Tuesday - From the Coast to the Mountains

This was our last morning on the coast.......As you can see nothing much has changed.  If you look closely you can just make out the lighthouse light in the middle of the picture.

From Newport, we headed inland to Hood River via a scenic but not so direct route.  Even though it was still wet heading towards Corvallis, the fall foliage was impressive.

As we came into Albany there were huge flocks of geese flying.  I'm including a pic.  Look closely about halfway up the picture--all the little black specks in the sky--those are geese. 

As we continued inland on Hwy 20 we revisited some of Julz' favorite stretches of road from our earlier adventure with the camp trailer.  A picture may be worth a 1000 words but these do not even begin to tell the story of driving down this road with over 7000 lbs of camp trailer pushing you.  Thankfully this time we were going uphill but it's still a thrill ride.

It started clearing some as we continued inland.  We stopped at the Hackleman Old Growth forest again but did not hike at all.  Just took a few pics and headed on down the road.

Along the way we saw the signs have been posted for the snow zones and chain-up areas.  The road crews have put up the marker poles along the roads to guide the snow plows.  The poles in the first pic are about 8-10 feet tall.  The ones in the second pic are about 15 feet tall.  The car coming around the curve gives a little perspective.  Can you imagine driving through snow like that?? 

We pulled off to get a cloudy view of Mt. Washington and got an unexpected treat.  A view of a beautiful blue mountain lake.  Think this may be the end of Suttle lake.

We also got another unexpected surprise today......Blue Sky!!

 Some of the areas along Hwy 20 been ravaged pretty badly by fire as you can see.

We stopped in Sisters for lunch at Three Creeks Brewing.  What a cool little town.  Very rustic.  Our initial plan today was to go through Bend and then swing up to Hood River but the trip was taking longer than expected so we cut over through Redmond instead.  It seems to be a very farm/ranch oriented type of area with lots of livestock and some frisky horses.

 Heading north on Hwy 26 we went through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. 

There had been a large fire on the reservation earlier this year and it looks like there may still be some fires burning there.

We finally got a glimpse of Mt Hood but that was all it was...a glimpse.  All that was visible was just a small amount of the base.  Hopefully things will clear out a little later in the week.  It would be such a shame to come all this way and not be able to see one of our favorite sights.

Plans for tomorrow---who knows?????  Have to wait to see what the weather looks like.

Monday, Monday

Rainy days and Mondays....... I know, seems to be a recurring theme.  Actually not so much raining today as just heavy mist and fog from the ocean.  This was the view from the balcony this morning.

While having lunch at Mo's down on the Bayfront (their famous clam chowder, of course!), we watched the seagulls and pelicans waiting for any scraps they could pick up from the incoming fishing boats.  The sea lions and seals were also cruising the bay and following the boats in.

We also got a very unexpected surprise--the sun.  Or, at least a glimpse of it through the clouds but at least we know it does still exist.

After lunch,  we headed to the aquarium.  First stop was the sea otter exhibit.  How cute are they!!!  And , flexible.  This one spent much of the time grooming every inch of himself.  They have 4 otters but this is the only one who would sit still long enough for a photo.

Next was the aviary--

Last was all the fish and water exhibits--

After the aquarium we headed back south to get a closer look at several places we had passed on our drive Sunday.  The first stop was at Devil's Churn.  Watching the waves crash into the gash in the rocks, it was easy to see how it got its name.

The scenery away from the ocean was quite breathtaking also.

Even though it was not actually raining, water clung to everything and we had to dodge water bombs falling from the trees on the way back up the trail.

The moisture also makes the perfect environment for some rather large mushrooms.

Our next stop was at Cape Perpetua.  We couldn't see much from the viewpoint at the top due to the amount of fog but got some good pics along the way up.  There were small waterfalls all along the roadway and even when you couldn't see the water, if you listened you could hear it running through the leaves.

We headed back north to another area called Otter Crest.  One thing Oregon knows how to do is build very cool bridges.  They are like functional works of art and just add to the scenery instead of being an eyesore.

We stopped at Cape Foulweather but got no pics there.  The fog was so heavy you could not see anything.

The last stop for the day was at the Devil's Punchbowl.  We have never been able to see this on previous trips.  Normally the parking lot is completely full and there are lots of people.  Today we pretty much had the area to ourselves.  No wonder this place is so popular, this structure has to be pretty spectacular when the tide is in.  Unfortunately, it was out while we were there and only a few of the larger waves were making it into the interior of the bowl.

A heavy fog began to roll back in so we headed back to Newport for the evening but not before getting a few more pics of the local scenery silhouetted in the mist.  I just love the visual effect of this.

One last shot I wanted before heading back to the hotel was to see the Newport Bridge lit up for the night.  Didn't come out too bad if I do say so myself.

Tomorrow we head inland... Hopefully the weather will lighten up a little.

And There Again.......Rainy Days

Made it back to Oregon again--missing the Boyz though.  It's just not the same without them.  Raining-go figure.

If you can't find the beauty in rain and gray this is not the place for you.  The Fall colors are still happening though and add some color.  Headed for the coast first and then to the Gorge later in the week.

Took a drive South on Hwy 101 Sunday--hadn't been that way much before so this was a chance to see some more of the coast.  And, according to the Weather Channel the radar didn't show any rain in that area.  Never trust the weather men!  Pretty much rained the whole time.  Finally gave up on the idea of finding somewhere it wasn't raining so headed back to Newport.  Stopped off to eat at a little place in Florence we found on our first trip here several years ago.  Guess with the weather this may turn into a dining adventure rather than an outdoor one. 

Did get some cool pics of the ocean--the waves were really crashing the shore today.

And as usual the views of the coastline are always spectacular even in the rain.

Even though it is raining it is still beautiful here.  There is still so much green.  Mist and fog from the ocean hangs in the trees and cliffs giving everything an ethereal look. 

Even the Newport Bridge looks like it could take you to another world.

We did see some wildlife though! A raft (a.k.a "group") of sea lions lounging in the surf by some tall cliffs:

And also a resident sea gull seeking some hand-outs from unsuspecting tourists - crafty little dude! We off-loaded some Chex Mix for him.

Planning to hit the Aquarium today and see some relatives - the Otters!!!!