I had a bug in my ear to drive down the Oregon Coast. I have had it for awhile, but this trip provided me with the opportunity. After Portland, we headed over to the coast. It was a good thing, because the temperature in Portland was soaring. We didn’t get much relief until we got over to the coast.
On the way, we stopped at Boersma’s, as mentioned, which is a GREAT shop. Friend Julie has posted about it as well. The drive was long because it was a holiday weekend and everyone seemed to be getting out of town. I am a somewhat impatient driver. I like to keep moving so the stop and go traffic, similar to Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz in the summer, was maddening. Friend Julie did a good job keeping me sane and we finally made it to Newport.
We stopped in Newport to visit a BAM friend who moved up there for her job. The area is beautiful as is the town. It is a working fishing port and we saw evidence of boats going out and catching fish and other sea creatures while we were there. We met Cheryl and her family for dinner on the first night. We went to a Thai place in downtown Newport. The food was excellent. I had more Pad See Eww and I don’t feel like I overindulged in that dish, though I ate it at least 4 times.
On Saturday, we first went to the Farmer’s Market. There were a lot of artisan items for purchase. Julie bought some jams and I looked at some Friends of Bree dolls that I thought were unique and interesting.
I like these dolls because they are different than other dolls. They look a bit edgy, but not really scary.
The Secret Keeper model has a zipper for a mouth, which I think is a brilliant detail. Traci also makes some of the dolls without the zipper mouth. She has bats and cats on her Etsy shop, too.
Each doll was $53 (prices are different on Etsy), which I thought was a deal. It seems like a lot, but you have to consider the work that goes into the doll after the idea was formed. Also, if you have ever stuffed a toy, you will appreciate the excellent work done on these dolls.
After the farmer’s market we visited the quilt shop, Quilter’s Cove,, which I discussed yesterday.
The Lincoln County Fair was on in Newport, so we went there next. Normally, the Fair is an all day activity. This Fair was REALLY different from the San Mateo County Fair. First of all, there was no paid parking and admission was FREE!! It was also tiny, but much more intimate as well.
The first building we visited was the commercial building and I liked it a lot better than the San Mateo County Fair commercial building. Like everything else, people were friendly and willing to talk without the high pressure of a sales pitch. There were government entities including several dealing with food – bees, growing food, alternatives to pesticides, etc.
We also found the local quilt guild in this building. They had, what seemed like, a double wide booth. The quilts were interesting and the ladies hosting the booth were super friendly. They had a lot of cool t-shirts, jackets and other things with their logos for sale, too. Their meetings aren’t super convenient for working people, but they do have some evening meetings and our friend Cheryl might join.
The ‘Home Arts’ section was in one corner of a barn (shed?) that included food entries, flowers and woodworking as well as sewing, crochet, quilts and knitting. I also saw table settings, a favorite of mine at the San Mateo County Fair.
There was a small selection of entries from various kinds of crafts, including a very popular miniatures category that I found fascinating. There were a few entries that used books. I don’t know if that was a specific category or just a convenient media. I loved miniatures as a kid and would have loved a special dollhouse (still would, maybe).
We also visited the animals. Outside the animal barn was a pen with camels. A person could pay $15 and get a ride. I was kicked by a camel once, so I am not a fan. Still, it was interesting enough to take a photo. None of our party wanted a ride this time.
The animal barn was also a completely different experience than the San Mateo County Fair. The owners/breeders were in the stalls with the animals and were happy to talk to us. The barn was hot so many people were spraying their animals with spray bottles or hoses to keep them cool. We saw one poor chicken that looked too hot. The baby goats were adorable.
On our way out, we bought some Aqua Frescas. I had Pineapple flavor and I LOVED it. The drink was very refreshing and not too sweet. It was not like drinking a Jarritos.
Next stop was the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The day was gorgeous and I was able to take some beautiful pictures of the lighthouse. We were also able to take in some gorgeous views. Do you sense a theme?
We took a look at the visitor center first, which is slightly out of date according to Cheryl, who is a biologist, but not terrible.
One of the fascinating exhibits was the one about the lighthouse keepers and their families. The exhibit talked about their duties and what they did for fun as well as things they did to keep busy. This frame is one of the examples of crafts in which someone engaged. It looks like a form of macrame and is really amazing work.
We also visited a New Age type shop somewhere around Newport. The salesperson was super friendly and vivacious, but none of us really liked the vibe of the shop.We did see a Mother Earth statue that was large and intricate. Julie and I visited Humbolt Herbals when we were in Eureka and liked that place a lot better.
The day was packed! We ended it with a charcuterie dinner at a restaurant called Myril. You have to visit! I love charcuterie dinners. I never feel super full, but I feel like I have eaten enough. This restaurant had amazing cheeses and super delicious meats. They also had good cocktails. We went with Cheryl and her husband and had a great time.
The next day we headed out to start driving home. I wanted to look at the Oregon Coast views and we did that. I always forget how long it takes to drive down the Oregon Coast. We were starting to get antsy about getting home, so we spent a lot of time in the car.
We stopped at the Sea Lion Caves. Julie had been there before and she thought it was worth the stop. I thought it was, even though it was a bit stinky.
The Sea Lion Caves is a 12 or 13 story caves that sea lions use as a resting spot (or nursery?) during certain times of the year. You go in to a well stocked gift shop (yes, I bought postcards) and buy tickets. They tell you how many sea lions are in residence and you go down to the elevator.
The elevator is outside, though in a little hut. You have to go outside to get to it, but that was great, because I got to look at the amazing water.
The lighthouse in the photo is the one they built using a lens from England. It is called Heceta Head Lighthouse. See the fog? I was starting to feel at home and the temperature was a lot cooler.
You can find the Sea Lion Caves at 91560 Hwy. 101 N. Florence, OR 97439. MILEPOST 179.
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. We stopped at various quilt shops and stayed at a hotel with a fantastic hot tub we forgot to use. In Gold Beach we ended up in a tavern type bar/restaurant that was slightly scary. The food was excellent and after watched the sunset from our balcony and that was gorgeous.
As an aside, Friend Julie wrote a great post about our visit to the Rose Garden. Take a look since I barely mentioned it in my previous post.
So good to see you and Friend Julie!
It was great to see you as well. I’ll be back in Portland in October, but probably won’t have time to drive down the coast. 🙁 I really enjoyed your little town.