Newport, Oregon

     Brrr! Oregon weather catches us again.  We awoke to a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the 80's predicted.  We looked forward to another day of exploring the area.  We can see the blinking light from the Yaquina Head Lighthouse at our beach.  The light was first lit in 1873.  The lighthouse sits on a narrow headland which extends one mile into the ocean.  We drove to the interpretive center and found out that it was high tide at 10 am so my plan to explore the tide pools was foiled.  We decided to tour the lighthouse and then come back later to view the tide pools.  However, by the time we drove the 1/2 mile to the lighthouse it was completely engulfed in fog.  No view at all.  Fortunately this site let us in for free on our National Golden Age Pass (Good for National Parks, but many other sites as well.  You can get one at age 62).

    The next stop on my agenda was the historic bay front area in Newport.  This port is home to the largest fishing fleet in Oregon.  On one side of the boardwalk we found many shops, galleries, and restaurants.  The ocean side had docks for deep sea fishing charters, packing fresh fish for local restaurants, and whale watching tour boats.  Two public piers were being used by folks doing a little crab fishing by hanging pots off the pier.  They pointed out huge starfish attached to the pilings.

    We stopped in a little fresh fish shop that also served fresh fish and chips and chowder.  It was a yummy lunch, but when we went out again the sun had completely disappeared into the fog.   We drove further south over the very high Yaquina Bay bridge hoping to drive out of the fog, but no luck.  By now our thermometer showed 55 and in our shorts and t-shirts we were pretty chilly.  We gave up, got gas for our trip to Bend tomorrow and went to the grocery store.  Oregon - hmmm - the weather is more changeable than Minnesota.