay. A logging truck – I see one almost every morning. There are paper mills in Kellogg, just inland from Newport. Kellogg is an artsy town and we have visited on past trips. And Bigfoots coffee shop and store – it’s been “coming soon” for five years and has finally arrived.

A little time on the balcony and a view from the bedroom. Why ever get up? And a video of the Pacific.

The Pacific in action here.

Then we headed backed to D River (where the kite festival was yesterday). Today it was all quiet there. We came for lunch at Kylio’s. There was heron or a crane on the short river. (Cranes and herons are often confused due to their similar appearance. The key difference is that cranes fly with their necks outstretched, while herons curve theirs into an S shape. Both birds are captivating, yet they belong to different families and exhibit unique behaviors.) Elaine had chowder and rockfish and chips. I had six oysters on the half shell (small but tasty – no picture) and halibut and chips. Nice lunch. Good beer. (Elaine had Boneyard RPM IPA from Bend, OR; I had Mac & Jacks African Amber from Redmond, WA.)

Next we stopped in the Taft Historic District of Lincoln City. People fish for trout off the beach here. And it must be the driftwood capital of all the world’s beaches.

Then a brief stop at another overlook. Oregon has a beautiful and very accessible coastline.

After that we took a ride to Devil’s Punchbowl State Overlook. The wayside used to be overrun with squirrels. Now it appears there is just one. There are surfers down there on the beach.

Whew. Time for a nap. The late afternoon through happy hour was on the balcony. Beautiful sunshine and sunset. No pictures today though. Dinner was leftovers while watching the final two episodes of Awaken the Dead. We will miss it.

One week down in Depoe Bay; one week to go. Weather on Sunday? It rained during the night, cloudy when we got up, some fog, then some sun, then heavy fog, and then nice sunshine for the afternoon balcony session. Here are some photos from a morning session on the balcony.

The ocean in action here and here.

Around noon we heard two people discussing the kite festival. I thought it was in October and that we would miss it. I was wrong. It was yesterday and today in Lincoln City. So we hopped in the car for the 12 mile ride to the D River Recreation Site by the beach. (Yes, it’s really called D River and it’s billed as the shortest river in the world, so it’s deserving of a short name.) D River flows a grand total of 120 feet from Devil’s Lake into the Pacific. That’s where the Lincoln City Kite Festival is held. The last picture is a mural on a hotel that is now empty – closed down. Patriot’s fan was disappointed today, I suspect, as are Arizona Cardinal fans.

Some videos from the kite festival here, here, and here.

We spent about an hour and then headed back to our condo. You can see the bright blue skies at the festival. Back at the condo thick fog had rolled in and you could barely see the ocean. I took a nap and woke 90 minutes later to bright sunshine. So we spent the remainder of the afternoon through sunset on the balcony.

Lunch (sandwiches) and dinner (cheese and crackers) were both at home. We watched another two episodes of Awaken the Dead – each story is two episodes long. We have only two more episodes to watch in season nine, the last season. Then we’ll be looking for a new series to start.

Cloudy today but no fog. Lots of whale watching on the balcony. The seas were fairly calm and at one point there were twelve whale watching boats in view.

Our favorite breakfast place, the Surfrider, closed up. They are tearing down and rebuilding the resort. So we found a new place – the Sea Glass Bistro at the Best Western Plus at Agate Beach. Good food! After breakfast we continued on into Newport to catch a view of our friends, the sea lions. They were there in force at the Sea Lion Docks with the Yaquina Bay Bridge in the background. It’s a constant scrum for the sea lions to get a spot on the dock.

See them in noisy action at this link

After that we went home and did some whale watching followed by afternoon cocktail hour on the balcony. And then dinner. We went to the Bay View Thai Kitchen overlooking Depoe Bay Harbor (self declared as the world’s smallest harbor). It’s family run and is very good. We shared spring rolls. Then Elaine had eggplant curry with chicken. I had their signature sea food curry served in a coconut shell. Elaine had wine; I had Thai beer.

Normally we would then head home to bed. But we stopped on the way for a nightcap at Gracie’s Sea Hag. It was relatively quiet as their entertainer (who looks exactly like Ray Charles) was off this weekend. A quick drink and then was indeed home to bed.

Watch a video I took yesterday from the balcony to see the Pacific in action here.

Gray Fog
by Sara Teasdale

A fog drifts in, the heavy laden
Cold white ghost of the sea—
One by one the hills go out,
The road and the pepper-tree.
I watch the fog float in at the window
With the whole world gone blind,
Everything, even my longing, drowses,
Even the thoughts in my mind.
I put my head on my hands before me,
There is nothing left to be done or said,
There is nothing to hope for, I am tired,
And heavy as the dead.

Oregon was sunny and warm today. But not on the coast. We were fogged in all day. So it was a quiet day at home. We did do our walks in the morning. Here are some pics of what I see every day walking into town. Tidal Raves is, of course, empty at 7:00 am. Pete’s Dispensary (marijuana) was a gas station when we first started coming here. Then it was a quite delicious BBQ joint. Then it was empty. And now it sells legal drugs. World Mark’s Resort at Whale Pointe is the complex right next to our condo complex – it is a timeshare place. Wing Wa is an “Asian American Taphouse” – we’ve never been. They feature karaoke entertainment. Ugh. The Pirate Coffee Company doesn’t open until 9 AM and the owner is grouchy. (The web site says they open at 8:00 AM – they do not.) We don’t go there.

Pictures of fog are boring, so I won’t post any. Into haiku?

Busy day. Beautiful sunshine from start to finish. Nice walk this morning. Lots of pictures today. If you look at (and read) them all, you’ll learn a lot. Or just look. We decided to drive to Tillamook for the day. It’s the home of the Tillamook Cheese Company where they make all their cheese and ice cream. It’s a real tourist destination. Always crowded. Long lines to buy ice cream cones. We’ve been there and skipped that this year. Instead we had two destinations.

The Tillamook Air Museum

A hidden gem that we first visited ten years ago or so, and we decided it was time for another look.. The Tillamook Air Museum housed at the Tillamook Naval Air Station in a HUGE hangar that was the home of a U. S. Navy World War II dirigible fleet. There were bases like this up and down the east and west coasts. (There was one at Weymouth, MA.) The dirigibles mainly patrolled the coast looking for German U-boats, but they also provided defensive protection for shipping lanes. The hangar houses an eclectic collection of old aircraft and historical displays, mainly from WWII. (Thought drones were a recent addition to warfare? See below.)

Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures. By the way, the pictures look much better on a tablet or a computer than they do on your phone. Just saying.

Enough planes for you?

The Blue Heron French Cheese Company

Next, stop – the Blue Heron Cheese Company to buy some of their pepper brie. Yum. For lunch we had chocolate treats and Tillamook ice cream cones (without the lines). Nice gardens. Animals.

Then it was back to our base in Depoe Bay. We did stop on the way at the Dahlia Farm and bought some dahlias (pictured below). The rest of the afternoon was on the sunny and warm (despite 64º temperatures) balcony.

But the day wasn’t over yet. Dinner was at our favorite restaurant – Tidal Raves – located just a five minute walk from the condo. (We drove.) LONG wait for a table – they don’t take reservations. But we had a great table with a great view (first picture below). Cucumber gimlet for me and local pinot noir for us both. Clam chowder for both. Elaine had rockfish and I had pan fried oysters. No desserts. And home to bed!

Cloudy day, a little bit of sun, no rain. And another quiet day. The highlight of the day was lunch at Zurita’s, a Spanish themed tapas restaurant in Newport. We sat outside in the garden. Delicious sangria! For food we shared rustic grilled bread, hummus with pita, crispy grilled squid, and skewered ground lamb. And that’s about it. Cocktails on the balcony were in long pants and polar fleece. No sun for our happy hour. Dinner was Tillamook Marionberry pie ice cream. A couple of episodes of Awaken the Dead and off to bed.

The good weather continues. Bright sunny skies. High expected to be 69. On the balcony in the morning we wear long pants and polar fleece jackets. The sun doesn’t hit the balcony until afternoon. Then, even in the high 60’s (as long as the sun is out), it is like a heat dome. We face west, so the sun is right in front of us all afternoon. When it shines off the ocean and with the balcony protected from the wind, 67º feels more like 97º. But a good 97º!

We take separate walks in the morning, usually into town and back to the condo. It’s about a mile to the bridge in town, so it’s a two-mile walk. No hills. On my walk this morning I took some pictures of the sign around Pete’s Dispensary, one of the three marijuana stores in Depoe Bay. $40/ounce. Is that good? Anyway, their sign has painted rocks all around it. Interesting.

Some pictures from the rest of my walk. The last picture in the gallery is downtown Depoe Bay – three blocks long, everything on one side. The ocean is on the other.

Could we live here? Maybe. Property prices don’t seem too bad. (Tim can review!) There are two units available in the condo complex where we stay.

If you can’t find it at Only in Oregon, go next door to Only in Depoe Bay.

On the walk home:

The day was spent relaxing at home, enjoying the sun, and watching the ocean. Zurf was up. Dinner was home-made ravioli casserole and salad. The cable tv was out, so no tv. Early to bed. (PS: the cable was working again in the morning.)

After three days of driving, we took it easy. We drove into Newport for lunch at Local Oceans. Did a bit more grocery shopping at Fred Meyer. At Local Oceans we shared the Grilled Calamari Salad (Roasted fennel, poblano pepper, mushroom, orange, onion, Niçoise olives, queso fresco, fresh herbs, white balsamic vinaigrette). Then we both had the Rockfish BLTA Sandwich (Grilled rockfish, smoked bacon, smashed avocado, Mama Lil’s peppers, tartar sauce, toasted hoagie bun, fries). Elaine sipped IPA. I sipped Amber Ale. I LOVE this restaurant.

Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures. By the way, the pictures look much better on a tablet or a computer than they do on your phone. Just saying!

After lunch we hit Fred Meter (groceries and flowers) and then it was home again for a restful day. There are lots of whales about. (No pictures of whales because all you see is a spout of water, a glimpse of their backs, and maybe a bit of tail as they dive. Almost impossible to catch on camera.) These are local resident grey whales, btw. We were on the balcony from mid-afternoon until after sunset. No dinner! Too full from lunch. Cocktails were had, of course. A panorama and some pictures:

We watched a couple of episodes of Waken the Dead on Britbox, and then it was off to bed. We’re on season nine of Waken the Dead – the last year.

We left on friday to get here. Now we’re here. Quick update with very few pictures.

Friday

We left at 7:30 am for Bakersfield. The normal way to go is I-10 and various other interstates all the way. We choose to go Interstate free! Scottsdale to Wickenburg, AZ to Parker, AZ to Twentynine Palms, CA to Barstow, CA to Bakersfield. Two lanes almost all the way – no traffic, 65 mph speed limit. One glitch this trip – the road to Barstow was closed, so we had to substitute Victorville. We stopped for a picnic lunch in Joshua Tree, CA. Dinner was at a terrific Mexican seafood restaurant in Bakersfield – Nuestro Mexico. Ceviche, shrimp with poblano peppers, and Pacifico beer.

Saturday

Saturday,, unlike Friday, is all Interstate – I-5 from Bakersfield to Redding, CA. Lunch was somewhere or other at McDonald’s. Mostly sunny all the way. In Redding we stay at the Sheraton at Sundial Bridge. It’s located at the Turtle Bay Exposition Park, a very nice park area highlighted by the Sundial Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava. There’s a nice walk through the park from the hotel, but we’ve done it several times. We skipped it this time. Elaine had a glass of wine; I had a nap. For dinner we ate at Mosaic, the restaurant connected to the hotel. We both had delicious sangria served in Moscow Mule metal cups. We also shared a Charcuterie Plate followed by a Pizza Margherita.

Sunday

After breakfast at McDonald’s, it was back on I-5 for a nice scenic drive past Shasta Lake and Mount Shasta to Eugene, OR for a brief stop at Costco. If you think you’ve ever been to a busy Costco, you have never been to the one in Eugene. There’s a line of cars to get into the parking lot. We parked a LONG way from the entrance. At the food court there was a line of 50+ people waiting to order. If you wanted a rotisserie chicken, the line was 100+ long. Fortunately there was no line for wine which is why we stopped. We got a case of Willamette pinot noir and got the hell out of Dodge. The sun was shining brightly when we got to the condo at 4:00. We unloaded, made a quick grocery run to Chester’s Market, and settled in on the balcony for cocktails and cheese and crackers. Dinner was at home – chicken and Caesar salad.

Click on the gallery below to bring up a scrollable window with full size pictures – the gallery preview may show just thumbnails of the pictures. By the way, the pictures look much better on a tablet or a computer than they do on your phone. Just saying.

Yes, the Seahawk chairs we brought here many moon ago are still here!

Back tomorrow.