Portland to Yachats

Today was the day we would accomplish Manifest Destiny. We would reach the Pacific ocean.

Three years ago when we drove from Seattle to SFO, we stopped for a night in Yachats which is on the coast of Oregon and we feel in love with the town. We decided to spend a couple of nights there this time and are staying in a bnb a few miles inland.

Once we got out of the Portland sprawl we got off I-5 and traveled along the smaller roads.

This is wine country. It's drier here because of the hills and mountains between this valley and the coast.

A hazelnut farm. We were intrigued how all vegetation had been removed from under the trees.

There were winery signs everywhere. I wonder how they survive since the competition has to be tremendous.

It's very much a farming area with all sorts of crops.

Some road repair. This 'leader' truck shuttled back and forth showing the path where they wanted you to drive.

Eventually we headed west over the mountains towards the ocean.

Lots of trees.

Our Tomtom GPS has really been useful, particularly for finding the bnb's in strange cities. I also find it useful for letting me know what the speed limit is since I often miss seeing the signs as I am concentrating on traffic. Speed limits vary a lot in the US.

Yaquina Bay near Newport where we would arrive at the ocean.

And there it was in the distance. The Pacific Ocean.

We found a parking lot and walked down to the beach.

Marianne achieved a dream, to cross the USA by car. She has done it many times by plane and once by train, but it is different when you see it during daylight hours on the ground. It really has been a magnificent trip so far.

There I am in the distance getting my booties wet and touching the water. The Pacific Ocean has a saltier smell than the Atlantic and somehow has a different vibe to it. 

There was a lot of spray and moisture in the air.

The waves were not huge but still impressive enough.

We drove a few miles south until we reached Yachats and then headed inland to our bnb. The road follows the northern side of the Yachats River that flows into the ocean.

The bnb is a really interesting house that has mostly been built by the owner. He has done an incredible job and Marianne loves his use of bright colour in the rooms. You might like to take a look at the listing here. The owner used to be the Dean at the local community college and is now retired. We had lots to talk about.

He has an old Edison record player that uses no electricity. It has a wonderfully immediate and vibrant sound to it and the records are about a 1/4 inch thick. You can see a slightly smaller model in operation here.

We drove back to Yachats for dinner at the Drift Inn where I had the fish and chips again. Their chips are wonderful with some special seasoning.

After dinner we went for a short walk.

Interesting house.

When you enter Yachats you see tsunami warning signs. No doubt you are safe high up on the hill in the background.

A small blow-hole.

There were flowers everywhere. In a mild climate with more than plenty of rain, you would have to sexpect it.

So the Mini has made it across the country. It has been a great car to drive all the way and has been perfect for the two of us. Occasionally it has struggled on the really steep hills but it has been fine for everything else.