(+6 insets)

Coastal Travel
Steve and I have been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time now along the Oregon coast. Both of us are familiar with the unpredictable nature but it's interesting to experience it first-hand. Everything from crazy storms to still beaches and everything in-between. We'd had so much wind, rain and stormy conditions during our stay at Beverly Beach that when a sunny day greeted us one morning, we immediately made plans to visit the nearby lighthouse at Yaquina Head.

Today's Picture
A couple of days ago I shared a panorama showing the walk out to the lighthouse. This sight had us taking pictures from many angles to appreciate it completely! What a lovely building and beautifully cared for. It was built in 1873 and the lands there also included housing, farmyards and gardens for the caretakers--they had to raise and grow their own food, since they really were a long way from civilization! Steve and I walked around the remaining foundations and tried to imagine their incredibly lovely but lonely existence there. If you're like to know more, this article goes into much more detail: The History of Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Today's Insets
Inset #1: The lovely Salal Trail led up a tall hill near the lighthouse and Steve and I were just wowed at the incredible views. Steve had to force me to keep moving because I couldn't resist taking a million pictures!

Inset #2: We saw lots of Black-Striped Sparrows who foraged on the blueberry-like Salal berries covering the bushes which lined much of the trail. I was delighted to get this picture--they were careful to fly away when we got too close, and I kept getting bushes with no birds! :D

Inset #3: Down on the cobble beach near the seals, I found countless pretty vignettes to photograph. There were so many lovely groupings of stones in this setting, and this one I especially liked.

Inset #4: This is another grouping of cobbles that I appreciated which also included driftwood, of which there was plenty scattered on the beach.

Inset #5: Seals are so itchy! I found that they spent a lot of time scratching their sides and faces. This is a well-fed baby rubbing its face with its flipper. (Have you ever seen the skeleton of a seal? Their flippers reveal 5-fingered hands! (here is a mounted skeleton) Remarkable!)

Inset #6: This darling baby, with mama nearby, looks back in my direction as if it knows I'm taking a picture! I'm so far away that I'm undetectable with its poor on-land vision, but I like to think that it's posing just for me! :D This is also the last picture of the seals from this trip!

Thank You For Visiting!
It's hard to believe that February is nearly through…how did that happen? Steve and I are making our last preparations before we depart on our next trip and our house-sitter is stopping by to drop off supplies for his long stay too! We are feeling better about things with restrictions easing, I hope you are all doing well. Thanks so much for your visits, comments and stars!

Explored on 2/21/22; highest placement #8.