Wonders of the west. (LA to PNW and back)

[Southwest Dave]

September 28th

We woke this morning to the sound of the ocean waves crashing onto the beach although we couldn't see it, so it was time for a walk. It wasn't far down a path to Benson Beach where there were expansive sands to walk on, once you had made your way past the driftwood. Up on the hill you could see North hill lighthouse and once again it was a glorious morning.



After breakfast we drove around this lovely park and stopped at Waikiki beach for another walk and to see the spot where the Columbia river finally spills into the Pacific ocean having travelled some 1243 miles through Canada and the USA. There were quite a few ships and fishing vessels heading in and out of the estuary, which has a shifting sand bar that can make it tricky to negotiate and has been responsible for a few shipwrecks, earning it the reputation as the 'Graveyard for ships'.



With a few places to visit today and some slow miles ahead it was time to leave and start heading south down the coast on 101. We passed Fort Columbia and through the small town of McGowan before pulling off the road alongside the Columbia river to enjoy views of the Astoria-Megler bridge that would take us over the river and across the State line from Washington back into Oregon.



From the Oregon side in Astoria.


We continued across Youngs Bay and through Gearhart to the town of Seaside where we looked around the little shops and visited the 'End of the Trail' Lewis and Clark statue before continuing to Cannon beach with it's lovely golden sands and the infamous 'Haystack rock'. It was a beautiful sunny warm day with a nice breeze, ideal for beach walking

Seaside.


Cannon beach.


From Cannon Beach we drove to Oswald west State park and stopped at Neahkhanie mountain viewpoint, one of the highest spots on the Oregon coast.



There is just so much to see and do along the Oregon coast, so we were soon back on the road to the little town of Nehalam harbour where we looked around the quaint stores, walked along the river and bought some lunch, which we ate a little way down the road on Rockaway beach while enjoying views of the Twin rock arches just off shore. After lunch we had to make up a bit of time so it was straight down 101 through Tillamook and Beaver to Lincoln beach.

Nehalem


We stopped south of Lincoln at Boiler Bay viewpoint, with the intention of having a 5 min break to take in the views and stretch our legs, but that idea soon went out the window. As with all trips, the unexpected is to be expected and we were absolutely blown away by the pod of whales that were putting on a display close to shore, especially for us of course ! This was a first for us and it was an incredible sight as they breached and blew water below us, I wish I had better pictures, but it was difficult and I really wanted to enjoy the moment. It was almost an hour before we were back on the road and we were all buzzing !

Whale !