Nomad Life - Day 110

With a weekend day ahead of me, it was a relief not to have to get up early and/or race around the Pacific Northwest to get all of my telework days.  As a result of the lack of pressure, I woke up at 0600 (no alarm) and had time for reading, puzzles and Duolingo.  When I was finished with that and had gotten ready to depart, I went outside to pack my car.  It was a colder morning (40s) than I've been seeing recently but the forecast was good.  I was ready to check out of my room at the Travelodge by Wyndham (Newport) by 0850 and got snacks in the lobby ("breakfast") as I was departing the hotel.  Before leaving Newport, though, I drove a short distance to visit "Historic Nye Beach".  As usual, parking was a premium and I ended up stopping (0855) at Don & Ann Park to get views of the waterfront and learn more about whale sightings in the area.  At 0905, I drove back towards US-101 (passed a Chowder Bowl restaurant nearby) and got a photo of the US-20 sign that showed the mileage to Boston (~3,300) - I shared this with my dad.  Next, I drove north to visit the Yaquina Head "Outstanding Natural Area", where I'd noticed another Oregon Coast Lighthouse on the map.  I arrived at the end of the headland (and the Light) by 0920.  The weather was marvelous!  By then, the temps were back in the 50s, it was sunny and there weren't any clouds in the bluebird sky.  While doing some birding (Merlin App and Binoculars), I met a retired NOAA researcher (also birding) who asked me a lot of questions about my New Hampshire license plates and Nomad Life.  I guess there were so few cars in the parking lot that it was obvious who wasn't a local...  I learned that his wife was from Massachusetts and, together, they told me about additional places to visit north of the Light.  At around the same time, a BLM employee stopped by to chat with his friend (the retired NOAA guy) and I ended up going through my whole story again.  Perhaps I passed some kind of "sniff test", because I was then offered an opportunity to sign up as a volunteer (at the Natural Area) for three months in the Summer of 2027!  Sounds like an interesting gig - maybe it would work for me?  After letting the folks know that I had "miles to go before I sleep", I resumed my sightseeing.  There were lots of fishing boats and some huge rocks that broke the powerful Pacific ocean waves.  The latter were barely visible under the water and looked like surfacing whales when the surf exposed them.  (I learned later that this is a local point of humor for the employees at the park).  I briefly considered hiking up to the highest point of land but decided I needed to save my walks for something more substantial.  Instead, I made my way back to the BLM Visitor Center and learned why the park had signs about "Fee Free Day": they were hosting a Victorian Holiday Celebration!  I spent some time with them, enjoying hot chocolate, cookies and barbershop quartet music.  There was also time for me to walk through the museum and get information about some of the unique sea birds I'd seen (and about some who only visit during Spring).  At 1015, I departed the Natural Area and drove north (on US-101 again) to the town of town of Otter Rock.  This location, recommended by the NOAA guy, featured high cliffs with views of the coast.  There were a lot of surfers gearing up in the parking lot and many more in the water below.  I walked around nearby and found the Devil's Punchbowl, a large cave-looking hole below the westernmost cliff (1050).  It was sunny and warm (high 50s).  Again following the recommendation of the NOAA guy, I drove north along the coast (back roads) until I reached the Otter Crest Viewpoint, located on Cape Foulweather (1105).  From there, I got a better view of the large (intermittently submerged) rocks that disturb the waves on the way to shore.  The signage at the viewpoint said they were called (from south to north) Whaleback Rock, Otter Rock and Gull Rock.  When I turned around from my vista, I was surprised to find myself alone at such a beautiful place.  I headed back to US-101 and drove north again.  Along the way, I passed the 45th Parallel North, which is close to the border with NY, VT, NH and Canada.  The dichotomy of temps in the high 50s and my life-long experiences at this latitude was amazing... Before long, I reached Pacific City and got off of US-101 so I could drive the Three Capes Scenic Route (ultimately, I followed the entire route).  My first stop after this was at Cape Kiwanda - it was a busy beach and parking cost a pretty penny.  I got back on the Three Capes Scenic Route and kept going north - the roads were horrible.  During this time, I reviewed all of my experiences over the last few days on the Oregon Coast and concluded that an annual Oregon State Park pass would be VERY valuable.  With this thought in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to locate a place that didn't require a pass; starting at 1230, I went hiking and birding at Sitka Sedge State Natural Area.  Almost immediately, I met folks from Portland (who also had a vacation home in Pacific City) who helped me find the best routes to hike (Beltz Dike Trail, Kinnikinick Woods Loop) and also helped me ID the many kinds of birds we saw. With such beautiful weather, I gladly hiked nearly three miles inside the park.  Along the way, I found the beach, made my way around standing water that was blocking the trail, encountered lots of dogs and had another great Oregon experience.  When I reached my car again, I immediately noticed that the internal temperature gauge was reporting 60 degrees.  Unfortunately, it was also showing low tire pressure on one of my tires.  This has happened several times since I got the new tires in Albuquerque but I believe it's a function of the temperatures and elevations - we'll see.  Back on the road again, I continued north to Cape Lookout State Park.  There were side roads that I could have followed for some waterfront fun but I chose to continue on to the town of Oceanside.  Near that location, I passed expansive tidal flats, fishing boats that were fighting tidal currents to make big-time catches and more bad roads.  After this, I made my way to Cape Mears NWR.  When I arrived at the parking lot (1420), I made my way to the lighthouse and found some tremendous views.  After getting some good photos, I went walking nearby - I located the Octopus Tree, a Sitka Spruce that was apparently almost 300 years old.  All around, I got great views - especially of the Cape Lookout rock formations (one had a tunnel).  When I was finished exploring (1445), I made my way towards Tillamook.  This wasn't as easy or scenic as I'd hoped because some of the roads were closed to the north.  Instead, I drove on a fancy paved route ("Cape Meares LP Road") to cross the high ridge.  There were all kinds of warnings about the high (18%) grade and chains but I had no trouble.  I also didn't pass one car until I reached the old road ("Bayocean Road NW").  From there, I followed the southern end of Tillamook Bay (more birds) until I intercepted OR-131.  I arrived at US-101 (and Tillamook) by 1515.  Almost immediately after this, I stopped for gas at Fred Meyer and was surprised to find they offered self serve (did the law change since my 2018 visit?) - after my recent discovery of Fred Meyer's connection with Kroger, I was pleased to be able to use a fuel discount there.  I'd hoped to get some air for my tire when I finished fueling (1520) but I couldn't reach tire pump due to fuel truck).  Oh well- there will be time to get air later.  I continued north on US-101 until I reached the Tillamook Creamery, a place that had opened about a week before Mollie and I had passed by in June of 2018.  This time, I stopped and went inside!  There was a self-guided tour and I got to sample four kinds of cheese - I really liked the "smoked black pepper white cheddar".  It was possible to observe assembly lines in the factory and the tour offered a lot of interesting information.  At the cafeteria (1535), I ended up ordering Tillamook Mac & Cheese and a Pelican Brewing Company Beach Beer.  Everything was excellent!  When I finished with my "dinner" (1550), I departed to the north on US-101.  By this point, I was racing to try to get to Haystack Rock (Cannon Beach) by sunset.  For some reason, Google Maps took me on Miami Foley Road, a sketchy side route through a deep valley.  During this phase, I passed along the edge of an overflowing river and drove through water on the pavement.  This route was apparently trying to bypass Cape Margaret and the bay in at the mouth of the Nehelem River...  In any case, I reached OR-53 and, shortly after that, found myself back on US-101.  From there, I followed the coastline.  Along the way, I kept making up time but, in the end, couldn't beat the sun.  In the distance, I marveled at several peaks that were painted bright red by the sun.  In the end, I arrived at the parking lot above Haystack Rock at 1640.  It was already too late to see the sun go down but there was still good light and plenty of people enjoying the ambiance.  I was able to see Tillimook Rock Light in the distance as I walked down to the beach.  I chatted with some folks, took some photos and quickly climbed back to my car.  After that, I only had about eight miles to drive to the town of Seaside (after I got back on US-101).  When I arrived at the Hi-Tide Oceanfront Hotel, where Mollie and I had stayed in 2018, I checked into the hotel and was issued a room with a partial ocean view.  Almost immediately, I opened the window - weather was very nice!.  Even better: I got some good views of the deep reds on the horizon (1720).  I spent the rest of the evening watching movies in my room and did some blogging.  With all of my stops today, my eBird entries took a lot of time too!  With some reading and planning for my next day of activities, I didn't get to bed until 2240.  There is no doubt that the weather has been wonderful for three straight days (unusual for December) so you can understand why I was shocked to learn I might get more good weather again tomorrow!