What
a great day. My words are inadequate to describe the Oregon coast we
saw today. We started out at 9 am, heading South on 101 toward
Northern California about 100 miles away from Coos Bay. The
previous five days of our trip have been unusually bright and sunny
and warm for this time of the year here. Today the weather got back
to normal, cool in the low fifties, windy and overcast even foggy in
the hills. Nonetheless the seacoast was magnificent. Cliffs,
hundreds of feet high, dropped nearly straight into the sea.
Beautiful white or black sand beaches, laced with frilly surf,
filled the bays between the cliffs. Just off shore stood gigantic
black rock teeth, the iconic vista of the Oregon coast.
Numerous
pull offs along the highway beckon the driver to delay. I would say
we got to get along and then another view appeared and we would say, “Oh
wow!” and pull over again. It took five hours to go 100 miles and
we could have taken longer. Lisa will add a few photos but you need
to see our album to get the real picture. One
side trip gets special mention. We drove six miles West of 101 on a
side road to Cape Blanco lighthouse. It is the farthest point West
in the continental USA. We have now made it to the farthest West and
farthest East at Quoddy Head, Maine.
We
arrived in Crescent City, CA in mid afternoon, took a break, and then
took a walk toward the sound of seals in the harbor. On the way
across the large commercial fishing harbor we found display boards
with information about tsunamis. All along our trip down the coast
we have been seeing blue and white tsunami warning signs and
evacuation route signs. I assumed that population centers have siren
warnings and I wondered how remotely located people got the word. My
question was answered at the display boards. If you feel an
earthquake, go to high ground immediately. Do not wait for a
warning. You just had the warning. The two most devastating
tsunamis occurred in 1964 from a 9.2 quake in Alaska and in 2011 from
the quake in Japan. Both times, the harbor was wiped out with surge
up to 20 feet. This is from quakes thousands of miles away.
We
ended up going back to the hotel and driving over to the seals since
they were just outside the restaurant, Chart Room. The seals rest on
long floating docks they have taken over. I don't see how they ever
sleep since there is a never ending cacophony of their quarreling and
jostling.
The
dinner was a bit disappointing even though the Chart Room was
recommended highly. The seafood was good but the preparation was
heavy. The batter was the old, thick kind. I ended up taking the
batter off and eating the good scallops, shrimp and cod. I gave Lisa
a fried onion ring. She took the batter off and ate it and I ate the
onion. Had a good laugh.
Tomorrow
we experience the giant Redwood trees and head toward Berkeley. We
don't intend to drive the nearly 400 miles but maybe make it half way
(maybe not :-) )
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