Cars Cars Cars !!

En route home today 500 miles but early start home by dinner.

While out cycling this weekend near cape Arago we stumbled upon a car show at Shore Acres state park. Well stumbled isn't the right term....Itseemed lit about a million old cars zoomed past us on their way to the show.

We biked over the the location and walked around in our bike outfits.
Here are a couple pix.

Leave the driving to the Beav! (iphone)

1913 Buick.  Acetylene and kersone lamps! (iphone)

Cobra (iphone)

Wild Car! (iphone)

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Spent much of the day at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon.  Took a few pics.  Tufted Puffins are the stars of the show, however there are other fun critters around, too.  Oh, yes, the Sea Lions are obnoxiously loud down at the bay. Woof Woof.  You can double click on any photo to enlarge.

 

Green Anemone and freinds

Lion's Mane Jelly Fish

Rockfish

Yaquina Bay and Newport

Love the iPhone front camera

Have spent the weekend in Newport, OR at the Marina RV park.  We have been staying at state parks for the past week and began the weekend at South Beach State Park on Friday night.  However, when we arrived at the park, we discovered that 1) the spot we occupied was right near the entrance and we heard the many diesel trucks and other vehicles driving past all the time; and 2) we the trees blocked the satellite reception and it was opening weekend of NFL.

Horrors!

Sraddha called the Marina RV park and we scored a spot for Saturday and Sunday!  Right across the street from the aquarium which we will visit on Monday.  We biked over Friday night to the Marina from the state park to scope it out and agreed that, while different from our normal digs, this would be a fun experiment.

Yaquina Point Lighthouse.  Go Giants!

Saturday morning we packed up, moved out of the park to the day use area where we left the RV, and drove up north to Yaquina point Lighthouse area where we ate our breakfast by the lighthouse.

We went down to the beach area to see some harbor seals, but didn't stay too long because it was cold and blustery.

Harbor Seals

Here's Looking at you kid!

We drove up to Devil's Punchbowl but too cold to go down to the beach so we just ate some ice cream instead.

Ice Cream Truck Heaven

We toured the Bay front area, returned, and moved the RV over to the Marina.  Relaxing and quiet.  We explored the estuary nearby and then watched a little college football.  Unfortunately, my Huskies got creamed by LSU as expected.  Actually worse than expected.  Glad I am detached from it all.  hehe.

Later I walked around the area looking for photo opportunities.  Not very good lighting but managed to take a few.  Sunday we watched the NFL...all day. Except for a little walk to take some photos below.

Afternoon cloud at Yaquina Bay.  

Newport Marina

reflection on building

Ya Quina.

As in Yaquina Bay. Foggy. Cooler. Wonderful.  We are camped just west of here at South Beach State Park and biked over to this spot about 2 miles. The camera is looking north.  Behind the camera is the big aquarium (another blog post tomorrow).  Then we biked around the marina and to an estuary where we saw some egrets and terns fishing and an Osprey eating dinner.

Thankful for front camera on iPhone.  Yaquina Bridge behind us

Feet Don't Fail Me Now!

Note to reader: this post was made back in September 7 while on the Oregon coast, and somehow ended up in my drafts folder until i just found it.  So enjoy and we do love the little "feet".
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September 7, 2012

Last week we bought these cool "FiveFingers" shoes with Vibram soles at REI in Portland.  Several people have recommended them and we were intrigued.  We wear Chaco sandals much of the time in the summer (and Sraddha wears them much of the winter).  I wear Keen sandals and shoes much of the time also.  When hiking, I wear boots of course up in the high sierra mountains, but I get blisters sometimes.

Anyway, we have been wearing these a little around camp for a couple hours at a time. Well, yesterday, we decided to hike in them.  We walked the beach which is really cool and sand is soft.  The Vibram soles have good traction and some firmness, but you can feel the ground, almost like barefoot without the issues of bare feet.  We walked several miles on the beach.  The other day we road our bicycles with them

In the afternoon, we decided to hike in the Sitka Spruce Forest of Oswald West State Park.  Now this is a real trail with rocks and tree trunks and dirt and mud and water.  And it was a 6 mile hike.  As we were walking I kept feeling the earth which was really neat.  We had been warned to break them in so I was a little concerned with overdoing it however, in the end, my legs and feet felt fine.  The last 1/2 mile was a little had since it was mostly gravel and I could "feel it"  but tonight my feet feel fine.  Think  I will give it a rest today as we will be driving many hours south to Newport area.  But will walk in them again on Saturday.

Oh, yes, one other thing I noticed was no back or knee pain from hiking.  Hmm.  Coincidence?

Our feet today!

Hiking Cape Falcon. Amidst the Sitka Spuce Forest

-Today we hiked through a forest of old growth Sitka Spruce, Hemlock and other trees along the Oregon Coast at Oswald West State Park near Manzanita, Oregon.  Once again, I didn't take my good camera so had to use the iPhone to capture some pics.  These are not in any order as they were uploaded from iPhone.

Bank looking down into ocean.  too bad you cannot see ocean

Is this Hobbit land?

Burle of tree hosting plants

Big Big Sitka Spruce Trees

How big are these Sitka Spruce trees?  This big!!

View of beach

View of beach from Cape Falcon near Arches Cape

Land's End

We made it to the coast. After an relaxing drive up to Ananda Laurelwood followed by several days of volunteer efforts,seeing old friends and being inspired by others, we headed out to the coast.

Spent 2 night up on Long Beach peninsula where we biked and hiked around Oysterville

We explored Lewis and Clark expedition at the interpretive center. It's been 208 years since their lanark expedition. Amazing journey. Was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. What a visionary. Opened up the west. Sid you know they spent the first winter in North Dakota with temps falling to 40 degrees below zero? Fascinating to read excerpts from their journals.

Tuesday we journeyed back over the Columbia river to the south side and Fort Stevens State Park. Great bike trails. This morning we rode out to the south jetty where the mouth of Columbia empties into the ocean. This is "Land's End" for Oregon. About 6 miles from campground.

What also is along is to walk throight the old artillery batteries on both sides of the river. Some set up as far back as civil war. Others mainly for WW I and WW II. Then decommissioned after.

Did you know that on June 21, 1943, a Japanese sub fired on the area just south of Astoria? Fort Clatsop near Lewis and Clark's winter camp of 1804-1805.

Land's End - South Jetty on Columbia River

Oyster Crossing at Oysterville, Washington.