October 30, 2013 Newport, Oregon

We started the day out at the aquarium in Newport.

Sea nettle jellies, giant crabs-they grow to 13 feet!

Otters and Sea Lions .

John in the deep sea tunnels under huge tanks at the aquarium. It was a little scary to also be walking above the sharks and stuff too.  Nessie the Yachina bay monster.

Seal Rock state park is supposed to have the best tide pools in the area. We went at low tide.

Very scenic area with HUGE waves.

Tide pools. There were lots of sea stars, anemones and mussels. These stars are the color of pumpkins.

Clouds and fog rolled in, rain predicted for tonight.

At the aquarium no coins necessary to operate the streams outside, a school of anchovies, what sand dollars look like when they are alive-they are an anemone, sea otters gone bad, murres- they look like penguins, but are birds. When they swim underwater they look like they are flying. Puffins. In the tide pools, sea stars and anemones, and a cormorant on the ocean.

Great Blue Heron. We had apps and drinks at the Rogue Ale Public house, the Rogue ale brewery is here in town. I was not sure whether to go in, since they serve Dead Palmers-which is there take on an Arnold Palmer. We sat next to three guys who work at professional poker tournaments, they can deal, officiate or play. Sounds like a fun job.

October 29, 2013 Newport, Oregon

We went south down the coast to Newport.

We had to buy this chocolate, it had John’s bridge on it. . .  The historic Lookout gift shop at Cap Foul weather. Winds of up to 100 mph are not uncommon here. The gift shop is built right on the edge of the cliff.

View looking out the gift shop window north. Devil’s Punch bowl.

The side view of the Punch Bowl, it is the dark spot in the center of the jetty. Looking south from Devil’s Punch bowl.

The bus parked at South Beach State Park in Newport , Oregon. John in the tree tunnel to the beach. The tunnel is shore pine and wax myrtle.

Gigantic amanitas. The Yachina bridge at Newport from the south jetty.

Lines and seagulls on the beach. Sideways view of the tree tunnel on the way back.

October 28, 2013 Lincoln City, Oregon

Lazy day today. Bright sunshine, no fog. I spent the morning working on the basket in the sun.

a detail with a shell found in Washington and an iridescent quartz crystal. I am putting the footer on now.

It is slow going now, I have to do the stitches from the inside, and the bottom of the basket is up to my elbow. The walls down here are sometimes 3-5 layers thick of coils. 60 hours so far in the basket and it is not done. We walked on the beach in the afternoon.

Big waves and tide pools. A giant green anemone.

You can drive cars on the beach. The D river is the worlds shortest river, it runs from Devil’s lake to the ocean.  Either 56 feet or 120, depending on the tide.

October 27, 2013 Lincoln City, Oregon

We moved 36 miles down the coast to Lincoln City.

The bus at Devil’s lake state park campground.  the D river runs from Devil’s Lake to the ocean. It is 128 feet at low tide and 56 feet long at high tide.

We are now hiking to Drift Creek falls. 3 miles round trip.

A small falls on the way. There is a 240 foot suspention bridge built in front of Drift Creek Falls, which is 75 feet high. John on the bridge, falls to the left.

Drift Creek Falls, pretty spectacular and the bridge.

Mossy trees. Another view of the falls. I think it was the only view before the bridge, you had to hike all the way around.

John hiking in moss draped trees. Vine maples turning in front of alder tree trunks. The vine maples which are a tree, not a vine  are the understory of the forest.

Sunset from the ridge at 1,600 feet on the way back, and sunset on the beach in Lincoln City.

shamrocks bejeweled with water droplets, orange mushrooms, inside of a basket of edible mushrooms some mushroom hunters we ran into had, mostly chanterelles, dewed plant and salal berries.