Florence and Portland, Oregon (Day 5)

On our last day before the AMHA Annual Meeting began in Portland, we started off by stopping close to the Sea Lions cave at a scenic overlook. After a bit of staring out into the water, we spotted sea lions!! There weren't any in the cave, but there were tons out in the ocean, and it took a while to be able to spot them.

Sea Lions not to be mistaken for rocks (and vice versa)

Our next stop was just a bit north of Florence to Yachats, Oregon and the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area Cooks Chasm to see Thor's Well and the Spouting Horn. We parked along the road and took a trail down closer to the beach where we could see the sights. I had to get a picture of the warning sign--there are soooo many different warning signs in Oregon! We joked about it a lot in the car as we passed signs about tsunamis, rock slides and more.

Mom and dad stayed up at a viewing area while I eventually made my way down onto the volcanic rock to get closer to Thor's Well to take pictures. I was going to stay back but the longer I was down there, the closer I wanted to get, so I kept creeping closer and closer. Since it was raining, it was hard to tell how far the waves were coming in on the rocks--everything was already wet! It was SO cold and I was drenched by the time I was done taking pictures after spending too much time in the heavy mist.

Cape Perpetua's Cook's Chasm

fascinating volcanic rock

Thor's Well while empty

Thor's Well erupting with water

Thor's Well

a snail along the trail

After defrosting in the car following Cooks Chasm, we made a detour after seeing signs for Yakina Head Outstanding Natural Area and Yakina Lighthouse. This area might have been even higher up than the entrance to the trail down to Cooks Chasm, and there weren't any trees to break the wind. It was bitterly cold and VERY windy. Dad stayed in the car while mom and I walked around the short lighthouse. We took a quick selfie and mom hold my hood amidst the crazy wind!

Yakina Lighthouse

it was SO WINDY

These were all along the coast

From there, we continued to Newport, Oregon to see Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area and Otter Rock. It was pretty beautiful but since the tide was in, we weren't able to go down to it to explore.To the south of the sight, we could see surfers out in the water--I couldn't believe it with how cold it was outside! They were all wearing wetsuits.. but still! There were a few businesses by the parking lot for the viewing area, so I bought a hot chocolate at a cafe to warm up. It was REALLY good. I then decided to hike down to the beach to see if there was a way to get another view of the Devil's Punchbowl while mom and dad stayed in the car. There wasn't, but it was a pretty beach and amazing to see how many surfers were out.

Devils Punchbowl (Otter Rock in the distance)

the beach at Devils Punchbowl

the beach at Devils Punchbowl

Surfers out in the cold

Our next stop after this was supposed to be our destination for the rest of our trip, Portland, but en route there I saw a sign for apple cider and HAD to stop at Bernards Farm.

hazelnuts and walnuts

While browsing the store, I saw a sign noting that you could still pick apples and pears, so mom and I grabbed a bag from the attendant and the three of us got back in the car and drove out into the field to the orchards. We had a pretty hard time finding the trees since it was the end of the season and almost everything was gone. After ending up in the Walnut tree area, I called the lady who had given us directions so she could help us get on track--eventually, we found where we were going. Mom and I found a few apples that were a bit beaten up, and some pears too. The lady in the store ended up giving them to us for free since we had mostly windfalls. We had a ton of fun though. Dad kept warm by staying in the car while we were on the hunt.

pear

apple orchard

For our last stop before checking into our hotel in Portland, we went to the Pittock Mansion, a mansion completed in 1914 with a stunning view of the city down below. By the time we arrived, the mansion was closed, but thankfully the grounds were still open, so we were able to make a loop around it. There were tons of plants, thankfully with labels, so mom and dad were thrilled. That said, the mist was back so it was quite cold, much like the rest of the day!

Pittock Mansion

view of Portland