23/5 - Florence Big-gale

On Wednesday we decided to take a day drive to the coast. The Oregon coast is famous for the rugged landscape, storms, mist, drift-wood, lighthouses, and sealions, amongst other things.

Heading west from Eugene through forested hillsides it was well under 2 hours and we'd arrived at Florence. We soon found our way to a beach at low-tide - the tide had withdrawn about 100 metres leaving a mist-blown (at times - just "small"drifts and clumps) landscape of rippled sand and tiny tidal-pools. It was strange and fascinating for its difference to any aussie beach I'd ever encountered.

We then went north along the coast to the sea lion caves - inhabited by some 300 sealions and the largest natural sea cave in the US you descend in a lift to take a look. We found most of the sealions outside on the rocks of the coast (some dozen odd were in the cave though), "enjoying" the spring mating season. Though we were a couple of hundred metres away from them (above on the clifftop), when the wind blew the wrong way...pyew.

We travelled as far north as Yachats, taking in the scenic and much photographed Heceta Head Lighhouse, and having lunch on a trail at the side of a bay at Cape Perpetua. It was quite uncanny seeing how localised the mist/fog was and what times of the day it would come up and subside; as well as just how affected in their growth the great times are by the wind off the ocean (the vegetation permanently frozen in a swept away aspect).

I imagine the Oregon coast would be a great place to live if you're an author - it makes me think/feel of Wuthering Heights and the Bronte sisters - sitting beside a warm natural fire writing dark and gloomy stories that reflect the storm-tossed grey ocean and landscape just outside the window.