On July 17, 2013 we arrived in Brookings, Oregon. After being inland and the temperatures being very warm, we thought it wold be nice to be along the Oregon Coast and some cooler weather. We did not realize just how cool it would be this year!! The scenery along the Oregon Coast is some of the most beautiful in the U.S. The coast is so varied from one area to another. There are huge sand dunes in some places, wide sweeping sandy beaches in others, and rocky mountains that seem to fall into the sea in others! However this year was so foggy that in places it was almost impossible to see the ocean.We stayed in Brookings for 9 nights. We never
could sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine. Most mornings we turned on the heat. And the wind, the wind just kept blowing!!!On July 28, we moved north to Newport. Once again we were in fog almost every morning and the wind!!! When we did some sightseeing inland, the weather was sunny and warm, but out on the coast we once again had cool windy weather.
We did go to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and you could see the fog bank just sitting off the coast. The Yaquina Head lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses. On June 8, 1866, President Andrew Jackson signed an Executive Order that set aside 19 acres for a lighthouse to be constructed at Yaquina Head. The light at Yaquina was first lit on August 20, 1873. Maintaining the light was the primary duty of the lighthouse keepers. Days were filled with polishing, cleaning and repairing. Yaqina Hed Lighthouse was automated in 1966, ending the era of station attendants. At 93 feet tall it is Oregon's tallest lighthouse
and continues to cast its light with the original lens in place. The last time we visited here we did climb to the top of the lighthouse, but not this year!!
Not far from our RV Park was the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. This is the only wooden lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, and the only one with living quarters attached. The Yaquina Bay Light was built by Ben Simpson and first lit on November 3, 1871. It was lit only from 1871 to 1874, due to the establishment of the Yaquina Head Light in 1873, located three miles north of Yaquina Bay. It was decommissioned on October 1, 1874, but on December 7, 1996 it became a working lighthouse again. The light was re-lit using a 250mm modern optic on loan from lighthouse historian James A. Gibbs. The light is an official U.S. Coast Guard aid which is privately maintained It displays a fixed white light visible for six miles.Sunday, July 28, we moved to Lincoln City and met up with our friends, Chris and Jan, Fred and Sharon and Fran and OJ. Once again the weather was cool and windy and we could not sit outside and enjoy the sunset with a glass of wine, but we did manage to have a good time.
Most of the people in the RV parks commented that the weather was more like winter than summer this year.... oh well, you can't do anything about the weather!
On Sunday, August we moved inland to warmer weather. We moved to McMinnville, and the Willamette Valley to taste some wine.
More from along the road later....
Love, Candy and Johnny
