Oregon Coastal Safari

Happy to arrive at our beach house with our lives Monday evening, after nearly being mauled by a wild bobcat (nice picture Claire!) and scoured by swooping bald eagles, Bonnie, Phil, Claire and I set into some nice Oregon beer, listened to some live music, and ate seafood (most of us) in Yachats (ya-HOTS), Oregon.

Waking early with the sun to catch low-tide, we ventured south down the coast and played ‘touch-the-incredibly-poisonous-giant-green-anemones-in-the-tide-pools,’ a game popular with the locals, on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I didn’t tell Claire they were poisonous, and convinced her to touch one, albeit with great hesitation. She’s still okay, so they’re evidently harmless. At low tide, the tide pools in Oregon are full of life, and are extremely fun to check out (pictured – sea urchins).

Still exhilarated from spying the rarely seen bobcat the day before, we were thrilled again when Bonnie’s eagle-eyes spotted a grey whale spouting near the shore.

We visited several rocky beaches (pictured), a couple of picturesque lighthouses, a cave with hundreds of sea lions and California Seals, and quite a few good local restaurants (pictured with Bonnie and Phil) before heading back to Portland Wednesday night to meet Andy and Jennifer for dinner at one final brew-pub, Rogue.