Today we are going further west to the Oregon coast before making a visit to Mt. Hood and then Portland.
Our first stop on the journey is the beach in Lincoln City. Lincoln City was incorporated back in 1965 when several towns along Route 101 were integrated. It’s a large and long beach, a great place for a walk along the surf. I will warn you though, the wind can pick up the sand and blast you with it. I think the sand blasting thing is a risk you face at any beach though.
Not far from Lincoln Beach is Boiler Bay. The name of this small bay comes from a shipwreck back in 1910. The boiler of the J. Marhoffer can still be seen when the tide is low enough.
Next we headed over to have a look at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse has been in service since 1873, and is still in service to this day. It has some interesting origins. The lighthouse was actually made in Paris and shipped here to be assembled. In addition to the lighthouse there are some hiking trails here with great views.
The beach here is not a sandy beach like in Lincoln City, instead it is made of small stones. It sort of reminds me of the beach in Normandy, that place in France you have probably heard of. At low tide you can find a lot of amazing creatures living in the little pools of water.
The 101 goes over the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport Oregon. The historic bridge opened in 1936, and is quite a site to see.
The next overlook is the Devil’s Churn. This inlet used to be a sea cave created by the tide. Its present form is the result of the roof caving in. Also in the area is Cooks Chasm where there is more to see in the way of collapsed sea caves with curious features. It’s a bit windy, but well worth getting out to take a look. We finished our coastal tour at Cape Perpetua, arriving about the same time as a fog bank on the water.
It's time to head a bit further inland. We are heading to Mount Hood, not too far from Portland. Mount Hood isn’t just any old mountain, it’s a strata cone volcano, one of several in a line that goes up the coast and into Washington. One of its sisters, Mount Saint Helens, exploded back in the 1980s. I guess it gives the place just a bit of a sense of danger to know that. The volcano is dormant, but I believe Mount St Helens was as well. The last eruption at Mount Hood happened around 200 years ago. Its amazing to be able to drive this far up and walk so near the summit of the volcano. The views from here are amazing.
Now that we’ve seen the mountain, its time to see the city. The next stop is Portland, the largest city in the state of Oregon. Be sure to head up to the Pittock Mansion for a great view of the city before exploring some of its streets. The mansion was built in 1909 for a publisher named Henry Pittock. Today it is owned by the Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
I have heard many stories about how a town or city got its name, but this is the first that I have heard of by coin toss. Two of the city’s founders wanted to name it after their hometowns, one being from Boston, the other from Portland Maine. Portland won two out of three, and thus it was named. Portland is not a small place, and yes it is weird. I don’t think there is any other way to describe the atmosphere of the place.
Let’s keep Portland weird.
I hope you enjoyed this visit to the coast, Mount Hood, and Portland. This is a state that offers some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen in my travels. If you ever get a chance to visit the coast here, do not miss it.