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Stopping at Cape Blanco just north of Port Orford, we read that the lighthouse tours ran Thursday through Tuesday. Given that it was a Wednesday, we decided to explore the surroundings on our own. Above, Beth learns of the wildlife before descending to the beach. The entire vacation, Beth reminded me how she had wanted to see whales. My book said it wasn't the season for it--most of the mammoth mammals were feeding in the north. But apparently a few local whales decided to hang back while the rest of their clan clamored for grub in the northern Pacific. As we reached the shores of Port Blanco, Beth screamed, "A WHALE!" In disbelief, I grabbed my binocs and focused on a dark, moving figure. Its back broke the surface of the sea, and a spray spouted from a hole in the center. |
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| Beth got her whale. Above, Beth watches the creature through binoculars while it exhales. Notice the small spray of water in the top-lefthand corner of the picture, near the horizon. (It was the best picture I could get, but trust me: It's a whale.) |
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For a half hour we watched this whale, and another, swim alongside the shore. We walked at a slow rate to keep pace, trading the lenses every few minutes. Eventually, the whales receded to deeper waters and vanished once again. There were no other people on the beach. No one else saw the whales. Beth and I had to convince each other that we really did, in fact, in truth, in actuality, see whales. In July. On this magical spot in Oregon. We walked for some time on this small strip of sand and found scores of other discoveries. One such happy find is shown at left. |
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My baby Bethy We had really reached the coast We walked on the sand c c Feet in the water We watched the surf rolling in We played some Frisbee . The Beaches of Bandon f
The beach was so wide The rock formations jagged The water was cold ,, Time to leave the beach Time to find the sea lions We boarded the car |
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| En route to our hotel in Newport, we stopped in Bandon to check out the world's largest sea cave; home to hundreds of smelly, raucous, grunting sea lions. We stopped and smelled the sea lions and were on our way. We also took an unexpected break at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The continent's largest dunes--imposing 500-ft. mounds of sand--crisscrossed the landscape for miles on end. Beth and I raced up and down the mountains of sand, exhausting ourselves for the last leg of the drive. |
