May 10 - 14, 2026 Florence, Oregon

 High of 62 and sunny.

We are now at Harbor Vista campground outside of Florence, Oregon. Our site is surrounded by rhododendron bushes in bloom. 

Dinner at our picnic table. Sunset over the harbor. 

View of the harbor from the campground. I walked down the trail to the harbor and saw all these sea gulls.

False lily of the valleys. Sunset with a rhododendron bloom. 

Sunset. We walked a few miles on the beach today. 

It was cloudy, but very pleasant.  We had to move to another spot. This one has even more rhododendrons. 

Cool clouds on the beach. Vultures on the beach.

Beach strawberries, vulture on the beach, sand castle and art at the marina in Florence. Beautiful, downtown historic Florence. 

Marina in Florence. The Rhododendron festival is this weekend, so they have a carnival. 

Sunset, kind of through the fog. And sunset tonight.

May 8 - 9, 2026 Cape Blanco State park, Oregon

 High of 59 and beautifully sunny. 

Ice plant on the cliff over looking the ocean. We walked to the light house on the open windblown  trail lined with flowers. 

Iris and ocean below. The Cape Blanco Light house, It is on the western most part of Oregon. 

A field of cow parsnip near the ocean.  Iris on the cliff looking down on Needle rock.

Beach deer during the day and at sunset. Wild iris, catchfly, field  chickweed, rattlesnake master and  clover. 

Iris over the beach. Sunset. 

We hiked a horse trail we found last trip here along the top of the cliffs to the beach. John in a tree tunnel. 

Sitka spruce trees. Silky beach pea, scorpion weed, sea rocket, beach  morning glory and a clam shell. 

At the end of the trail we had to basically slide down a sand dune to get to the beach. The hike was pretty short so we hiked down the beach a ways. 

Raven at the ocean. Don't see many of them here at the ocean. John waiting for me on a driftwood stump. 

Seagull in the waves. The road back up to the campground. You can drive on the beach here. 

May 6 - 7, 2026 Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon

 High of 56, foggy and cloudy.

Fog on the Redwood Highway as we travel north. We stopped at Elk Valley tribal fuel market to get fuel, best price in northern California $6.35. We saw $7.55 and $7.45 in Crescent City. But in Brookings, Oregon it was also $6.35. 

Elk valley, there were even elk in the valley.  There had not been other years when we stopped. Elk of many legs!

The bus at Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon. Oregon now charges and extra 25% more for out of state camping in their state parks. It is $70 a night. Yikes. Welcome to Oregon, wild foxglove, rhododendron, beach angelica, false lily of the valley, sea rocket, and lupine. 

Views from the state park. We are right on the ocean.

Wild iris, purple violet, yellow violet, huckleberry, spring beauty, cuckoo flower, salal, oregon grape. Path to the edge of the cape. 

Ocean, knife rock and the lighthouse at Cape Blanco. Moss on everything here. 

Sea anemone, fringe cups, windmill pink, sea thrift, ice plant, cinquefoil. Woo hoo the sun came out! We hiked down to the beach. Lots of huge log driftwood. 

Whimbrel's in the surf. Flying whimbrels.

Cormorants nesting on the side of Knife rock. Small stream draining into the ocean.

Squirrel on the beach. beach rocks with embedded fossils and rocks .and plantain. Walking back on the beach.

John found a driftwood chair.