On our way back from Yaquina Head Lighthouse the day before, we spied a wide expanse of sandy beach. We could even spot a few dog walkers. We decided we would return to give Ollie a good run.

We discovered it was called Agate Beach, an Oregon State Recreation Site. On the drive to the beach, dark clouds quickly rolled in from the Pacific turning the sky black and we thought we would have to abandon our plans for a walk. The wind picked up but the rain held off. By the time we had parked, we virtually had the beach to ourselves. We could see a couple of razor clam diggers in the far distance, out towards the lighthouse, and a couple of dog walkers.

As soon as we got onto the beach over a short little wooden bridge, we let Ollie off the leash and she galloped off, enjoying the sand between her paws and the wind whipping her ears making them dance. All bundled up in woolly hats, fleeces and waterproof coats, we set off to catch up with her.

We spent an exhilarating couple of hours on the beach. I was looking for agates, jaspers and carnelians, but it was just miles and miles of sand and we chose not to walk too close to the shoreline as the waves were crashing in. We didn't want to risk Ollie frolicking in to the waves to the point of it becoming a danger. She was relaxed on the sand, enjoying the off-leash run.

It was chilly to begin with but as the dark clouds rolled away the sun came out to say hello, we warmed up . We walked for miles, almost all the way back into Newport.

Memorable fun day.

We were so fortunate that our RV Site in Newport was so close to Lost Creek Beach, so we spent early mornings and evenings playing by the water.

Once Ollie finds a stick, the fun begins. Henry runs and runs and Ollie scampers after him until they're both smiling happily, panting, with shiny eyes and noses. Ollie is still a little nervous of the water so Henry keeps a close, protective eye on her. He's also very aware of her picking things up off the beach. As a puppy, she loves to find things and have a good chew on them. Watching Henry and Ollie together is pure joy.

I wrote a little message to my darling niece Nancy in the sand, just to say hi. She had been writing messages in the sand that week, back in the UK, so I wrote back to her. She is so sweet.

I like to mooch along the shoreline beach combing and rock hounding. Eyes searching out little treasures. I was hoping to found an old glass buoy washed ashore from local boats, but alas, no luck this time.  I pocketed some agates in warm, earthy shades of gold, amber, and rich bourbon. I was delighted when I found a huge hag stone that looked like a Google marker. I found quite a few more but left them behind on the beach for others to enjoy. 

About a week after our arrival in Newport, a jolly good storm blew through one night, leaving debris; wood and weed on the beach. It also left the beach covered with small blue jelly fish. I had seen something similar on the Morro Strand beach in California. They are called 'velella velella' jelly fish or 'by-the-wind sailors,' seeing as they look like little boats with little blue sails. The entire tideline was deep blue with these jellyfish. And Ollie loved them with the passion of an undergrad slurping down blue jello shots. 

After the first day of sneakily eating a couple of the blue jellies, despite being kept on a tight leash, she was a little bit poorly so we thought she had learned her lesson. She had not. She continued to fervently chase the blue jellies down as if they were the last chip in the bag. All our beach time from that point on meant Ollie was on her leash to prevent her from devouring her favorite little blue snack. 

Bye-bye Sisters, hello Oregon Coast!

The journey from Sisters, over the Cascade Mountains, in Central Oregon, on a gorgeous April morning, turned out to be bright and beautiful. It was a glorious day!

We had not fully anticipated how treacherous the winding curves, steep descents and scary drop-offs that we would have to navigate after we summited the Santiam Pass could have been. We were just so focused on getting over the Pass. Fortunately the roads were very clear and once we descended the mountains, crossed the busy I5 and dropped into Albany then the flats of Corvallis, we were itching to catch our first glimpse of the ocean.

Our next stop was in Newport, Oregon at the Thousand Trails site called Whaler's Rest.

On arrival we requested a full hook up site with the best opportunity for a strong wifi signal, especially for Henry. We were directed up a steep hill and we spent at least 20 minutes trying to back into a very tight site. We ended up shifting over to a neighboring site so we could gain extra leverage to safely manouver the trailer and park her up safely.

As I began setting up the trailer on the inside, Kim began setting everything up the trailer on the outside. He quickly discovered the standing water pipe was leaking, spraying both him and the surrounding area with water. It quickly became waterlogged and exceedingly muddy. We were parked in a bog.

We asked to move sites and found a lovely pull through site on the other side of the road. We quickly settled in. 

The site was within walking distance of the Lost Creek Beach, so I set off after dinner, with Ollie scampering along beside me, to potter through the woods, cross the road and to run wild on the beach. We while enjoy the scorching evening sunset.

Kim and I continued with our quest to seek out and find all eleven lighthouses in Oregon with a day trip out to Bandon, between Gold Beach and Coos Bay on the Oregon coast. This time we set out to find the Coquille River Lighthouse.

We found Bandon to be delightfully charming with plenty of cool cafes, galleries and mom and pop gift shops. It is perhaps most famous for its Circles in the Sand annual event, now in its tenth year, where groups of artists create mesmerizing labyrinths and other elaborate designs in the sand on a mission to spread love, joy and kindness.  Unfortunately our visit didn't coincide with the event but we saw the lovely wet, sandy beaches, perfect for this style of artwork.

We stopped in the old town for an early lunch in a beautiful old building that housed a co-op of local artists. We sipped our specialty coffees and we each had a lovely bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers, dill and lotsa freshly squeezed lemon on top. Delish! We then mooched around the artists stalls, enjoying the diverse artistic styles and media. I enjoyed the sculptures made out of reclaimed plastic and other debris found in the ocean. I especially loved the crested puffin that reminded me of the macaroni penguin. I have a bit of a thing for penguins and puffins as they are loyal, eccentric and comical, a bit like me.

After lunch we walked around the old town marina where we saw an array of colorful boats bobbing on the river, saw the skeletal wooden legs of bygone docks, listened to the barking seals and screaming gulls, did a bit of window shopping, and generally mooched around town.

We then returned to the truck to get the most advantageous view of the Coquille River Lighthouse. Built in 1896, the purpose of the lighthouse was to light the entry way into the Coquille River and to provide safe passage for local fishing vessels through the perilous sandbars. As well as the lighthouse, a fog horn was also built at the site to help guide boats through to safety when it became too foggy even to see the light. It was first lit on February 29, 1896 and it was the last official lighthouse to be constructed on the Oregon Coast. The lighthouse was fully functioning until 1939 when it was decommissioned and an automated beacon was installed on the south jetty to take its place. 

From our viewpoint across the Coquille River, we found it to be a quaint little lighthouse with a bright red base, whitewashed walls and dark top, only 47 feet tall, built adjacent to a squat octagonal keeper's house and boathouse. Through the rising mists it looked beautiful.

After taking numerous shots of the lighthouse we explored the southern end of town through Kronenberg County Park and onto Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. By the time we got there, the mist had descended and was swirling around the rocks making a spooky scene worthy of the witches of Macbeth. The words "something wicked this way comes" turned over in my mind. The black rocks below resembled witches hats and the churning ocean became some kind of  powerful potion. Once again we had stumbled upon nature's magic. I was mesmerized and let the mist swallow me as the wind whipped my hair and took my breath. Fabulous!

We discovered there are eleven lighthouses in Oregon and we decided we wanted to see them all. 

There are nine original lighthouses on the rugged Oregon coast, seven are open to the public and two are privately built, still certified by the US Coast Guard as lighthouses, however they are not open to the public. 

Leaving Henry at home for a rest day, Kim and I set off like a couple of intrepid explorers in search of lighthouses.

The first on our lighthouse list was Cape Blanco Lighthouse, a 19th century lighthouse perched on top of a tall peninsula with 200 foot cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the western most tippy tip of Oregon. It was named Cape Blanco, or white cape, by Spanish navigators in the early 17th century due to the appearance of the chalky white cliffs hugging the headland and the surrounding bay.

As we approached on a long and winding road, about five miles off the US101 Highway, we found ourselves driving through more and more mist and the hope of actually seeing the lighthouse began to fade.

We parked on the headland and fortunately we caught glimpses of the lighthouse through the dense sea mist that was swirling around us, shapeshifting, offering hazy views one moment then shrouding the lighthouse in clouds of mist the next. It was eerie!

We wrapped up warm and then took the short 1/4 mile hike out to the lighthouse.

The closer we got to the lighthouse, the clearer we could see it and by the time we approached the base, the mist had dissipated and the sun was deciding on whether to make an appearance.

On the headland, as well as the lighthouse, we could now see the foundational remnants of other buildings as well as a large white farmhouse style building, still standing, that had been converted in to a gallery, gift shop and museum. Tours were not available that day, but the gentleman in the museum answered all our questions and gave us some valuable information about the history of the lighthouse.

We learned that Cape Blanco Lighthouse is the oldest, continuously operating lighthouse on the Oregon coast. It was first lit on December 20th, 1870. We learned the bricks for the lighthouse were made in kilns on site rather than being transported from San Francisco due to the remoteness of the location and to make the construction of the lighthouse more cost efficient. The rest of the materials needed for the construction were brought in by boat. The location was selected to warn passing vessels of the reefs off shore and to provide a position fix for navigators. The circular brick tower was built 59 feet high and housed a Fresnal lens that cast a white light out to sea for approximately 22 nautical miles, to the curvature of the earth. The lighthouse suffered many storms and gales over the years. Roofs of the surrounding outbuildings were lost many times due to its exposed position and extreme buffeting by the wind, but the lighthouse always stood sturdy and strong. 

We walked around the plain, whitewashed lighthouse and could walk almost to the edge of the grassy cliff tops where the gulls were screaming at us to stay back, stay safe. The sun finally came out to say hello as the last of the mist disappeared and we finally got to see the full impact of the elevation, magnificent 360 degree views from the vantage point of the 245 foot cliff top over the sandy beached bay to the north and the rugged rocky sea stack strewn coastline to the south. We could even see the gentle curve of the earth on the horizon. Wow!

Leaning in to the wind, we took a moment to breathe in the history of the incredible feat of engineering standing before us.

It reminded me of an Indian proverb...

​In this case, it is not the shade that lasts for future generations, but light. Still shining and casting a protective, life-preserving light over the ocean before it, the lighthouse continues to save souls of whom the original architects and builders could never have dreamed.

​A blessing indeed.

We were mesmerized watching the weather roll in to Crescent City from our prime location, right on the beach. Henry and I were getting cabin fever. So while Kim continued tweaking his graphs (not a euphemism!) for his stock market trading, Henry and I set off in the rain to check out Ocean World in town.

​Henry and I love aquariums and we are always excited to discover new ones. However we are now aquarium snobs having visited the crème de la crème of aquariums in California; the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and the highly esteemed Aquarium of the Pacific. 

Ocean World was small and a bit, as Henry would say, "budget," but had some memorable features. Henry and I are always determined to have a good time and we entered with buoyant expectation. Billed as "...more than just an aquarium; it is entertainment for the whole family," we were hopeful it was going to be a fun experience. We certainly had fun outside posing on a surfboard set against a huge mural of a giant wave!

After mooching around the store for 15 minutes waiting for our timed entrance, we were led with our group through a nondescript door to a patio area with a simulated rock tide pool where we could "pet" the starfish and observe the flowery anemones whilst being silently observed by some fibre glass statues of pirates. There was also a life size model of a smallish orca. The most interesting and authentic artifact was the whale bone pelvis that had been found washed ashore in Crescent City.  As you can see from the pics, Henry was mightily impressed. 

We were then shepherded down some concrete steps into a basement that allowed us to view two large tanks. To our right was a tank of seals and sea lions and to our left, a tank of rays, leopard sharks, sturgeon and striped bass. The tanks were presented through a series of large windows that created a dramatic cinematic effect. The tanks were clearly very old, not very well maintained and quite small for the number of marine mammals and large fish living there. The sharks, rays and fish circled mindlessly. We padded about on the carpeted flooring between the two tanks, watching the sea creatures watching us. In the middle was a smaller tank titled "Sandy Bottom" containing local rockfish, Dungeness crab, spiny dogfish and silver and rainbow surfperch. In the hushed environment, time seemed to stand still. It was a little unnerving. Thankfully, a small child in our group shrieked and that seemed to waken us from our trance.

We then made our way up and out of the basement, plodding up some more concrete steps and were informed we were going to have a  real treat; the opportunity to "pet" a shark. Woo hoo! I wiggled my eyebrows at Henry. Henry rolled his eyes back at me. He  was suitably impressed and tried very hard to conceal his excitement. He succeeded.

We entered a room with a shallow pool and a single shark circling. I immediately thought, "We're going to need a bigger tank." The shark was a large and rather docile leopard shark and we all obediently stuck our hands into the water after being reassured with the good news that "no one has lost a finger yet." 

Henry and I then had fun mucking around pretending to be eaten by a great white shark. There was a fibreglass model and we took turns pretending to be gobbled up by the shark. Our death cries began to disturb the children on the tour and so we stopped.

The tour continued with a visit to the outside portion of the seal and sea lion tank. We noticed it was still chucking it down with rain so we stood watching in a covered breezeway with our hoods up blowing warm air into our hands. Our tour guide, a slip of a girl, who was clearly not Sea World trained, fetched a bucket of fish and threw some to the lovely mammals.

The two seals and one sea lion were clearly rescues as they were a motley crew. Scarred skin, missing eyes, withered whiskers and bitten fore flippers were the marks of these rescued mammals. It was really kinda heartbreaking. Henry and I exchanged sad faces. No words necessary.

We watched the "grand finale" as these brave little animals slid down a slide, jumped at a ball hung over the pool and waved at us in exchange for a few fish. 

We exited.

We love animal encounters, and we did have some giggles, but this visit felt just a little bit sad on a wet Friday afternoon.

Just a quick one night stop at the Pacific Dunes RV Resort in Pismo Beach in central California but even though we arrived mid afternoon, we could not let the day slip by without a quick trip to our beloved Morro Bay to see the sea otters.

We have visited Morro Bay a few times now, including earlier this year. It is such a special place for wildlife, we all love it!

We arrived late in the afternoon, driving through some moody sea fog to get there, and were delighted to see the sea otters frolicking in the bay. The sea otters love the kelp sea forests of the deep central Pacific coast of California. We loved watching the otters play right there in the misty, sheltered bay, close to shore, bobbing, diving, lazily swimming on their backs, some of them were in groups called “rafts,” nibbling at food, cracking open clams, crabs, sea urchins and other undistinguishable shellfish. Sea otters are the smallest of all marine mammals and they are agile and quick. They can dive up to 250 feet for their food, using their whiskers to locate their prey in tight crevices and then using their strong forepaws to dig them out. We saw one otter using both its teeth and a rock as a tool to crack open its dinner. A joy to observe.

Even though Morro Rock is a haven for birds including the endangered peregrine falcon, it was so quiet and still, we only saw a couple of gliding pelicans, a few seagulls who were surprisingly quiet and some cormorants in the distance.

We stood and gazed out towards the shrouded rock for ages, taking in the sights, sounds and salty smells of the magical bay.

Not wanting to cook after a long day of travel, Henry suggested we stop at In N Out Burger for dinner. So we did. 

Once we set up the trailer, we headed straight for Huntington Beach to walk the pier, watch the surfers, spot dolphins, feel the sand between our toes and take a dip in the Pacific Ocean. After the last couple of weeks of intense heat, the cool sea breeze was a great relief. We had some dark clouds but no rain. Bliss!

We were in luck, the World Surfing Championships were on and we saw some of the best surfers we have ever seen. Wow!

After a lobster roll for dinner at Longboard Pub and a beautiful sunset it was time for an early night.

106 meters (350 feet) in length and 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall, the gorgeous fiery sea serpent lazily stretches across the desert road, snaking out of the ground with the illusion there is a whole other world beneath the desert sands. I was awestruck, stunned by its magnificent, forked tongue, ferocity. You can walk in and around the beautiful beast, all the way to its rattle shaped tail.

You may think it is a bit of a stretch to call this sculpture a secret, but it is relatively unknown and unvisited because it is so far off the beaten track. It is a couple of hours drive from Palm Springs from the North and about the same from San Diego in the South, it appears it cannot compete with the beaches and the big cities of California. In the scorching heat of the summer sun, we apparently had the entire place to ourselves.

The sculptures are located on the Galleta Meadows Estate, on the outskirts of the Anza Borrego State Park. Dennis Avery, the owner of the estate, called upon renowned metal sculptor Ricardo Breceda to create something extraordinary to adorn his land. Breceda did exactly that by creating more than 100 sculptures that seem to pop up from nowhere,  surreal creatures rising from the earth and defiantly withstanding the extreme desert heat.

We loved the the stand off between the scorpion and the grasshopper, staring each other down like MMA fighters before a big fight, intimidating, hinting at the whipping action of a tail sting or the nippy spring of an aerial attack, the desert floor their octagon stage.

As we got in the truck, the outside temperature read 136 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Celsius. From the steering wheel to the seats, everything burned. The air con felt like the devil's breath, only adding more heat to the inferno in the cab. Ugh! It was hot! Or as Henry keeps saying, "Hot as balls!"

We were desperate for some cooler weather and we found it at the top of the San Jacinto Mountains via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. At a significantly cooler 73 degrees we were able to relax and breathe again. Ahhhhh!

In the rotating cable car, we traveled up over two and a half miles to the top of the mountain with breathtaking views over the Chino Canyon to an elevation of 8,516 feet at the mountain station. The views across the flat valley, stretching from Desert Hot Springs in the North to Palm Springs, Coachella and the Salton Sea to the East, were spectacular. The line of the I10 could be seen and traced as it traversed the landscape. We could even see the dark rim of the San Andreas Fault separating the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates. The desert is pretty inhospitable and the fact that it has been tamed by the will of man with water, solar panels, wind turbines and golf courses as key technological and urban necessities, it is truly astonishing. ​It almost felt as if we were viewing the landscape from outer space.

Once at the top, we stopped for a bite to eat and then set off on a hike in the cool pines. The last time Kim and I were here, there was snow at the top!

Mount San Jacinto State Park is considered an alpine wilderness. We began to walk slowly, relishing the cool temps, through the meadows, streams and the ponderosa, lodgepole and sugar pines. If you scratch the bark of the sugar pines, it smells like  warm vanilla butterscotch and the sugar pine cones are enormous! With the half moon peeking through, paying attention to the warnings for mountain lions, we enjoyed the nature around us. We saw grey squirrels, California chipmunks, ravens, hawks, steller jays, chickadees, swallows, nuthatches and colorful flickers. We heard but did not see the woodpeckers. The smells of the pines reminded us of Wells-Next-The-Sea back home in Norfolk, England and happy family memories. It was such a change from the dust, sand and blistering heat of the valley that we just soaked it all in. What a relief!

We stayed for over four hours enjoying the cooler climes.