Cape Kiwanda features eroded sandstone cliffs.
Despite having a secluded camping spot, we were woken by a howling wind, so we knew the weather was going to be snotty.
If you go to Pacific City and hike up the small hill at the north end of the beach, you’ll find yourself on Cape Kiwanda, which has a short trail with spectacular views along sandstone cliffs.
Amazingly, this light can be seen twenty miles away.
Our volcano/cheese/lighthouse tour continued on to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is a national park. The lighthouse is still functioning, and the BLM has built a visitor's center in an abandoned quarry next to the lighthouse.
If you survive the 93 feet up the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, you can buy a button that reads, “I survived the 93 feet at Yaquina Head Lighthouse.”
Although we did, indeed, survive the 93 feet at Yaquina Head Lighthouse, we opted not to purchase the button, so we have no actual proof of our survival.
The Yaquina Head lighthouse. The tourists are huddled inside.
Back in the day, the lighthouses were run by a lighthouse keeper and two assistants. They would take turns staying up all night, tending to the light to make sure it didn’t go out. The keepers were often European immigrants with few obvious skills except for a talent for polishing glass and social indifference.
There are trails at the park leading down to the beach to explore tide pools, but the rain and screaming wind didn’t make that seem like a whole lot of fun.
Nancy making friends with some murrelets.
The town of Newport features the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which is well worth a visit. Its most dramatic exhibit is the Passages of the Deep, which is a clear hallway surrounded by an aquarium. Sharks and skates glide over the top of your head; at times, it feels as if you are in the tank with them.
After that, we drove back to Eugene to dry out for a couple of days.
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