Tuesday was supposed to be more storm, but after the sunset last night, we were hopeful. Hope won! Tuesday was beautiful from start to finish. Some fog, but enhancing fog. I’ll let pictures tell the story today. All these pictures today are taken within three miles of Sea Cliff, our house. Wonderful day. LOTS of photos including panoramas and videos.
Luffenholtz Overlook
Beautiful area. Met some nice girls who took our picture.
Houda Point
Moonstone Beach
Lunch was at Trinidad Beach at the Seascape Restaurant. Great beer. Great food. Stunningly great blackberry pie a la mode. Great views.
Trinidad Beach and Pier
A couple of panoramas – click to enlarge – check tomorrow for surf videos
Sunday night after dinner at home we watched some football and went to bed. There was no rain and light wind. As we slept the storm arrived, mostly in the form of wind. At 2:20 am the power went off. We might not have noticed, but it caused the security system in the house to start beeping madly. (Elaine heard it – I kept on sleeping until she woke me.) I finally managed to get it to shut off, and we went back to sleep. The power came back on at 4:30 am. I left a light turned on and it woke me when it came on. Kudos to RCEA (Redwood Coast Energy Authority). When we got up at about 7:30, the heavy rains started. It continued all day. Supposedly the rain will continue into tomorrow and then we will see some sun on Wednesday onward. In any case, for Monday we are hunkered down.
Since sightseeing is out of the question in this weather, we decided to drive into Eureka to the closest Costco (20 miles). So much for hunkered down. Alas, in messing with the security system to shut off the beeping earlier, I somehow armed it. When we went out the front door, the alarm sounded – very loudly! And I don’t have the alarm code. Visions of police and fire arriving with sirens blaring passed through my mind. A quick call to the property manager got me the alarm code and instructions how to unarm the system. Fun, fun, fun. Problem solved.
Since we going out anyway, we decided to try the little Kebab Cafe in Arcata, midway between Trinidad and Eureka. The owner, raised in London after his family emigrated there from Cyprus, came to the US with his English wife in 1997. They opened Kebab Cafe, unpresuming and small and located in a strip mall, in 1977. The food is delicious. I had a delicious gyro pita sandwich and Elaine had a favorite of hers, the falafel sandwich. It was so good, in fact, we may go back for another lunch this week.
The horrible weather continued until, magically, we saw patches of blue sky and signs of a sun as darkness approached.
After indoor cocktails in front of a fire in the fireplace, dinner, courtesy of Chef Elaine, was pulled pork with barbeque sauce and veggies and Costco French bread (and, needless to say, a nice wine).
The weather for last night and today was perhaps the worst we have ever had on vacation, but it was a bit of an adventure. Tomorrow is another day.
I said no post, but surprise! It was raining when we awoke and when he headed south to Trinidad. We stopped for America’s breakfast at McDonald’s – sausage egg mcmuffin and hash brown. Yum. It rained for a good part of the 6.5 hour drive, but mostly light rain. When it wasn’t raining we stopped for a couple of pictures of the OR/CA coast.
We got to Trinidad about ½ hour before we could check in, so we went to Murphy’s Market in town to pick up dinner – enchiladas and salad – and some ice in case there was none in the house (for cocktails). We already had wine and vodka (naturally). Then we checked in and unloaded. Here are some pictures, all taken from inside the house. It’s cloudy and chilly – no cocktails on the beautiful deck – but no rain. See you tomorrow (which is expected to be very rainy).
Pics from last night at the Thai restaurant. That’s the view from our table. That’s Thai beer I’m drinking.:
It was cloudy and rainy off and on all day. We had to pack everything up as we’re off for a week in Trinidad, CA tomorrow morning. We did go into Newport for a final lunch at Local Oceans. Again, that’s the view from our table.
It was dreary and cold back at the condo. The view from the balcony is very different when the sun isn’t out.
Oddly enough, it cleared way off in the distance for a final sunset as we sipped cocktails on a chilly balcony.
The blog will probably take a day off tomorrow as we will be on the road most of the day. Or maybe not. In any case, I’ll be back on Monday from Trinidad. Forecast is rainy for Monday but decent the rest of the week. We’ll see.
The weather continues to be fantastic. Clear this morning, no fog. Sunny and cloudless all day. The Pacific mellowed dramatically and looked more like a mirror than an ocean. We did our separate walks as usual. I took a photography day off, so no pictures. We did a lot of reading and had lunch at home.
Cocktails were on the balcony as normal.
Our last dinner out in Depoe Bay was at Bay View Thai Kitchen. It’s very good Thai food from a nice young family from Thailand.
Tomorrow (Saturday) will be our last full day in Depoe Bay. If the forecasters are correct, the weather is going to turn wet during Saturday and stay wet for awhile. We leave Sunday morning for the 6½ hour drive to Trinidad, California.
The weather for our two weeks here was remarkably good as compared to last year when our last week in Depoe Bay was cloudy, rainy, and foggy. We went eight days with no sign of the sun.
Little talk, all pictures today. Did a different wall circling Wyndham World Mark Time Share Resort. Closest to Bird Island. Seals resting.
Our Condo. Inside and out. Great view from the master bed. Why get up?
Visited the Oregon State University Marine Science Center. Learned a lot about the ocean and watched a great video about the ocean. My video here shows some rockfish (which make good eating).
Lunch was at a new place for us and new to Nye Beach –Zurita’s Tapas. Very good. We shared watermelon and tomato salad with goat cheese, delicious crispy calamari, lamb meat balls (OMG good), and rustic bread. Elaine had sangria; I had a Spanish glutton-free beer (go figure) that was excellent. But the sangria was so go, I had to get one of those too.
Then we spent a pleasant afternoon on the balcony in bright sunshine. We saw boats again as the three-day small craft warning was finally lifted. Cocktails, of course. Dinner was excellent – leftover meatloaf. Great sunset. And we went to bed as the waxing crescent moon reflected off the water. The bright lights on the horizon are commercial fishing ships out of Newport.
We had rain during the night, but it was mostly clear with the usual fog lurking about. Walks went on as normal. Depoe Bay’s “downtown” is two and a half blocks. One long block, one short, and a few business at both ends. It’s all on the east side of the street. The west side is the Pacific Ocean. Today’s photo extravaganza is all the storefronts in the long block. You’ll see plenty of gift shops. And, surprisingly, Gracie’s Sea Hag is suddenly open for breakfast.
We drove into Newport today with two purposes in mind:
The Nye Beach Shopping District
Nye Beach has a nifty little shopping district with some eclectic shops. One in particular is our favorite – the Archway Market and Cafe. It’s part cafe, part normal market, a wine store, and an interesting gift shop with some unique items. Last year we bought a bunch of stuff to use as stocking stuffers and we wanted to repeat that experience. Mission accomplished! Here are some pictures taken around the Nye Beach district (although none of at the Corner Market). Go figure. Petunia’s Porcelin Gifts (with all the rules) didn’t open until noon, so we couldn’t visit. I resisted going into Bridie’s Irish Shop for fear of dropping lots of coin on things I didn’t need. The sign about toxic clams may well explain why I haven’t seen razor clams, an area staple, on any menus. The last picture is actually a designed sculpture made of whale bones and whale teeth.
The Pacific Maritime Heritage Center
The Center is run by the Lincoln County Historical Society. It’s located at the harbor practically right next to Local Oceans, our lunchtime restaurant of choice. (You can see Local Oceans and its mural in the shots from the rook of the Heritage Center which offers a great view of the harbor and the Yaquina Bay Bridge.) But we had never been into the Museum. It sounded boring. In fact, it’s a little hidden gem. There are lots of exhibits about fishing and lumbering. Newport is a fishing capital and is sometimes called the Dungeness Crab Capital of the World. And logging is another local key industry with its capital in Toledo located just 10 miles away. Lots of commercial fishing and crabbing is centered in Newport Harbor (which is noted as one of the most dangerous harbors in the world to navigate). There is an interesting room detailing the life of Ernest Bloch, Jewish composer and humanist, who spent the last 18 years of his life in a house at Agate Beach in Newport. There is a great story about the Bloch’s crucifix statue here. And there is a special exhibit of art by Harvard educated Josie Iselin about the Curious World of Seaweed. All in all, it was a great stop and a couple of hours well spent. We were the only ones in the place!
Busy day! Then home for naps and balcony viewing in, once again, great weather. (The forecast for Sunday, the day we head south to Trinidad, CA, on is not so good – more later.) Cocktails were ,much enjoyed p the balcony. And then it was dress up (sort of – at least I wore socks) and out to dinner at Tidal Raves. Smoked salmon chowder and crab cakes for Elaine. Shrimp & crab cocktail followed by local halibut special for me. Great wine again.
Here’s a Snapseed (sort of like Photoshop, but for Android phone camera) enhanced photo of last night’s sunset. I like the effect. (By the way, none of the photos I post are Photoshoped unless I mention it.)
We awoke on Tuesday to clear skies but with fog lurking about. Back to walking today (with pics). In response to questions, the normal walk is 2.2 miles – 1.1 miles into town to the bridge by the harbor and then 1.1 miles back to the Village at North Pointe where we live. We usually leave for the walk at about 6:45-7:00. Elaine is ready first and leaves first. She walks too fast for me. I leave about 10 minutes after her, and we usually meet up unless one of us takes a different route. Anyway, today we left a little later (7:30ish). And I did take a different route. About halfway into town I took a right and headed out to Center Point. It’s a bit foggy, but that adds to the pictorial ambiance. That’s a fake seagull in the picture in case you might have thought otherwise. I also met and chatted up a gentleman from Newport, OR who grew up in Malden, MA. So we were old neighbors. Here are the pics (back to my trusty Sony RX100 VII) from the Center Point portion of the walk. The last two photos are looking directly into the newly rising sun. Note my long shadow photo a bit earlier. Also note there are no walls and long falls if you get too close to the edge. Walker beware.
When I showed places to stay in Depoe Bay in an earlier post, I neglected to mention Wyndham’s World Mark Resort. It is a huge complex that is right next to our condo looking south. Hundreds of units, all time shares. Here’s a picture of the south end of it. Right out from it is a large island that we call Bird Island. Millions (yes, I counted them) of birds – sea gulls, penguins, cormorants, and probably other varieties. No emus or canaries. If you are here in the spring, Bird Island is the birthplace of new birds. In the afternoons, huge throngs of new birds and their mothers take off and swim out to sea and land in the ocean and then they all return thirty minutes of=r so later. It’s a learning experience for the newborn, I take it. None of that in the fall though. The second picture is of Bird Island.
When I got home, we headed out for breakfast at the Surfrider. Yum. Still foggy on the beach below when we started breakfast, but i had pretty well lifted by the time we finished. Elaine likes the water fountain by the entrance.
After breakfast it was relax time. I read a bit (which usually involves falling asleep). Elaine does the crossword puzzle. The building you see in the center of the photo is the north end of World Mark Resort. Look at the ocean, all white inwards of the breakers. The sea remains angry.
The rest of the day was spent enjoying the balcony. Dinner was at home. Leftovers. See you tomorrow.
Cocktails on the balcony were grand watching the surf. Dinner was also on the balcony. Cheese, crackers, smoked salmon, and what all. Yummy. We finally went to bed after watching the sunset and the crescent moon rise.
Heavy mist in the morning. Good excurse to not walk. I didn’t. A little later than usual Elaine did. And then it cleared up nicely later in the morning. I should have walked.
Instated we headed to an area you have seen many times in the past – the Bureau of Land Management’s Outstanding Natural Area at Yaquina Point. It has lots of competition for the title, but it might be the most beautiful spot on the Oregon coast. It’s free with a National Park Senior Pass (which we have).
The main area is around the lighthouse. This year there are tons of pelicans around. Everywhere, not just here. In the past we have seen eagles here. None spotted this year. Lots of cormorants too.
Then there is the cobble beach. It’s 134 steps down. We view it from above. We’ve been down before. Two girls were celebrating their marriage on the beach. I got their picture coming up the stairs.
Finally there is the cove area.
Here are a couple of panoramas from the area. Click on each to enlarge.
Then it was into Newport for our second lunch at Local Oceans. I have the grilled calamari salad to start followed by panko breaded friend local oysters. Elaine had Chinook salmon crostini followed by rockfish tacos. Pale ale for me; IPA for Elaine.
Lastly, almost, you haven’t seen the Newport sea lions yet. Here they are in all their glory.
And now, finally. As George Constanza once said on Seinfeld, “the ocean was angry today, my friends.”
God so decreed it. So I didn’t walk. Elaine did. It was a clear morning, no fog, so we decided to visit a couple of favorite spots.
Cape Foulweather was named by Captain Cook way back when. Today it was fair weather. Pictures tell it all. Oh! We learned from a ranger in the visitor center that lots of kelp in the ocean is a good thing.
Just down the road from Cape Foulweather is the Devil’s Punchbowl, another favorite spot. Lots of surfers on the beach just beyond the cliff. Again, pictures tell all. I took a pretty good selfie too. On the access road there is a house with a huge selection of lobster buoys or floats. Worth a pic or two.
On the way home we stopped in Depoe Bay to try that new Fish and Chips restaurant. It was empty, but we tried it and it was good! Lots of selections for the fish – I had halibut, Elaine had ling cod. Fries were good. Cole slaw was excellent. I hope they make it.
The rest of the afternoon was at home watching football. Elaine made a meatloaf for dinner. The surf was up as we watched on the balcony.
Great sunset again. Picture tomorrow (if I remember).. Bad Patriot outcome. Bad Cardinal outcome. Oh, well. Peace!
