Oregon, Port Orford - September 2015

Oregon travels, south to north:

Our son asked if the beaches are crowded...I added this photo for him and his wife, they're accustomed to busy New England beaches. Those are our tracks, we walk a beach somewhere everyday and never tire of it because they're all different. 

Regarding our blog...I’ve fallen behind, will blame some on lack of internet. The Oregon State Parks on the coast have sparse internet/cell service. Other than that little inconvenience, the State Parks are very nice with beautiful ocean beach locations. Our trip thru Oregon started in the south central part of the state, we meandered north thru Bend and up the middle to the The Dallas on the Columbia River, the river divides the states of Oregon and Washington, the area known as the Columbia Gorge. The Lewis and Clark expedition followed the Columbia river to the coast (the historic Lewis and Clark Trail). Once we reached the NW corner of Oregon, we followed the coast north to south. As I write, we’re in Port Orford, near the southern border. This is where I’ll continue our blog and in time will back track on some of the highlights from earlier travels. 

Port Orford is the kind of little town we’re drawn to, not all touristy. The fishing industry appears to be the main source of employment. Interesting note, some of the fish from this little port are shipped out alive to restaurants. They’re placed in large water filled containers for shipping. I think the most fascinating thing about Port Orford is the dock itself, it’s called a dolly dock and is one of only 2 in the U.S. Since the town’s open-water harbor isn’t protected from the crashing sea swells, boats in the commercial fishing fleet are hoisted in and out of the harbor by a huge crane everyday, the boats are loaded on a trailer and kept safe up on the cement dock. It’s quite a sight to watch. 

Days End - Fishing boat being lifted up onto the dock.

 The hoist swings the boat over the dock.

This is a different boat but you can see it being loaded onto a trailer.

On our beach walk - Sea Anemones

Sea Anemones are considered to be the flower of the sea, they look like plants but are really meat eating animals. They attach to rocks in shallow water or tide pools, they wait for their food to swim by then sting it with their tentacles. (I like flowers of most any kind, it was a nice surprise to find these in a small pool on the beach.)

A little drive south of Port Orford on Hwy 101. 
Every beach, every view, every day, all different and all so amazingly beautiful.

Another spectacular view, looking towards Port Orford.