Try to arrange several days in...
by Kevin_Kirsch
Try to arrange several days in the area, you'll need it just to hit all the local beaches and find your favorite. Of course, you have to deal with high tides, which gives you an excellent excuse to go back to your favorite spots to investigate the new gifts from the sea. Buckets and buckets of freshly 'picked' beach agates. Wind blown cheeks like sun burn in the evening either sitting around a fire or hiding in the shelter of the trailer when it rains (and it DOES do that, here!!). Sitting and talking, for hours, with people I've never met before but who will tell you everything they did living around here for so long.
Packing List
by Kevin_Kirsch
Your choice. No one else will care. Winter time on the Oregon coast means be prepared to get blown off the map with potentially high wind and driving rain. On the other hand, if its a nice lull between storms, long sleeve shirt and jeans, sneakers that can get soaked in the waves (watch those waves!!), a snug hat (or you're going to lose it), a rain slicker handy for the beach on 'iffy' days, maybe a pair of knee boots (for the waves to fill up and insulate your feet), lots of nice, dry, clothes to change into after you've done 'the beach thing'. Sun screen, skin/hand lotion, mole skin. Pictures of the sunsets off of the bluffs and on the beaches are some of the best anywhere around the world. A tripod to do those low light shots, 200/400 film (I prefer slides, not prints), a plastic bag to 'house' the camera in if it begins to mist on you and you may want to play with colored filters, if that's to your liking. If you've stayed in a tent, on the coast of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, you KNOW the meaning of 'high humidity'. Just be prepared for dampness, rain or shine. You want to stay warm, so, wear breathable clothing at night, in the sleeping bag. Don't plop that tent down anywhere near the high tide mark or you could end up asea by morning. A waist secured drop sack to drop all the goodies into . An old gardent rake to scratch the gravel around and help you decide if it is worth bending over for 'that one', or not. Have clean, dry clothes in the car waiting for you along with a Thermos of HOT something or other. You'll be tired, if you've been at it all day, so have someplace to retreat to BEFORE exhausting yourself that day.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
by sunnywong
Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest on the Oregon Coast at 93 feet in height & 114 steps to the top. The light was completed in 1873. Today the lighthouse is the centerpiece of Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and is one of the most-visited lights on the west coast, with over 400,000 visitors each year. The lighthouse is open daily June 15 to September 15 for guided morning tours, limited to 15 persons at a time. (For those who wish to tackle the 114 steps to the top of the lighthouse, tours are available during the operational hours of 12pm to 4pm daily. Be warned! It's quite a climb, but for those that can handle it, it's also an amazing view from the top. Upon their return to the base of the lighthouse, visitors are encouraged to donate a dollar to the upkeep of the natural refuge area and take with them a button with a picture of the lighthouse on it, and the words, "I survived the climb!")
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
by richiecdisc
Yaquina Head Lighthouse is Oregon's tallest at 93 feet and took two years to build between 1871-1873 from 370,000 bricks brought up from San Francisco. Set on a narrow piece of land jutting west into the Pacific, the lighthouse can be seen 19 miles out to sea despite the area being noted for its awful weather. Reported to be haunted, the lighthouse nonetheless attracts many tourists each year.
Fees look to have increased at the park since or visit in 2008 when it was included in the $3 we paid to visit Haceta Head Lighthouse. It now charges $7 for a three day pass.
Oregon Coast Aquarium
by Easty
Probably the main attraction of Newport. I did not personally go to this aquarium due to time constraints. When I passed it, there were many cars there. Some people consider this the best aquarium of the west coast. There are more than 500 species on display here. When I get back to Oregon, it is on my to do list.
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children and adults enjoy aquarium touch pool
Oregon is no tropical paradise even in July
the colorfl Astoria Column
keep an eye out for The Blue Heron
