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.