A Whale of a day

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Every time I travel to an ocean, I always say "this time I'm going to see a whale" and every time I'm let down. Yes, I saw some way far off in Hawaii once, but they were far off dots on the horizon. I want one to be close enough to see the size and beauty of it. Today, my whale dream became a reality!

There are so many things to see and do along the Oregon coast so its hard to pick and choose when you have limited time. I decided it would be a good idea to head south again to try and find the elusive whale. All the guidebooks and area magazines say the resident whales hang out around Depoe Bay, about an hour and a half south of my hotel. I found myself once again on the Three Capes Scenic Loop heading south to Pacific City. From there, I got the 101 to Depoe Bay and then searched for the turn off for the Otter Crest Scenic Loop. Again, not a loop because it's a one lane, one way road, but whatever. I would highly recommend this stretch of road to anyone heading south. It's quiet, shaded and has some great views of the coastline. It is also supposed to offer views of whales. I stopped at the first pullout, got my camera and binoculars and looked out over the ocean. And then, I saw it, a spout! Finally! With my binoculars I was easily able to see a gray whale come to the surface and then dive down to feed. So amazing! I'm not sure if all the spouts I saw were different whales or the same one. I think there are 40 or 50 grey whales that stay in the area all year round feeding on tiny shrimp and plankton. You can take a whale boat to see them closer up, but I really enjoyed watching from a distance. I could have stayed there all day, but there were other things I wanted to see so I drove on.

Next up the Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint. Again, a great spot to look for whales! There's also a small museum, but it was closed and I was having too much fun with my binoculars to go in even if it had been open. Gray whales don't usually breach so you have to wait for them to dive to see more than just their barnacled backs. I got a few good pictures of some tails. The best thing about watching for them was listening to the other people. One old lady kept going "Oh there he is. Look at him go!" She was really cute.

Anyway, by this point, I was looking for a snack and a bathroom so I stopped at Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area. Here there is a carved out rock with water crashing all around it. A steep set of stairs takes you to the beach, which was mostly occupied by surfers. My legs are pretty tired of all the steep climbs, whether stairs or inclines!

Next stop, the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and yes that is the actual name of the park! A $7 day pass provides access to the park and it's well worth the price. A short drive in is the Interpretive Center that gives history of the area and information about the marine life. At the end of the road is the Yaquina Head lighthouse, which is the tallest lighthouse in the state. The main draw here are the tidal pools at Cobble Beach, however these were closed due to an elephant seal taking a nap. I guess that was an ok reason and I was able to get some good pictures of her from the viewing platform. There were also some harbor seals on a rock and lots of sea birds. The path around the lighthouse offers outstanding views of the coast as well as more whales. (Pretty sure I saw a whale everywhere I stopped today!) The only problem here was the number of annoying flies. Stand too long and you had at least five on you. One of the things I liked most about this park was the paved paths as that makes it accessible for everyone and the fact that there were bathrooms at each parking area. A very well maintained park!

By this time, I was ready for some food and I continued along the 101 to Newport and it's beach. I had read that a good place to eat would be Nye's Beach Cafe, a short walk from Nye Beach. I was able to find a parking spot at the beach and walked up to the cafe. I'm trying to be more adventurous about eating fish, especially if I'm somewhere located on the water, so I ordered the fish tacos. $12 for two tacos with a local fish (no idea what it was, but it was good) and apple slaw, Spanish Rice and sides of salsa and guacamole. A delicious meal that I enjoyed at the beach.

Newport is pretty far south of where I'm staying and I really needed to start heading back north. I stopped at the Whale Museum in Depoe Bay (could have passed that up as it was not as exciting as it sounded) and then Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint for a final whale watch. I could have stood there all day watching for spouts and tails, but I had to say goodbye for now to the whales.

The 101 was pretty busy, being mid afternoon, so I again got on the Three Capes Scenic Loop once back in Pacific City. Stopped at Roseanna's Cafe in Oceanside to pick up some cobbler for dessert (they are famous in this area for their cobbler) and finally got back to my room.

So I finally saw whales! These gray whales were pretty amazing and I'm so glad I decided to take this drive today. The scenery was beautiful, the food was good and it was warm and sunny. I will say, places like Lincoln City, Depoe Bay or Newport are probably better options than Netarts if staying a length of time along the coast. There are lots of restaurants and shops and more hotels to choose from, as well as tons of state parks. Here in Netarts, you are limited in options, although the price for a water view room is probably a lot cheaper!

Now to enjoy this delicious cobbler!

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