When smoke continued to choke the Rogue Valley last week, we decided it was time to live dangerously. We hitched up our trailer and headed to the Oregon Coast…without reservations! Spontaneous and risky! And successful. Arriving early on the last day of a three-day holiday weekend allowed us to easily find a full hookup spot at a first come – first served campground.
Our favorite outing of the week was a trip to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse with friends and fellow campers, Lan and Jeff. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the lighthouse has the distinction of being the tallest (at 93 feet) on the Oregon Coast. Free tours of the lighthouse are available most days. Space is limited, so check in at the Interpretive Center to get your tickets.
As great as the lighthouse tour was, the stars of the day were the resident gray whales that linger off the coast near Newport from May through October or November. They swim surprisingly close to shore and put on quite a show for us throughout the afternoon.
Scanning the water, we were continually rewarded with a glimpses of a water spouts, followed by gracefully arched backs of the diving whales. The sight of a fluke (when the tail sticks straight up) never failed to raise a cheer from spectators.
Although the whales were swimming just beyond the rocks, capturing them with my camera lens was impossible…so, while we have no photos, we do have many memories of a beautiful afternoon spent at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and surrounding Natural Area.
carryoncouple 
So beautiful! Glad you were able to escape the smoke! It has finally blown away with the help of some cooler temps and a little bit of rain.
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We have cooler temps and some drizzle too. I haven’t heard if it has helped the firefighters, but the air is better…for now!
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I love this lighthouse, we were their last summer. Another great spot to watch the whales is Depoe Bay, you can park right on main street and they hang out right there close enough for pictures.
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I read that Depot Bay is a good whale watching spot. We’ve driven through a couple times, but have not yet stopped. It looks like a fun little town to wander about. It’s good to have a reason to go back!
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Sounds wonderful 🐳 🐳 💦 I’m glad you got out of the smoke! We had 3 1/2 no-school -smoke days last week in Oakhurst & I, too, decided to escape! Nature always restores one.
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Gosh, I hope you don’t have to make up smoke days at the end of the year! We finally got our blue sky back today after weeks!!
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Looks so beautiful.
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It is…especially when the sun shines!
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Yes. Thank you for getting back with us. Its fun sharing journeys with you.
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