Newport, OR

I headed down the coast again, this time stopping in Newport, OR.  I stayed at Newport Marina and RV park, which made for some nice morning and/or evening walks around the boats and out to the pier.  Below is the marina and bridge behind the campground. 

While in Newport I went to the nearby Yaquina lighthouse.

  This is a great park, I went there more for the tide pools and beach scenery than the lighthouse.  I can’t get enough of tide pools and there were some great sights here.  Before getting to the tide pools, you had to walk over the cobblestone beach which wasn’t that easy.  The rocks were for the most part probably 1 – 4 inches and kind of like walking in sand dunes.  You step on them and they slide!  It made for an interesting trip down and back up the rocky slope. The tide pools were great, the best I have seen so far--

  

The pictures above show Orange and purple sea stars, purple urchins and Giant Green Anemones. 

The Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center were just across the street from my campground.  Both were interesting.  The Science Center’s main attraction is a Giant Pacific Octopus.

I went to several beaches around Newport.  I particularly enjoyed the seal rock recreation area.

Not only was their great scenery, but I found many agates and petrified wood – including an agatized fossil!!  I went to this beach several times, one time I went at low tide to not only hunt for rocks, but also to see the tide pools.

There were hundreds of sea stars and anenomes.  Note because it is low tide and these are out of water, the anenomes are closed up.

As I’ve mentioned I love to watch the waves hit the rocks, so here are more pictures -

The one above is a blowhole in Cape Perpetua Scenic Area – a place where I did some great hikes. 

Not far from Cape Perpetua was another lighthouse.  In addition to that, there were a bunch of seals and sea lions just below the lighthouse overlook.

One day, I went beach walking at Seal Rock park and in going back to the car I missed the turnoff for the parking lot.  I ended up walking about 3 miles extra.  I knew I had walked to far, but the beach was very interesting -

I later found out that I was at Ona Beach State Park. 

Next I’ll be in Coos Bay, OR.