Even More on the Oregon Coast

We’ve all heard of the Seven Wonders of the World, but did you know that Oregon also has Seven Wonders? The list of Oregon’s amazing places was determined by Travel Oregon in 2013. These natural beauties showcase the diversity of Oregon’s landscape, including its breathtaking Pacific Coast, high deserts, beautiful mountain ranges, lush forests and so much more. We plan to visit, or re-visit in some cases, all of these treasures over the next year or so. At this point, we’re still focusing on the stunning Oregon Coast. We spent four days here last week and enjoyed seeing some spectacular places.

Our first stop was Devils Punchbowl. It was once two sandstone and siltstone caves. Erosion of these materials occurs rather quickly and eventually they became one cave. At some point in time, the top collapsed leaving it with a large opening.

I wasn’t able to find the exact date of the collapse, but Devils Punchbowl state park was founded in 1929, so it’s been at least 100 years, or maybe longer since it has been in its current state. It was initially called Satan’s Cauldron because the ocean waters would violently swirl, splash and look like a boiling mess once inside the cave.

At low tide the opening is exposed allowing access. However, it is quite precarious to scramble over the huge boulders slick with wet seaweed, so this isn’t for everyone.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area was also on our itinerary. This headland was once an important location for Native Americans who visited the area often for hunting, fishing and spiritual reasons.

As the name states, it is truly a beautiful area.

A lighthouse was built here in 1873 which is open for tours, weather permitting. The area is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management.

Here we saw dozens of Harbor Seal pups with their moms lounging on the rocks.

It is also a sanctuary for a wide variety of birds. The 100 acre (40 hectare) area offers stunning views and tide pools to explore as well.

We stayed at the Inn at Otter Crest, a lovely place with a mixture of apartments and rooms. Our studio had a nice kitchen and an amazing view of Gull Rock.

We spent many hours on the deck hoping to catch a glimpse of the Gray Whale pod that live here year round. Again, they eluded us, but the birds, ocean waves, rocks and sunsets kept our attention.

However, there were close to 15 flights of stairs to get down to the beach. In my younger days, that wouldn’t have been a problem, but with my pathetic, arthritic knees it was a challenge. But I persevered and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day on the beach, even though my knees will never forgive me.

Strolling along the beach, exploring tide pools and watching marine life are some of my favorite activities.

Interestingly, I didn’t see one starfish along the beach, even though there are hundreds of them at Cannon Beach, just 100 miles up the coast. But, I did see some Velella or sail jellyfish.

The weather was lovely while we were there, but the blue skies turned gray and rainy the day we left.

I have more to share from our time at the coast next week before moving inland to the Columbia River Gorge, another one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon.

Click here to read theTravelsketcher’s recent post about cafe culture and a quick trip to Seattle to celebrate our niece’s birthday and see some friends.

What do you think of this stretch of the Oregon Coast? As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a comment if you’d like.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia