October 29-30, 2019 Sutton Creek Recreation area to Heceta Head, Oregon

High 50's and sunny, but a bit windy. Silly us. Yesterday we thought there was no trail to the beach. The sign said the overlook did not go to the beach. Today we found it. Another trail right off the parking lot, not even marked beach.

The trick is that you have to walk across a kind of log puzzle. John on the log. John photographing a wooly bear caterpillar running across the dune.

Me running down a dune. Sanderlings running in and out with the waves.  

John in his happy place for lunch, it had a nice place to lean back on and there was less wind.  The ocean. 

The beach was deserted. At the north end there were a few houses clinging to the cliffs. A creek going into the ocean. 

Sand dunes at the ocean. John on the trail on the way back. There are pine trees and on the left gorse- a spiny sharp plant.  

Back on the logs to the parking lot. The campground is in a valley, so all we got for sunset was some light on the high trees on the other edge of the valley.

Today we hiked the Heceta Head trail. 3 miles round trip and 600 feet vertical. We started at the Hobbit beach trailhead. The light in the trees was wonderful through the mist. 

Sun rays through the trees. 

A weird shaped tree with ferns growing on it. We could look down on Hobbit Beach. We have hiked to Hobbit Beach a couple times, but never over Heceta Head.

We came over the top of the head to this view of the bay on the other side. Then rounded the corner and all of a sudden there was Heceta head lighthouse.

We had lunch by the Heceta Head Lighthouse. This was our view.

Thick trees and greenery on the way back. The sun hit these sword ferns just right so the sori on the back were orange. Bracken ferns, mint flowers and a white flower. Twisted moss covered branches.  

There were walls of ferns along the trail. This is a view of the Baker beach that we hiked yesterday. 

October 27-28, 2019 Florence to Sutton Creek Campground, Oregon

High 50's, sunny and less wind. Lovely day.

Darlingtonia Californica cobra lilies. There is a whole bog of them at Darlingtonia State Natural area. John and I with the darlings. 

We walked part of the Yachats 804 trail, an old country right of way. It is also part of the Oregon Coast trail. Sandblasted burl on a log at the beach and a blackberry flower. 

Pink flowers by the ocean. Overhanging ledges along the trail.  

John going through a tree/shrub  tunnel on the path. The forest is impenetrable in this area. John on the trail.  

 Two murals on buildings in Yachats. Heceta Head lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouse. 

We moved to a new campground. 8 miles down the road. Sutton Creek Recreation Area. We have a site with views and sunshine. We hiked some of the trails today. We meant to hike the 3.2 mile hike along the creek to the beach, but took wrong turns and hiked 5 miles over the dunes instead. And the trail does not go to the beach, just to a look out over the dunes by the beach. Nice hike tho. 

Sutton Creek running through the campground.  Sand dunes to the north of camp. 

Most of the trail was through thick shrubbery and trees with sunlight filtering in. Sutton Creek on the trail. 

Sunshine of Sutton creek and sunshine coming though the contorted rhododendron trees. 

The trail went under this loopy sitka spruce branch. Sunlight on the trail.  

The trail went under this branch with ferns growing on it. John at the overlook. The beach is on the other side of those dunes. You can hear it but not see it.  

The view over the creek at the sand dunes between us and the ocean. Bears and cougars are here. A branch covered with moss and mushrooms. A couple of twisted sitka spruce trees and some rhododendron branches.  

Sunshine through the rhododendrons.