Peter And Evie - Travel blog: Oct 9 - Central Oregon Coast.

This was an INCREDIBLE day of sightseeing and enjoying the Central Oregon coast. The mountains go right down into the ocean, and create lots of coves. Every single cove, mountain view, and beach is unique and delightful. Since we just drove up Hwy 101 north, we stopped at all the neat places along the scenic highway. I'll list them out as we stopped.
Darlingtonia State Natural Site--now you might ask what a Natural Site is, as did I. It turns out to be a local area that is unusual. In this case, it was a short boardwalk loop that went through a bog where carnivorous plants grow. Big, tall carnivorous plants. Well, at least 3 feet tall. They were really neat, and the signs explained how they work.
Sea Lions Caves -- this was interesting and OK, but not as exciting as touted. You took an elevator 200 feet down to the natural ocean-made cave, that opens onto an inlet inside the cave, where in the winter, the seals and sea lions gather. In October, they were all out on the rocks, barking.
Heceta Head Lighthouse and viewpoint - this had a trail out to the lighthouse, perched on a 1000 foot high rocky outcrop. The grounds were very well preserved, and actually have a B&B in the head lighthouse keeper's home. The lighthouse itself, like all Oregon lighthouses, is automated. But the view of the beach, coves, and rocky mountain ocean shore was amazing. According to the travel brochure, it says if you've seen a calendar with a lighthouse, this is probably where the photo was taken. The beach is in a cove, with a delightful view of the lighthouse. Peter thought the best thing was the bookcase in the lighthouse. The local inspectors would come by and bring books for the lighthouse keepers to read.
Cape Perpetua --This was absolutely fabulous. The road to the viewpoint winds upwards to 802 feet. You get a spectacular view down, down, way down to the coast. There was a nice trail out to a stone shelter that was built in the 30's by the Civilian Conservation Corp. How they built anything up on those mountains is beyond me, but I'm so glad that they did! We sat on a rock wall and chatted with some other folks, and just enjoyed the amazing view.
Yachats town (pronounced Yaw-hots)--we stopped in this little town and had lunch. Then drove along their local Ocean Road State Park drive, to a few overviews and beaches. This is where we turned around to head back south to our RV campground.
Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint and Muriel Ponsler State Scenic Viewpoint --These were interesting ocean overlooks, with interesting tide pools and basalt rocks. The Muriel Ponsler Viewpoint had canals that the water created, so when the waves entered, they made huge splashes. We were there a low tide, so it wasn't as dramatic--but still REALLY neat.
That ended the day, and what a great day it was.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site photos: