August 14, 2013
We planned on spending the day enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Oregon coast today. Unfortunately, we were met with a misty, cloudy morning. After a very light breakfast of croissants and coffee in our room, we walked across the street to check out the shore. (We bought a pack of croissants at the Costco in Eureka after we filled the gas tank.)
Crescent City harbor is a crescent-shaped beach. The city used to be a gold mining supply center. A tsunami struck Crescent City after the great Alaska earthquake of 1964 and destroyed the business district but you really can't tell from how it looks today. It is just a simple and beautiful harbor.
It was very quiet here in the morning. A few passengers waiting for their buses at the stop across the street from the motel. A couple of men were sitting around a campfire down near the water at the lagoon, not sure if they were homeless or just tired travelers.
We walked along the bike lane behind the Cultural Center.
Misty but still very pretty.
Beautiful!
The bike lane lead us up to the waterfront. A huge park and recreation area on the right.
Good morning, seagull!
We should have been able to see the Battery Point Lighthouse from here, but not this morning.
By the time we walked back to the motel, some people were setting up their stalls for the Wednesday Farmers Market in the parking lot across the street.
The location of this motel can't be beat. It is within the downtown area but very safe.
I believe they painted the building recently. It looks much nicer than the pictures on the booking site.
We left Crescent City around 9:30 and ready for our drive up north.
The Southern End of Oregon Coast
It would have been nice if we could see the sights better but from what we were able to make out of, it was impressive enough. We made a few stops just to look at the views and took some pictures but didn't do too well.
The Battle Rock Wayfinding Park in Port Orford which is a good rest stop with plenty of parking.
The sun came out for a little bit after noon...
...and it was gorgeous!
On one of the many bridges along the 101. This one near North Bend.
We didn't make it to the restaurant we planned on stopping for lunch in Florence and ended up having a quick bite at the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. Just as well.
Blue jay? Many of them around this park and they were feasting on crumbs left by other travelers. Such beautiful birds!
After lunch we went down the road further to the lighthouse and we were able to see the beginning of the sand dunes nearby.
Umpqua Lighthouse, one of the many beautiful lighthouses along the Oregon Coast.
After this we made a wrong turn to find the state parks and wasted some precious time. We had to rush through many beautiful towns without stopping so we could get to our destination before dark.
Continuing our drive, with thick clouds hovering above...
...another bridge near Waldport.
And then the weather turned bad again in the afternoon and we were not able to make any more stops as it started to rain. We were also running short on time so we just drove past Newport, Depoe Bay, and Lincoln City area to our next destination--Rockaway Beach. We even saw the Tillamook Cheese Factory as we were driving by but we figured that it was too late even though the lights were still shining brightly there.
Tradewinds Motel, Rockaway Beach
I was really looking forward to our stay at this motel. Most of the reviews seemed positive and the fact that it's right on the beach front was attractive enough. I made sure that we booked a room with the ocean view and I was not disappointed. Again, we traded in our airlines mileage for this room, not a very good deal but we were about to lose these miles anyway. 
Absolutely sold on this view out of our private balcony.
A fully equipped kitchenette with all the pots and pans and utensils stocked...minus a microwave.
A private walkway and stairs to the beach in the back of the motel.
Nice size room, excellent view, no complaint.
Roackaway Beach is a mid-size town with about 1,400 residents. We asked the hotel manager for dinner recommendation and he told us about this restaurant called "The Beach Bite". Before coming here, we wanted to check out the local market and see if we can find something that we could cook for ourselves. Unfortunately, the market did not have anything that interested us and everything seemed to be expensive comparing to what we are used to with very few choices. Dinner at the Beach Bite was our alternative. Good thing we asked about their 'specials' and that was what we had--Fish and Chips (mahi) with a good cup of clam chowder for $16. Yes, a little pricey but it was expected. We met one of the friendliest waiters on this trip at this restaurant which made the dinner a little more pleasant.
Clam chowder with lots of melted butter. Oh, and I forgot to take pictures of the Fish and Chips which was very good.
Back at the hotel after dinner. It was still raining, so having the fireplace lit for the evening was a really nice touch to end the day.
