I've been home a week and I'm finally sitting down to share! Is it the change in the season or just me, but I feel so behind in everything lately! Mark got home yesterday from Georgia and we sat and went through our pictures and deleted a ton and ended up with 640. It was so hard for me to limit these to share, so I got a little creative here and split my post into two!
Our trip down the southern Oregon coast (Hwy 101) and into California was wonderful! The weather held with sunshine and the only tough part was it was soooooo windy near the beach the entire trip. I literally almost got blown off my feet a few times trying to take pictures. The southern Oregon coast is unbelievably beautiful! I have lived in Oregon all my life and am a beach and water kind of girl, but we have never really seen and enjoyed the southern coast before. The entire drive was delightful...but once we hit Cape Sebastian to Brookings, Oregon it was gorgeous! We pulled over so many times to take pictures, ...but one place called Natural Bridge Cove was breathtaking! The whole trip was a photographer's paradise...everywhere you look is an amazing photo!
The best day journey of our trip was to see the Lost Coast. If I hadn't stumbled upon it on the internet, we would never have seen it. And, I cannot, repeat...cannot, tell you how beautiful this place is. It was THE highlight of our trip. You'd probably think that California's Pacific Coast Hwy. 101 follows the coast from end to end. It's true that US 101 and CA Rte. 1 do a good job of hugging the Pacific, but there is one area of the coast that is so rugged, so remote, that road builders simply didn't try. This area is known as the Lost Coast. Pure wilderness and beauty!
You have country, narrow winding and steep roads, solitude, the mountain range (up to 4,000 ft) with the ocean below, Douglas-Fir tree forest, Oak trees, deep valleys, cattle ranges, hundreds of cows and sheep, wildflowers, beautiful crystal clear creeks and rivers, and then all of a sudden you crest a hill and this breathtaking view of Cape Mendocino comes into sight and you drop down to the Lost Coast with a black sand beach! We got out on the beach for about twenty minutes (again, sooooo windy) and found some shell treasures. We were the only ones on the beach...nobody is around except for the occasional car you pass and everyone waves to everyone! Then you keep going from the coast back up and down winding roads until you come out in the Redwood Forest. These trees are gargantuan!!! This loop was ??? 70-100 miles?...but as the crow flies...it took a good day...6-8 hours. It really is because you can't help but stop constantly to take another picture and just be in awe of what you are seeing. We saw five deer, elk, hawks (lots), birds everywhere and singing away, "California Happy Cows" everywhere, sheep, and the only thing we didn't see was a bear...thank goodness...this is bear country. These are some of the lucky creatures who get to live there. It was so STUNNING...an awesome drive...an awesome day! This place shook me to my core and branded me for life. It was fun to see and be places we've never seen together!
The pictures in the following post are as follows:
1) Southern Oregon Coast - Hwy. 101
2) Cape Sebastian, Hunter's Cove - Oregon
3) Natural Bridges Cove - Oregon
4) Mattole Road - California - road to the Lost Coast...California "Happy" Cows and Ocean
5) Mattole Road - Descending down valley - ocean coming into view
6) Cape Mendocino - the Lost Coast
7) Road by the the Lost Coast...See anyone?
8) Steamboat Rock
9) Lost Coast View
10) Mattole River
11) Valley View
12) Redwood Forest
13) Sunset with Seagull - Brookings (Harbor), Oregon
14) Mark feeding a seagull a Wheat Thin cracker
15) Billboard in Gold Beach, Oregon...I couldn't help myself...made Mark turn around so we could get a picture of it! Does this remind you of one of our friends...Miss Monica...making a funny comment on Grace's
blog!!! ;-))
The kicker of this beautiful place, the Lost Coast, is that Cape Mendocino is one of the most seismically active areas on the west coast. Three tectonic plates come together, just offshore. In 1992, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale was centered near here!
I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!!!
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. ~ Martin Buber
SEE POST BELOW FOR PHOTO's...You can click on them to enlarge!
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6 comments:
okay...you sold us on it! We used to go south a lot when we lived in yachats, but that was 13 years ago...last time we made it to coos bay was for a quilt show 2 years ago...so I guess we're due.
and the natural bridges shot got me!
We're thinking it will be about 3.5 to 4 hours for us to get there, so an overnight camping trip at least!
thanks, lisa!
Just incredible! As you know I have yet to visit CA, but feel as though I've been there because of you and your generous sharing of photographs.
Lisa, you are amazing!
Hey, 640 pictures???? you better get cracking... seems there will be plenty scrapbooking days ahead of you!
With the many folks who are staying home this holiday weekend (myself included), enjoying their "staycations" in their backyard..well, I can now say I've been to the coast and back!!! ;)
Love it, Monica
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND YOU TWO!
I'm just now catching up on blogs and all the other fun stuff since I got back from my trip.
WOW... the photos are wonderful! This is one of my very favorites parts of the world, the drive is beautiful and the scenery spectacular. That billboard is hysterical.
I'm staying close to home this weekend. Went to a Little League game last night and will go to my son's tomorrow for a BBQ. I'm loving the (finally) warmer weather.
Thanks so much for the great post with all the photos, brings back great memories of long ago trips for me.
Yea...Bobbi! We hoped we could persuade you and Chuck into going! I am so glad! I thought you two would do it and we know you will enjoy it! I hope when you go, it will be sunnier and less windy than the weather we had! I could repack and do it again in a heartbeat!
Monica...I wish you could have really seen this beauty!!! Pictures...scrapbooking...?!? I should be making time to do that...and have pictures hung together for my kids someday! I've already learned this lesson well...when my mom passed away and my sister and I inherited a LARGE box of family photos, not hung together and no mention of who was who! I told my sister that if I don't do something with our pictures in my life, I will be like mom and pass off another huge box of pictures to my boys and they won't know or appreciate who is who! But right now...maybe like my mom...I am too preoccupied to deal with them all! In my heart, I know I should!
Dear Grace...I am so glad you are home and back around! The drive and scenery was spectacular and we could do it again tomorrow! I'm glad you thought the billboard was funny! I couldn't help myself! I don't think I will ever forget Monica's funny comment on your blog! I almost fell out of my seat laughing!!! I could never get away with saying that and it being funny...but Ms. Monica got away with it just fine!
I'm glad these pictures brought back great memories in your old stompin' ground!
Hugs to you all...
Lisa
Great pictures! I live in Southern CA and have been wanting to get up north, especially into OR. I really love the seagull in flight - great capture!
hi lisa...hope you've got time a take a little break?
there's a meme going around and I tagged you on my blog...it won't take toooo long!
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