Touring Locally

     Up to now we haven't done much in the way of touring. We have just settled in to our workamping routine. We have taken several trips to the surrounding towns of Newport and Lincoln City. As you can see from the above photo, the sea lions were in town and resting up for a busy summer! Everybody is just fine until someone new wants to join in. Then the uproar begins and the barking and noise is so loud you can't hear yourself think!! In a couple week they will all be gone out to sea and these platforms will be vacant for most of the summer.

Also in Newport, there were two replica sailing ships. For varying donation amounts you could tour the vessels in port, sail the harbor, or participate in a mock battle out at sea. Unfortunately, we came down on their day off so all we got to sea was the ship moored at its berth.

     While in Lincoln City, we were walking on the beach and came upon several families that were crabbing. All were having good luck but this guy was bringing in the really nice ones. They have a wire mesh trap that they put a piece of bait in. Then they fling this trap into the bay and wait. After only a few minutes they pull the trap in and they may or may not have a crab (or two or three) in it. Size limits are in place and enforced so the smaller ones are released and the process repeats itself. In the meantime there is a boiling pot on the fire on shore and the choicest catch is served up for dinner. Talk about fresh catch of the day!!!

     After seeing a movie in town, we stopped by the Yaquina Head lighthouse. The tide was out and the tide pools were alive with marine specimens This beach is also made up of stone "cobbles". They were once volcanic rocks that have been tumbled, shaped, and polished into a variety of oval balls. When the waves flow out over them they make quite a racket, sounding like rain on a tin roof. It also makes walking on the beach tricky, kind of like walking on an assortment of ball bearings.

     Above a starfish is just above the waterline and several anemones are below. It's amazing the variety and colors that exist in these tide pools. And the neat thing is everything will be different after the next tide cycle.