Cape Foulweather

---

On March 7, 1778 the great British navigator Captain James Cook, having sailed from the Hawaiian Islands (which he had just discovered), made his first sighting of the northwest coast of America. It was a promontory rising abruptly some 500 feet above the rocky shoreline, about 10 miles north of what is now Newport on the central Oregon coast. He named the point Cape Foulweather in reference to the intense storm raging at the time he arrived. The accounts of his voyage brought Oregon to the attention of adventurous explorers and fur traders, and marked the beginning of the American phase of Oregon history.
Today the Cape is a popular observation point where visitors can watch passing whales, sea lions and seals basking on the rocks and nesting sea birds, not to mention the spectacular coastline with heavy surf crashing on the rocks. A quaint little gift shop, which is perched on the edge of the cliff, offers a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.
Visible from the Cape to the south is the town of Newport, Yaquina Head with its prominent lighthouse (Oregon's tallest), and an unusual rock formation called the Devils Punchbowl. The Punchbowl is a hollow bowl-shaped rock with an opening in the side through which, at high tide, the surf boils in to fill the bowl and then recedes. Unfortunately, we were there at low tide and missed the real show. We’ll plan better on the next trip. This is as far south as we got on the Oregon coast, and there is a lot left for us to see. We'll catch the rest next year.

---