Yachats, OR ~ June 14-16, 2014

June 14th

We arrive at the Adobe Resort in Yachats in the late afternoon. A mix of sun, rain, and partly cloudy has been the daily pattern thus far. The hotel is perched on a bluff along the rocky shore just a stones throw from the ocean. There are extensive walking trails and beaches to roam and the occasional bench for meditative moments.

Bench on the cliff

View from the restaurant

Along one of the trails

Overlook 

The hotel restaurant is fabulous and the service delightful: grilled portobello mushrooms topped with quinoa and veggies and half of a small apple blueberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. We took a short walk after dinner and then curled up to read. Lulled to sleep with the ocean roaring outside an open window: magical and mesmerizing, cares and concerns going out with the tide.

June 15th

Enjoyed the Father's Day Buffet at The Adobe and toasted our dads Grif and Eugene. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, mac and cheese, grilled potatoes and chocolate strawberries it was time for a walk along the Pacific Coast Trail (the path from the hotel). 

We logged 2.4 miles, but not without incident. Near the end of the walk I jumped off a rock to the beach at an altitude of maybe 2 feet. My right knee's exact words were "WTF you're almost 70 years old and jumping off things is no longer an option". A wake up call to be sure, a cosmic Gibbs' slap to the back of the head. It's gonna bug me for awhile, but in light of what else is going on in my life, it's just time to Cowgirl Up. Damned if I'm going to pay a $5 fine for whining.

An exposed outcropping on the beach looks like petrified trees. The low tide gave us a glimpse into another world: Large rock islands covered with mussels, anemones and starfish. 

After lunch in Depot Bay we head for the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. The weather is holding beautifully. It's summer vacation so there are a lot of families in attendance. Half the fun is watching the children discovering what lives in the sea. 

Heading back to Yachats we decide to stop at Devil's Punch Bowl State Park and take a stroll. Weather crisp and fresh after a rain. A whale was spotted out by the rock pictured below, and kept visitors enthralled for some time. The "punch bowl" is a large open cavern on the right side of this large outcropping. 

Figure we logged about 4.5 miles afoot today and that in itself called for handmade ice cream. Time to head back to the Adobe for dinner, good books and an early night. However, not before we spent some time holding hands on the bench and watching this storm roll south.