Sexy Oregon Coast

Yep, you read that right. The Oregon coast is rugged, strong, gorgeous - and if it could speak would have a deep alluring voice. Sexy. At least in my opinion.

I spent the last week at and near the Oregon Coast. Work was insane so the only day I got to sightsee and relax was Monday. I arrived too early to check into my hotel - even after the roughly three hour drive from Portland. And the staff at the hotel was not impressed with my request to check in at 1 pm. So I decided to spend the afternoon sightseeing.

First up, the bay town of Newport - the historic section. I browsed a gift store with a very chatty saleswoman who shared her pictures of the Nothern Lights. I’d been too tired to stay up late in Boise to look for them. Then I walked across the road to view the Newport Sea Lions. A giant, writhing, noisy mass of sea lions heaped up on one another on the pier. They reeked of fish. But it was fun to watch the wrestling for position and bitching at the restless ones. But there’s always one….one lone lady sea lion twirling in the bay water with one fin up, living her best life, oblivious to the teeming blubber a few feet away.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/8200d4_c3085a828a054c4e9056bdf27f3794ba/360p/mp4/file.mp4

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/8200d4_6fb21ac38cd841bc85ad73cef42420bc/360p/mp4/file.mp4

It’s windy and chilly here at the coast. I didn’t think to pack a jacket. So I picked one up at the gift shop at Yaquina (pronounced Yah-qwin-ah) lighthouse. The lighthouse wa closed for repairs but the outside and the coastal view were quite impressive. Standing since 1873, the lighthouse sits on a basalt point jutting into the sea.

My pictures just can’t capture the experience. The spray from the ocean. The crash of the waves against the rocks at the “Devil’s Punchbowl”. The smell of the sea on the wind.

Well, here’s the note I wrote in my phone at the end of the day:

I spent a good part of a sunny day driving PCH 101 and making stops as the whim took me. Much like Terry & Suzanne taught me. I spent time watching a female sea lion swim in lazy circles. And watching a young seal doing flips in the sea just off the shore at the Yaquina lighthouse. When I get in the car, I smell like the sea. I’m so damn lucky to get to visit these incredible places. This is the life I was meant to live.

And it wouldn’t be me without some silliness. I kept seeing signs announcing, “Boston, 3,365 miles”. Still not sure why they felt the need to point that out. And then there were the signs announcing the Tsunami zones…..gulp.

One last thing for those that f you who know me - proof of life for my friends and family back east. Windblown and not the prettiest pic - but it’s real.

As always, thanks for reading!

Gypsy Jules