Going Coastal

Saturday May 31st   Newport, OR

We spent the day exploring the coast and getting to know its residents. Our morning was devoted to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, consistently ranked as one of the top aquariums in the USA. We saw many of its 15,000 animals spanning 300 different species. For two years it was home to Keiko, the orca who starred in the movie, Free Willie- a Rich family favorite.

We stopped for lunch at Fishtails Cafe, owned by the family of a friend from Colorado. The food was terrific, especially Slumgullion, a baked clam chowder with shrimp and 3 types of cheese melted on the top. It was fantastic as were the Dungeness Crab Cakes! Don’t miss this gem of a restaurant if you visit Newport.

We went back to Rhoda to pick up Gizmo and take him with us to visit the Devil’s PunchBowl, a hollow bowl-shaped rock formation. During high tide, the ocean roars into the bowl. As we watched, the surf churned, foamed and swirled as if violently mixing a devilish brew. It was a quite a sight.

Then we drove back north to the Yaquina Head Light, the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. The light's lens was made in Paris in 1868, shipped to Oregon and was first lit August 20,1873. The 100 acre site also includes tide pools and nesting areas for countless sea birds. The area was established by Congress as an Outstanding Natural Area in 1980 (back when Congress actually did things) and really IS outstanding.

We had a lovely day, followed by a delicious dinner cooked by Jamie. We are all still grieving the loss of Enzo, especially Gizmo who doesn’t understand what happened to his brother. He’s getting lots of love and attention. That’s our latest update…On The Rhoda.