FRIDAY - With a short 40-mile travel day there really wasn't much to photograph along the route.
Tricia did manage to snap a few however. I hope everyone has some special Memorial Day Weekend plans.
The view from the Nehalem River Bridge.
We did have another one of those very short tunnels to drive through today.
Our $88 a night "no frills" water/electric/sewer campsite for the holiday weekend.
SATURDAY - Today we are going to be exploring a few locations 14-23 miles south of our our campsite on US-101.
We are waiting until 10:00AM before we head out, hoping that some of this early morning heavy fog will burn off and we'll be able to actually see a few of the landmarks off the Oregon coast.
SCENES FROM THE OREGON COAST (INCLUDING OSWALD WEST STATE PARK)
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Our first stop of the day was at the Silver Point Interpretive Overlook. To the north we could see the famous Haystack Rock off in the distance.
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We could also see the Tillamook Rock "Terrible Tilly" Lighthouse 1.2-miles offshore. Don't worry, we'll be seeing both of these again tomorrow from closer up.
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What we could clearly see from here is a sea stack named "Jockey Cap"!
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From our second stop at the Neahkahnie Viewpoint we had this wonderful view of the coastline.
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A little bit further down the coast at the Neahkahnie South Viewpoint we had a better view.
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Fog on the Oregon coast is common and happens in all temperatures in all seasons.
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It's the result of the cold Pacific Ocean meeting the warm Oregon mainland.
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Sometimes it's just better if you don't know how the road underneath you is being held up.
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Our hike begins by passing under the US-101 bridge.
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The trail will follow along the Short Sand Creek until we reach the beach.
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We are north of the Redwood Forest now, but these Sitka Spruces are also very large trees.
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They too have some very interesting root systems.
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They also are very resilient to damage and disease.
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This Sitka Spruce is a monster sized tree.
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We must be getting close to the beach because I can here crashing waves.
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We are crossing over to the north side of Short Sand Creek.
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Lots of driftwood seems to wash up into this little cove.
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Judging by the packed parking lot I knew we wouldn't have the beach to ourselves.
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More than half the people down here are wearing wetsuits for surfing in the cold waves.
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At the far north end of the cove is what we came here to see, the 45' tall Blumenthal Falls. The falls were named in honor of Ranger Dan Blumenthal, who in 1999 was shot and killed while working on duty at Oswald West State Park.
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As a bonus there are two shallow sea caves to the right of the falls.
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This one is only about 5' deep, but the other one...
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...is closer to 20' deep and much taller.
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Before we check out the falls, let's do a little tidepooling!
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We timed it to be here near low tide so we could check out the tidepools.
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Can you spot the small crab in this photo?
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Watching this video will definitely help you spot him.
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Watching this video I'm not sure who the aggressor is?
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Here's a bright green sea anenome just below the water line.
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We almost missed spotting these two colorful sea stars hidden up under an overhang.
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We saw these before at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but this is our first time out in nature.
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OK, time for the water falls. There's is a trail that takes you to the top of the falls.
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At high tide these waters fall directly into the sea.
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This is the sand on Short Sand Beach. Time to head back to the parking lot.
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I don't think we've seen ferns that high up in a tree before.
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There are a bunch of them about 30' off the ground.
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Here's some more of those interesting looking root systems I was talking about.
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SUNDAY - This morning we're heading out to finish up our sightseeing opportunities here in the towns of Seaside and Cannon Beach.
The weather has really improved over yesterday and we should have some blue sky photos to share with you by the end of the day.
SCENES FROM THE OREGON COAST (INCLUDING ECOLA STATE PARK)
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There is a small Lewis & Clark historical monument here in the town of Seaside.
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In 1806 when the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean they had run out of salt. Salt is critical for curing meat which they would need for their return trip.
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Sea water was boiled here day and night for six weeks until they had 4 bushels of salt.
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From the Ecola Point Viewpoint we could look south down the coast at Cresent Beach.
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Also far off in the distance we could see Haystack Rock.
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Down another walkway we could see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Columbarium.
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The isolation, constant storms, and blaring foghorns at “Terrible Tilly” proved a challenge for the mental and physical conditioning of even the most seasoned lightkeeper.
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For 77-years the lighthouse warned sailors away from danger until September 1, 1957. It was decommisioned and turned into a columbarium (repository for ashes of the dead). Although the license is currently invalid, 30 urns are stored in the lighthouse to this day.
I know what you all are thinking? What about all the closeup photographs of Haystack Rock you promised us?
Well, it seems when you are in a tourist town, like Cannon Beach, and it's nearly perfect weather outside on Memorial Day Weekend, you're not going to find a parking spot anywhere in town big enough for a 20' long truck.
So without a 2-3 mile walk back to the beach in front of Haystack Rock, this was as close as we were going to get. The following "drive by" photo will just have to do.
MONDAY
2026
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Our first stop of the day was at the Silver Point Interpretive Overlook.
We could also see the Tillamook Rock "Terrible Tilly" Lighthouse 1.2-miles offshore.
What we could clearly see from here is a sea stack named "Jockey Cap"!
From our second stop at the Neahkahnie Viewpoint we had this wonderful view of the coastline.
A little bit further down the coast at the Neahkahnie South Viewpoint we had a better view.
Fog on the Oregon coast is common and happens in all temperatures in all seasons.
It's the result of the cold Pacific Ocean meeting the warm Oregon mainland.
Sometimes it's just better if you don't know how the road underneath you is being held up.
Our hike begins by passing under the US-101 bridge.
The trail will follow along the Short Sand Creek until we reach the beach.
We are north of the Redwood Forest now, but these Sitka Spruces are also very large trees.
They too have some very interesting root systems.
They also are very resilient to damage and disease.
This Sitka Spruce is a monster sized tree.
We must be getting close to the beach because I can here crashing waves.
We are crossing over to the north side of Short Sand Creek.
Lots of driftwood seems to wash up into this little cove.
Judging by the packed parking lot I knew we wouldn't have the beach to ourselves.
More than half the people down here are wearing wetsuits for surfing in the cold waves.
At the far north end of the cove is what we came here to see, the 45' tall Blumenthal Falls.
As a bonus there are two shallow sea caves to the right of the falls.
This one is only about 5' deep, but the other one...
...is closer to 20' deep and much taller.
Before we check out the falls, let's do a little tidepooling!
We timed it to be here near low tide so we could check out the tidepools.
Can you spot the small crab in this photo?
Here's a bright green sea anenome just below the water line.
We almost missed spotting these two colorful sea stars hidden up under an overhang.
We saw these before at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but this is our first time out in nature.
OK, time for the water falls. There's is a trail that takes you to the top of the falls.
This is the sand on Short Sand Beach. Time to head back to the parking lot.
I don't think we've seen ferns that high up in a tree before.
There are a bunch of them about 30' off the ground.
Here's some more of those interesting looking root systems I was talking about.
There is a small Lewis & Clark historical monument here in the town of Seaside.
In 1806 when the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean they had run out of salt.
Sea water was boiled here day and night for six weeks until they had 4 bushels of salt.
From the Ecola Point Viewpoint we could look south down the coast at Cresent Beach.
Also far off in the distance we could see Haystack Rock.
Down another walkway we could see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Columbarium.
The isolation, constant storms, and blaring foghorns at “Terrible Tilly” proved a challenge
For 77-years the lighthouse warned sailors away from danger until September 1, 1957.
