Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Traveling the Oregon Coast in Black and White
Not exactly on purpose, in black and white, that is. We had good weather the first half of our recent vacation in the Redwoods, but on our drive back home up the Oregon Coast? – Not so much.
It happens.
Still, it IS the Oregon Coast and there was much natural beauty to enjoy even shrouded by clouds and rain!
Bandon by the Sea
We spent the night in Bandon, one of my favorite places on the coast. The next day we stopped by Face Rock but didn’t venture down to the beach as it was pretty miserable. Even the sparrow seemed a bit under the weather.
Newport
The next night we spent in Newport and visited Old Town on the waterfront, where we found dozens of (noisy) and somewhat hostile (to each other) sea lions.
We did catch a break later that night with a reprieve from the rain and took a walk on the beach just before sunset.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area
Yaquina Head is just north of Newport, and you can see the Lighthouse in the first picture above from the night before. The next day we visited the lighthouse close up.
This is the tallest of Oregon’s lighthouses at 93 feet, and my favorite. It was first lit on August 20, 1873.
We’ve stopped by many times before, but this was the first time we took the stairs down to Cobble Beach below. Wow! The tide was out and tidepools were full!
“The cobblestone beach was created roughly 14 million years ago as a result of the Columbia River basalt lava flow. Over the years, powerful erosion processes break down beachside cliffs releasing basalt cobbles. The cobblestones become smooth and polished from the constant tides and storms.” OregonDiscovery.com
We crossed the slippery stones to the tidepools, careful to avoid stepping on the millions of mussels and other small creatures.
We also stayed far away from the resting seals, who live here year-round.
So, despite the inclement weather, this stop at Yaquina Head proved to be the highlight of our trip home. So never let a little (or a lot of) rain stop you!
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Such a beautiful country we have.
Yes indeed!
Great photos. So many seals.
Thank you! Yes, we saw lots of seals and sea lions.
I agree with GP. The USA is very pretty in every part of it. I think the Pacific Coast from California through Alaska can’t be beat!
Yes, I agree! What a marvelous west coast we have!
Your photos are beautiful and amazing, Susanne! The seals are so big and packed in together, the sea floor is amazing when exposed. ❤️😊
Thanks, John! A bit darker and rainier than I would have liked but we still enjoyed the beauty of the coast!
The rain and gray did make for a great day! 😊
The Oregon coastline is magical, and the black and white photos give it a timeless, haunting quality as well!
Thanks, John. We would have preferred sunshine to rain, but it was still beautiful and we had a good time! And Cobble Beach was a real discovery!
Looks like our home. What is it about lighthouses that makes them so fascinating?
I don’t know but I sure like them! And Oregon’s got some great ones!
Stunning! Such beautiful images Susanne. Looks like a fabulous adventure. Hugs, C
Thank you so much. 😊 We had a wonderful time, despite the rain!!
So beautiful!
Thank you!
We loved Bandon Beach too, and I reckon it looks special even in the poor weather you had! The rock pools look like great fun to explore and I love your monochrome shot of the shiny stones 🙂
Thanks so much! The beach in Bandon is a great place to walk and there so much to see! But it was so rainy and windy I just stood up top to take some pictures! A bit more sunshine would have been nice but rain is not uncommon on the coast in the spring.
Great photos indeed, and I love rock pools! Shame about the weather, but you managed to make it look like a great trip anyway.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. The weather couldn’t have been much worse, but the Oregon Coast has so much to see and do, we made the best of it. And the tidepools at Cobble Beach were incredible.
Too bad about the weather, but sometimes it’s nice to see an area in a different light as it were. The photos have a lovely moody feeling!
Thanks, Graham. We knew the weather would be dicey coming back so at least it wasn’t a surprise. And we managed to have a few special stops, especially at Cobble Beach which we didn’t even know existed. 🙂
Yes, that looks like a great find.
Great photos!
Thank you!
Cloud and rains sometimes provide a unique atmosphere that can be as interesting as bright sunny days. 🙂
True. I was a bit disappointed as there would have been so much more to see and explore if the weather hadn’t been so bad. Fortunately, we’ve been down the Oregon Coast many times and have seen it in all kinds of weather, including blue skies and sunshine! 🙂
I LOVED this post! The lighthouse shots reminded me of Ireland.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!