August 2012 Oregon Coast Trip (2)
In spite of warnings of an incoming storm, we lucked out and awoke to another day of beautiful blue skies and pleasant temperatures. The wind did come up a little today, but after all, it is the Oregon Coast...LOL! Today, we drove south along the coast stopping at a few viewpoints and going for a walk on Agate Beach. And, we saw gray whales...if from a distance. If you have never been to the Oregon Coast, it has spectacular scenery with lowland areas with wetlands and marshes for many sea-birds and other wildlife. And then there are these spectacular headlands with lighthouses and fantastic views. Sorry, but we didn't take any pictures of the lighthouses! I guess it comes from being an Oregon native and growing up with this scenery. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget how special it really is and don't take picture. How sad!!! However, we are always amazed at the geology of the coastline, so we do have a few pictures showing the massive upheavels of the cascadia subduction zone. Millions of years ago, this area was thrust upward above the sea by the push of the pacific plate under this coastline. It is hard to imagine, but the evidence is everywhere around us! Something new to us was all the Tsunami warning signs now on the coast highway. After the Japan disaster, it seems all low-lying areas around the Pacific are now very aware of how fragile the coastline really is and the possibility of the same thing happening here. So, on to the pictures! This first group of pictures was taken from Cape Foulweather - which was one of the first landmarks on the Oregon Coast identified and named by British explorer, Captain Cook in 1778 during a huge storm. It is one of the large "head-lands" (rock promintories) visible far out to sea on this coastline.
In this picture, you can easily see the upward tilting of the shoreline to the north of Cape Foulweather.
Here you will see a small whale-watching boat and I hope (with zooming in) you will be able to see the grey whale to the right and in front of the boat:
This is the view to the north along the coastline with the numerous resorts and beach homes:
The coastline is an ever-changing landscape and Agate Beach was no exception. When we were children, it was a narrow beach of pebbles where agates could easily be found. Today it is a wide (1/4 mile) beach with loose, dry sand that makes for difficult walking to get to the firm sand near the surf. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of this beach. But, I did manage to take a picture of the "souvenier" I was drooling over that I did not get!!! We found this gallery that these amazing kinetic sculptures on display (I should have guessed, since it was a gallery...LOL). The next morning we stopped by to check on the prices...sigh! I am sure they are priced appropriately, but were way out of my price-range. The little one (like a pine tree) in the foreground was what I was hoping would be around $300...but it was $600!!!!! YIKES!!!! The price range was from $500 - $3,000! So, I drooled a little while and went home without a kinetic sculpture. They sure were neat though:
Here are a few more pictures from the little beach cabin we were using.
DH on the laptop at one end of the front room:
This is the original bedroom (note the darling vintage quilt and linens):
and two pictures of the kitchen:
Now, the 2nd bedroom and bathroom "combination" take a little explaining! In the original garage area of the cottage, our friend's parent's added this 2nd bedroom and incorporated the bathroom fixtures into the same room. That's right, the sink and commode are right next to the bed (the ultimate in convenience during the night...LOL) and the shower is in one corner. Since it was just the two of us, it wasn't a problem but I don't think it would work for more unless it was within a very close family! BUT, the best thing in this room is the adorable vintage butterfly quilt on this bed along with more hand-embroidered linens!
With all its little quirks, this was a very homey little beach cottage and we loved staying here! We were very thankful for the generosity of our good friends!