Finding somewhere to start when the obvious is to state that we are leaving the Moolack Shores Inn to continue on our journey north. That sounds mundane, expected even. So I’ll mix things up: We’ll go south instead, even though our next reservation is up north. But there must be a good story to explain the dramatic change in plans, huh? Not really, the nearest Dutch Bros. is down on the south side of Newport, and we have hours to go before we’ll check into our lodging late this afternoon.
We got off Highway 101 and onto Oceanview Drive so we could walk to Agate Beach just south of Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Prepared for a cold, chilly wind, as that’s what we had last time on this wide stretch of beach, we were surprised by how quickly we had to doff the jackets and enjoy the surprise sunshine. You see, the weather forecast had promised us bad weather, but we had this. Expecting them to be somewhat correct, we figured it would be just a matter of time before the dark gray clouds of some moody weather moved in to dose us with the flavors of Oregon in fall.
While it’s our inclination to hug the surf, a small stream we had to cross on our way to the beach captured my imagination as to just where it went after we passed it. Approaching the end of the beach, we turned inland and found the stream running up against a forested cliffside, offering its own brand of beautiful scenery,
The water was running clear with many shallow spots where surges in the current created these ripples in the sand. In other places, the water had carved deep pools around stranded logs, delivered by high tides that pushed the dead trees a couple of hundred feet further inland than where the surf is pounding the shore today.
Armed with coffee and a full tank of gas, we headed north and made our first stop at the Devil’s Punchbowl in Otter Rock. Caroline had the idea that there was a footpath down to the basin, but we couldn’t find any sign of it, and the tide was too high in any case.
Nothing is especially important in this scene besides the blue sky, the great rocks, and the admonition not to go beyond the fence, which would be incredibly foolish, as the cliffside drops precipitously straight down into some jagged rocks and hammering surf. Sometimes, these photos of things overlooked fill in the gaps to make a fuller picture of the details that create a day on vacation.
We didn’t know we wanted ice cream until we saw the other couple enjoying their cones on this sunny day. Funny that famous Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, in their tiniest location here in Otter Rock, would be closed for the season, as who wouldn’t want a nice hot bowl of slumgullion on a cold day? But instead, we have the option for this summery treat.
I don’t think we’ve seen Siletz Bay south of Lincoln City the same way twice. Neither Caroline nor I even know if we’ve stopped at this particular turnout. Depending on the weather and lighting, this place can be a favorite for photographing the tree on the rock, which is often surrounded by water, but not today.
Up the road a bit, we finally stopped at Gallucci’s Pizza after driving by it countless times and stupidly intoning the name Gallucci with an affected, fakey New York Italian accent over and over until we are both laughing. If we had had witnesses in the car, they might have thought we’d lost our minds as we veered into such a goofy parody of Italian Americans. As for the pizza, I wish we had something nice to say about it or that I could say we’re looking forward to a future visit, but it was seriously mediocre. Maybe it’s a great pizza for the area and the people who live here, so I wish them the best of luck, but then again, they’ve been here for years, surviving without us anyway.
Not much longer after that, we’re pulling into Pacific City looking for Hart’s Camp, where we’re staying for the next couple of nights. Added bonus, the place has dozens of free-range rabbits just wandering around.
The first thing we check out in our “yard” is our outdoor shower. I’ve got to be honest, as I write this outside by the fire, we can see the exhale of our breath; it’s that cold. Maybe we can shower in the middle of the day, and it won’t be all that chilly?
Into the Airstream where we will be sleeping. With two televisions, a gas barbecue, an outdoor shower, wifi, and rabbits, we feel like the perfect hipsters on vacation. We even have a Chemex coffee pot that pushes us into an entirely new league of aficionados. The only thing missing is some trendy alcohol.
If the blanket looks familiar from our stay at Ocean Haven in Yachats, it is. We brought our cozy bedding because who doesn’t sleep better with their own blanket and pillows?
With time to spare, we headed down to the ocean to catch a couple of miles under the setting sun. Needed to burn off some of that pizza and ice cream, too.
Look behind us, and you’ll see a solar halo. No, I’m not making it up. This halo was in the sky for about 15 minutes, opposite the sun. We’ve seen sundogs before, but this might be our first solar halo.
This isn’t even the end of our perfect day yet; there’s still more to come.
From the beach, we were walking back to Hart’s Camp but had to pass the Pelican Brewing Company first. Caroline thought she might like a beer, and we saw that they’d set up a to-go window, so why not go support them? A particular bottle looked interesting in the window, so we pointed to one, and the girl rang it up. With my card out, she tells me $25. Huh? Twenty-five dollars for a bottle of beer? So I asked how much the can was next to it, and she said, “$3.50.”
Lucky us, a guy had walked up who worked there and was doing something to our left. He explained that this was indeed $25 but worth every penny. By now, this beer is famous, and the reason is that it’s a barleywine-style ale malt aged in bourbon barrels. The name of it is the Mother of all Storms, and it was brewed back in 2014.
With trendy alcohol now on hand, filet mignons on the grill paired with some corona beans, a fire, and our Airstream lodging getting toasty on this cold fall night, we are enjoying life here on day 12 of our annual Oregon road trip.