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| Heceta Head Lighthouse, near Cape Perpetua on Oregon coastline |
Although we are trying to visit places we
haven’t been before, it is hard to pass up an old favorite when you are nearby. Two years ago when we were in
Oregon we discovered the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and just loved it. It was cold and dreary when we visited
before but this year the weather was so lovely we couldn’t resist stopping and
staying a while.
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| The highest viewpoint accessible by car, Cape Perpetua towers 800 feet over the protected Marine Garden shoreline |
We stayed at Carl G. Washburne Memorial
State Park between Yachats and Florence on Highway 101. This campground is nestled in a heavily
forested and wind protected area east of the highway and the beach area is across the road. There is a pretty little trail along China Creek that goes
under the highway connecting the campground to the beach.
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| Moss covered forest along the trail to the beach from Carl Washburne campground |
Several trails begin at the campground
including one that leads to the beautiful and often photographed Heceta Head
Lighthouse. We didn’t make the hike last
time we were here so we were determined to take the trail to the lighthouse
this year.
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| Morning fog near the top of the lighthouse trail |
We stayed a week exploring new trails and
hiking in two wilderness areas, the Drift Creek and Cummins Creek Wildernesses. We made trips into the nearby towns and visited
the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. This
visitor center is one of the best we’ve seen with live plant displays, exhibits
and ranger programs.
Cummins Creek Wilderness
The Cape Perpetua Headland is a stunning place where the temperate spruce rainforest transitions to the sea. From old-growth forests in wilderness areas to vibrant tidepools to gorgeous views from the highpoint of the cape – it is a place of perpetual beauty.
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| Tidepools at Neptune Beach |
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| Sea stars and sea anemones clinging to rock at low tide |
David's
Stats:
Days Hiked 5
Days Hiked 5
Rain
Days 1
Total Miles Hiked 36.13
Ave. Miles per Day 7.23
Total Elevation Gain 6,338
Ave. Elevation Gain per day 1,268
Total Miles Hiked 36.13
Ave. Miles per Day 7.23
Total Elevation Gain 6,338
Ave. Elevation Gain per day 1,268
Beautiful update on an incredible part of the world Cindy. I love these mental vacations through your journal and photographs. They bring such peace into my often stressed life.
ReplyDeleteThe scenes remind me a little of writer Debbie Macomber's CEDAR COVE series originally set in Port Orchard Washington which is her summer place but filmed in Vancouver and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. (Victoria). Tax incentives for filming make that possible. I should say its is a series on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday Nights at 8 pm central and now in its second season.
My only comparison to it and your time in Cape Perpetua was my childhood in San Diego similar for us in the 1960s when Dad and Mom took us on weekend outings and vacations each year. The coastline is beautiful from fog to mist or rain to sunshine transitions. It can transition as much one way to sunlight as back to fog. The lighthouse in Cape Perpetua reminds me of the one in Point Loma, where one can also 'whale watch,' off the tip of that inlet but not set or accessible by that beautiful moss covered forest. Wow, were those pictures ever beautiful.
One of the more spectacular vacation memories I have was from the late 1960s when we traveled the coastline from San Diego to San Francisco. Along the 101 now I think just called the '1' or 'Cabillio Highway.' In Oregon I believed its called the 'Coast Highway." On our vacation we stayed I believe in the Sand's Motel which was right on the beach (literally) in San Simeon. It was a foggy misty morning on the coast when we boarded a rather luxurious bus coach that took us from sea level to the Enchanted Hilltop location of that property. Then it had recently been opened to the public so we saw it before it was restored but it was spectacular. What was an adventure was the bus drive from the stillness of fog and mist in San Simeon up the hill that went really from dark grey to lighter shades and by the time we neared the top we broke through the clouds to sunshine and the property that sat as if of the cloud tops below like miles of cotton. Very much a fair tale setting. Not sure if you all have camped near there or not but its worth the stop though more pristine in the 60s than I suspect now.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting thing about Cape Perpetua on that map at least is the name of a town south of there called Coos Bay I believe. When I was in Odessa and at KQIP I often saw classified job openings at a radio station in Coos Bay. At the time I was trying to get to KZEW, KNUS, and/or KVIL in Dallas with airchecks and resumes but always wondered about the station in the far Northwest town. And there you all are with beautiful photos of what that area is like.
The tidepools remind me some of La Jolla and Torrey Pines in the 1960s. I believe the Scripps Institution of Oceanology are still some of the most pristine in California and were so in the early to mid 1960s. The San Diego schools used to bus us grade schooler's there each year for a few days and I loved it. But as beautiful as it was your shots of the untouched tide pools were enchanting. What a beautiful part of the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to more of your travels and suspect Washington State is on your list in future posts. Not that I'm any huge fan of Costco but its based in Issaquah near Seattle and the famous Kirkland as well. Did not realize that Victoria and Vancover Island as well as Vancover itself is so close by in Canada. Have you all ever stretched into Canada in previous journeys? From the Hallmark Series it looks beautiful and breath taking - at least the scenes shot in Victoria. I believe a Ferry transports travelers to and from the Island. And Vancover doubles for Seattle in the series.
Thanks again for a great mental vacation. From DFW where its been 100 and excessively hot - but last week with a cool front in the mid 70s to 80s with heavy rains being able to see Fog, a lighthouse, a forest, and tide pools has been a mental vacation of peace and a gift. Thanks for sharing it with us. Steve.