Oregon Coast Vacation Part 2

Tuesday was another beautiful day, one we set as our sight seeing day. We love to visit certain beautiful places south of Tillamook Bay on the coast. We decided we would do the Three Capes Loop and then go as far south as Depot Bay. 

The first stop was Cape Meares, at the southern mouth of Tillamook Bay. It is a place we visit often, but on a clear day it is so beautiful. We didn't visit the big trees there this time, instead just enjoying the views on both sides of the cape. 

The big white flower heads of cow parsnip decorated the roadsides everywhere. 

 Can you see the deer browsing in the brush? It wouldn't look at me, couldn't be bothered. 

 The cliffs are full of nesting sea birds. 

 Through the spruce grove to the lighthouse. 

 Views along the walk. 

 The Cape Meares Lighthouse was built in 1890 with  a Fresnel lens made in Paris. It is now inactive but is often open to the public as a museum. All of these prisms and the bulls eye lenses magnified and focused four fuel burning wicks. It was the keepers job to light the wicks each evening and keep the lenses polished. 

 Wild roses were in bloom on the cape.

 The view to the south is toward the Three Arch Rocks, home to thousands of sea birds. 

 Salal berries and spruce tree new growth. 

 It's hard to see the three arches from any one angle, but each rock has one. 

 Spruce trees can persist in the harsh coastal environment, sometimes overcoming early damage to take on interesting shapes. 

Farther south down the coast we drove up and over the headland you could see in the photos above to Oceanside, and the other side of the Three Arch Rocks. 

 I have posted before about the walking tunnel through this headland to a lovely little beach on the other side. The dark speck at the base is the tunnel opening. Again, we were just in it for the views this time. 

We drove south past the entrance to Cape Lookout State Park and down to the third cape, Cape Kiwanda, at Pacific City. 

 Last summer we sat and watched Jill and the kids climb and fly down the giant dune here.

 Today we were just into strolling over to the base, where the tide was out and the tide pools were exposed. 

 Barnacles and mussels, alive alive oh. 

 Big fat sea anemones. 

 Hard to find sea stars. 

 More big squishy sea anemones. 

 Limpets. 

 It would appear that the anemones can create the holes, but I'm not sure which came first, the holes or the anemones. 

 Cape Kiwanda is famous for dory boat fishing. A few dories were in action this day.  They beach  on the sand in the surf.

 Then they are trailered and pulled off the beach. 

 We passed through Lincoln City and all of its commercialism, and found a place at Siletz Bay Park for a road lunch stop. 

Sunshine, scenery, easy access, and a restroom nearby, all we needed for a perfect picnic spot. 

This was not the end of the day, or the vacation, but it is quite enough for one post. 

More to come. 

Besides, as I type, it's time for the running of the Belmont Stakes. Will there be a Triple Crown winner? We'll soon find out. 
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Justify justified all the praise and prognostication and won the Triple Crown!

Saturday evening the Sounders finally won also!  We were at the stadium to cheer them on.