In April of this year, I went on a road trip to California from Washington. I drove down the Oregon Coast and the California Coast before reaching my destination, San Francisco. As I drove down, I saw some crazy beautiful beaches and ocean views and tried some crazy food--mashed potato cones--and had a blast. My adventure brought me from New Port to Coos Bay to Fort Bragg to Mendocino. Hey, its all about the journey! |
I stopped in the stunning Newport, Oregon for lunch at Local Ocean Seafood and to explore this quirky little town. (The image above is not mine, I did not stay until sunset). I loved the charm of this little ocean town and absolutely loved the food; when coming through Oregon, stop at Newport and eat at Local Ocean Seafood, you won't regret it! There is also a Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium in Newport, which I did not go into but added to the quirk of the town. For those of you who believe in big foot... On the main boulevard there was also several piers and Undersea Gardens. From one of these piers you could see over twenty sea lions howling away on a floating dock below. There was also a large block of cement on the sidewalk that was actually part of Japanese pier that floated all the way to Newport after the 2011 tsunami and remains as a monument. Before leaving this gorgeous little place, I had a delicious hand ground coffee at Surf Town Coffee Company.
I love the ocean, and these beautiful views from the highway were so stunning that I simply had to stop. At one point on the highway, a short distance from a town in Oregon where I would stop for dinner, I came to a place on a cliff were a man stood taking photographs on a tripod. I asked him what he was photographing and he replied, "Whales." I was astounded! I had never seen whales before, but as I watched, I saw several spouts of water from blow-holes, backs of whales and even tails. These gentle giants are so calm and peaceful in the water, beautiful creatures swimming in the sea. Even from such a distance, I felt so connected to them swimming there. I was completely awe-inspired. About a half hour later, I arrived in Florence, OR for dinner and ate at Bridgewater, which was very delicious. Then I continued down to Coos Bay for the night. |
After several days of enjoying Oregon's coast, I came to California and stopped in the cute town Fort Bragg, CA. I went to Glass Beach about eight years ago on another road trip, and returned this year. Glass Beach is like no other beach. It is completely covered in sea glass as far as the eye can see, the gorgeous colors blending together making the beach such a crazy gorgeous experience.
Next stop: Mendocino, CA. There I had an okay lunch, a fine cookie, and a delicious coffee at Good Life Café and Bakery. They had a beautiful display of ceramic spheres hanging from the ceiling that I loved, but were way out of budget--and how do you bring home a ceramic orb with spikes all over it? After enjoying the quirky little town, I drove to a viewing area and photographed the gorgeous ocean below. |
"Life is either a great adventure or nothing."
~Helen Keller