oregon, mar 03 

 

 

Our 1300 mile, 5 day road-trip down Oregon's Costal Highway 101 (363 miles) to California's Redwood Forest, and back up to Oregon's Crater Lake.


We start our adventure at the mouth of the Columbia River. Connecting Oregon to Washington, the Astoria-Megler Bridge was completed in 1966 Spanning 4 miles (21,474 feet) over the Columbia River, this bridge is the longest in Oregon One of the best attractions in Astoria is the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The museum houses marine transportation... ...including this 44-foot Coast Guard motor lifeboat... ...lighthouse relics... ...and many other maritime artifacts Next stop, Tillamook, OR, home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory that produces 40 million pounds of cheese a year, and is home of...
...it's award winning cheddar cheese curd... and cheddar cheese. Another happy customer! Mmmm... cheese! On the floor of the cheese factory. Ten miles west of Tillamook is Cape Meares... ...and the Cape Meares Lighthouse, illuminated in 1890 and replaced by automatic beacon in 1963
Standing 217 feet above the ocean, the lighthouse, standing at only 38 feet, is the shortest on the Oregon coast Driving down 101, we encountered some pretty harsh wind... ...and waves throughout our journey down to... ...the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, OR The 3,280-foot bridge was completed in 1936 Along Newport's historic Bay front No Caption
Of course no trip to Newport, OR would be complete without a trip to Mo's Restaurant! Home of Mo's World Famous Clam Chowder (and Clam Fritter)! Other Newport visitors No CaptionStrange attractions at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum No CaptionThe Oregon Coast Aquarium has...
...over 15,000 marine... ...creatures... ...of various... ...shapes and... ...sizes Puffins... ... and more Puffins
Sea lions Sunset over the Pacific Nye Beach No CaptionAfter a 4-wheel drive, 30 miles detour, due to a mudslide road closure, we're finally back on Highway 101. Driving past lots of red fields... ...we soon discovered we were looking at cranberry bogs.No Caption
The "greeting party" at... ...the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon Coast The lighthouse was commissioned in 1870. The Cliff top location is 245 feet above the ocean and conical tower rises 59 feet. We finished up the day crossing the 1,898-foot long Rogue River (Gold Beach) Bridge into Gold Beach, OR The main attraction in Gold Beach! Sunset at Gold BeachNo Caption
No CaptionNo CaptionNo Caption... the Oregon coast before entering into... ...the greeness of California.Entering Redwood National Park The Coastal Redwoods are up to 2,000 years old, 22 feet in diameter...
...370 feet tall and have 12-inch thick bark No CaptionWe took an old stagecoach road to get to Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park No CaptionNo CaptionNo CaptionA roadside botanical garden on the way back to Oregon
Pitcher plants The road to Crater Lake National Park, OR. We had traveled a long way and were hoping to stay at the Crater Lake Lodge. Surprise! All boarded up and closed for the winter. Crater Lake lies inside a volcanic basin created about 7,700 years ago when the 12,000 foot high Mt. Mazama collapsed following a major eruption No CaptionIt is fed almost entirely by snowfall, which averages 533 inches per year Time to head home.