Yachats to Eureka

It was very overcast and the forecast was for rain as we headed south to Eureka in northern California.

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Just south of Yachats is Cape Perpetua, another of those places named by Captain Cook. There are several major attractions at the Cape but we only managed to find a couple including this one, the Devil's Churn.

It can get very windy in this area.

We walked down the steps.

The narrow crack where the sea surges in. There was not much surge since the ocean waves were small. No doubt a raging sea would produce a more impressive result.

We could hear a whomp at the Spouting Horn as the waves came in but they were not big enough to cause any spouting.

Somehow we couldn't find Thor's Well is supposed to be spectacular when the sea is the right level. Since it was low tide it would not have been working when we were there. It's worth clicking on the link to see a picture of it.

The Hecata Head lighthouse in a very dramatic setting.

I think it is a sea lion.

Southern Oregon has an area of sand dunes that are very high and impressive. Some are almost 500 feet high.

Lichen on some of the trees.

As we passed through the town of North Bend, it started to rain and for a few miles it poured down. The car got a thorough cleaning.

Large rocks off shore afe very common on this coast. Usually there are a bunch of them together but here we have one enjoying its solitary splendour.

Other rocks enjoying the mist and gloom.

This southern part of the Oregon coast is as spectacular as any on the west coast of the USA.

Some brave soul emerging from the very cold water. No it was not James Bond.

I see there is a pelican.

We now wish we had taken photos of all the little Espresso Coffee huts that are all over Washington and Oregon. There are hundreds of them and they all are just little huts like this.

Eventually we reached the sun of California.

There are a couple of redwood forests that are magical to drive through. The canopy of leaves can make the roads quite dark and then there is a blinding shock as you emerge into the bright sunlight.

Just outside Eureka.

This drive was absolutely magnificent. For most of the way there was much less traffic than in northern Oregon and the scenery is terrific.