Day 19

This morning we left Seaside, Oregon to head south on Hwy. 101.  The weather was misty and bleak. 

 

We stopped at several scenic lookout points and got some great pics of  the waves rolling in and crashing along the shoreline.  We also made a trip to the Devil's Punch Bowl.  I have a video that will be on FB later. 

For all the economic woes we hear about, the western part of the country seems to be holding its own.  The lodging facilities all have their "No Vacancy" signs posted and the traffic has been steady.  We are in Yachats tonight.  Rick and I were here 25 years ago and there was nothing here then.  We stayed at a brand new little lodge right on the shore and could walk to everything in town which consisted of a post office that sold kites, a grocery that doubled as the liquor store and one restaurant.  Today, that little lodge has been torn down to make way for new condos on the shore.  And the shore line is just covered with homes, motels, and condos.  It seems that all those who built years ago that thought they were on the shore have now found out that someone else was brave (or stupid) enough to build even closer to the sea.  Kind of like someone building a two story home in front of DeHut's cottage! 

Some of the homes literally sit in the wet sand and the tide must be their front yards...on a good day.  I don't want to hazard a guess on where it is on a bad day.   On the way down we also stopped at some chainsaw carving shops.  Some of the work was absolutely incredible!  A real inspiration for Rick. 

Tomorrow we will be doing some exploring and hoping the weather clears a bit!