Our true beachfront campsite
Last October we had at an overlook and spotted an RV campground on the Oregon coast that was right on the beach. Before we left home on this trip, we called them and found out we could stay there on Saturday and Sunday nights, but would have to be out Monday morning because they were expecting a group for the whole week.
Judy walking on the beach
So, we made plans to leave Mt. Rainier, even though the weather was unbelievably beautiful and warm, and head for the Oregon coast so we could stay at Wi-ne-ma camp. It is a Christian camp used mostly in the summertime for kids, and the RV part is not very big. But, as we stated, it is right on the beach. There is just a little bit of beach grass between Howie and the ocean. So we’ve traded the peace and quiet of the mountains for the peace and roaring of the ocean. Both are heavenly when it’s time to sleep.
View looking north
We ate lunch along the way, and arrived here in the late afternoon. We are about 40 miles south of Tillamook and about 16 miles north of Lincoln City. Barefoot and shoeless, we walked on the beach in the dazzling 78 degrees sunlight, enjoying the crash of the waves. While we were sitting on our chairs after dinner, just gazing out at the ocean, we noticed some plumes that seemed to go straight up in the air, not curling over like the waves do.
Howie from the water
Hmmm, we thought, those look familiar, but it seems the wrong time of year for whales. After spotting several more plumes, we knew we were seeing whales! A quick check of the internet confirmed that there are about 40 gray whales that stay around this area year round. Most gray whales migrate through here in the winter and spring. We watched the sun go down over the water and Harris took pictures with the time exposure so he could jump in the frame. How technology has improved! Many years ago, when he’d set the timer, we‘d get pictures of his back as he ran to get into the frame. Now, we never seem to miss!
Enjoying the sunset
Let’s see…Judy beat Harris at cards on our second night out, so we had to play again for the championship game. It was close, but Harris won. The Mariners didn’t.
Group of fishers along the river
On Sunday, we went into Lincoln City for some geocaching and looking around. The shops weren’t anything special, but we found 11s caches, and ran into another couple from Portland when we were trying to find the cache at Catherine’s Garden. They were celebrating their 36th anniversary (same as ours) and It was fun to talk “geospeak” with them and compare notes. They use their I-phone to find the caches. Harris listened to the Mariners lose again while Judy looked around the shops.
Wasted view from L.C. Safeway's loading dock in back of store
Back to camp for another walk on the beach before dinner. The wind has picked up and since the temperature was at least 15 degrees cooler than yesterday, we had to put our windbreakers (aka rain coats) on. It was still sunny, although we see some clouds rolling in. No whales today! We had a great steak and salad supper.
Clever cache hide in 30 by 30 foot neighborhood cemetary in Lincoln City
Tomorrow we think we’ll head for Sunset Beach State Park, further south along the coast. We will miss being this close to the ocean. Harris will miss the showers here (they had fantastic water pressure especially after showering in Howie at Mt. Rainier).
A cache site where we had lunch
Total miles driven last two days = 295
A seagull's lunch which Harris would have enjoyed sharing
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