Friday, April 27, 2018

Stormy Day on the Pacific Ocean [4/18]

A new day on the Oregon coast dawned on us and with it came a moody sky, wind and a little bit of rain. Most travelers would shriek at the notion, but I think it was equally important to see the Oregon coastline with the stormy weather. It's a time when nature here comes alive, and some landmarks (like the devil's churn) are best seen at those times. Though the weather would change for the better as the day went on we truly did enjoy the stormier times. In this post we will cover a part of our drive towards Coos Bay and end just before the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area, which we will cover in the next part.



Devil's Churn

Devils Churn was our fist stop for the day. It is a narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean south of Yachats. It is located in the Siuslaw National Forest and is accessible via the Restless Waters trail from the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area visitor's center or the U.S. Route 101 overlook. Access to the trail requires a United States Forest Service pass, which I have talked about in the previous part. The inlet developed over many thousands of years as wave action carved into the basalt shoreline, first forming a deep sea cave whose roof eventually collapsed. As the tide comes in it can throw spray several hundred feet into the air when the waves reach the end of the churn. Visitors are urged to be cautious when visiting the churn as it can be dangerous. Especially when the stormy weather brings up the ocean onto the paths.



Once you climb down it gets really dangerous. If you ever visit here be very cautious. We were, but still we also wanted to be close to the ocean. Watching the strong waves crashing into the scenery here is both exciting and very humbling.





Views along the way

We stopped many times on this day. No special places, but all the views warranted a prolonged road trip. There are Sea Caves here where you can see seals (which you have to pay to enter). We didn't enter them, but we did see some seals the next day. From the parking spot of the visitors center you can get some amazing views from the surrounding scenery: paths leading down to the ocean, lighthouses, and a seemingly never ending coastline.





Dangerous Flora: Inside the Darlingtonia Gardens

Darlingtonia State Natural Site is a state park and botanical preserve located five miles (8 km) north of Florence, Oregon and it's dedicated to the preservation of a rare plant. Darlingtonia californica is a carnivorous plant, commonly known as the cobra lily, which traps insects in its hollow tubular leaves, whose top is flared into a hollow dome with a forked "tongue" that gives the species its common name.



In late spring, they bear purple and yellow flowers that rise above the green cobra-like leaves. Darlingtonia are found only in wet meadows and bogs with acidic soils low in nitrogen. The rare, strangely shaped plant is the only member of the pitcher plant family Sarraceniaceae in Oregon. The park has a short loop trail through a peat bog area overlooking patches of Darlingtonia. It is the only Oregon state park dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. Below is me acting afraid though standing close to so many of them does evoke a sense of danger. :)





Lonesome sights

There are so many beaches and places to make you stop along the way. Make sure to have food and water with you and go out and explore. There are numerous places where nature just stunned us. I really have to take a moment and take these images in. The waves of the wild pacific are a dream.


We made a small stop in the Three Rivers Casino in Florence, just to get away from the rain. We didn't spend that much time here, because next up was the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area which was one of the top sights on the Oregon coast.

End of Part Four
To be continued...

28 comments:

  1. Mersad, we have plans to go here next year. Your pictures show a lot of beauty. I am looking forward to seeing it in person. Thanks for linking up!

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    1. I hope that this travel series will be of use to you by the time it's completed.

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  2. Hello, wonderful tour and photos. I loved the Oregon coast, a beautiful area to visit. Happy Friday, enjoy your day and weekend!

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    1. Thank you Eileen! Have a great weekend.

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  3. Good job! Made me think of the first time I saw Dvil's Churn...

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    1. Thor's Well was also exciting. I made a lot of video of it.

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  4. Mersad, it has been months since we visited one another's posts, and I am delighted that we reconnected again. Your photos are wonderful, fantastic, and beautiful. (These superlative are warranted by your fine work!). The scenes you chose for us to see make me want to visit the same territory, but, alas, I'll have to settle for the vicarious experience instead!

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    1. Thank you Kate. I was exaclty one month away on my USA trip and now I'm catching up with others.

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  5. Sehr schöne Natur, aber schein noch immer sehr kalt und naß zu sein.
    Liebe Grüße

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  6. all those trees with paths through them draw me into them. and the bench with a view, oh my... would love to sit there awhile. totally awesome spectacular views

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  7. Absolutely beautiful photos to capture the beautiful scenery. I love your vacation route. It tells me you really saw a lot. That is great especially when you travel so far to get here.

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  8. There is so much variety in the US. You really captured the wildness of the land and sea. :)

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  9. The coast is so gorgeous and your photos are fabulous!

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  10. I'm glad that the stormy weather didn't make you put your camera away. These are wonderful views. I really liked the one with the steep hillside and all the yellow flowers.

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  11. Beautiful photography! I think it's hard to surpass the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. LOL at the "afraid" photo!

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  12. Wonderful and dramatic!

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  13. Loved the post. Wonderful photos.
    Thanks a lot :)

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  14. this looks like such an exciting trip, lot's to see. devils churn is impressive!! i have never seen this part of the country, it is beautiful!!

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  15. I am enjoying your stories of Oregon very much. It's been a long time since I've seen these beautiful sights. The Oregon Coast is a magnificent place, and deserves to be explored just as you have been doing. When I was a coast-dweller myself, and working, I seldom visited Oregon. Now I miss it, and all of the Pacific Northwest!
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  16. Oh, how I wish you were coming farther down the coast! Your photos are breathtaking, I can only imagine what you could do with views of the California Redwoods.

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  17. What stunning views! I always heard that part of the US was gorgeous and all the photos I've seen proves correct :)

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  18. Hello Mersad, I'm catching up on some of your posts here today. Wonderful scenery of a gorgeous part of the world. Next time you come over the ocean, cross the border and see the west coast of Canada, too. It's wild and gorgeous, like the Oregon coast. And you might see bears!

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  19. Dramatic sights! Just beautiful! Looks pretty dangerous. I wanted to go to the Sea Lion Cave when we traveled up this way, but there was no real handicapped access. The only parking was across the highway up on a hill, and we would have had to walk down to the building, and then down stairs to get to an elevator. I was so disappointed! We did see some sea lions at another spot but they were pretty far off the coast. All your stops are amazing! Since we can't really hike, we are limited in some of the things we are able to see. I loved seeing your photos!

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  20. Fabulous photos! I have yet to visit the state of Oregon--I hope to see it very soon.

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  21. I am glad you experienced the stormy side of Oregon, because of the reasons you state so well. I’m glad you didn’t go into Sea Lion Caves near Florence because it is a bad tourist trap ... much better to see the creatures on your own. Thanks for sharing your trip and for hosting!

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  22. I've been catching up on your Oregon/Pacific Coast series and enjoying it. I really believe that Oregon has the prettiest coast line anywhere. I've been camping at Cape Blanco several times and have always thought of it as just about the most perfect beach for scenery I've ever seen. I'm off to Seattle in two weeks but, it's only for a weekend, not a long trip like yours. I'll be looking forward to your next edition.

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