Yachats, Oregon

We finally arrived in Yachats on September 17 amidst heavy rain and fog to meet up with Yondi and Daniel.  We were excited to have another chance to visit with them and see the sights of the Oregon Coast.

The house in Yachats

Yondi & Daniel were anxious to show us the sights.  After looking at all the options, we chose the Sea Lion Cave for our first outing.  The day was drizzly and almost all of the Sea Lions decided it was a good day for them to be outside the cave so there was only one lonely Sea Lion left by himself inside.

Sea Lion Cave

Our lonely Sea Lion on the right of the rock

Many of the Sea Lions were in the waters just outside the cave and on the rocks on the coast.

In the background you can see the Heceta Head Lighthouse with 

Sea Lions in the foreground on the rocks

Sea Lions would ride the waves to get on the rocks

Hope you enjoy seeing & hearing the Sea Lions playing on the rocks

The next morning as we got up, there were visitors at the house in Yachats...

4 deer (2 on the left of the picture & 2 on the right)

They took their time munching on the landscaping

The view from the house was awesome with the ocean just across the road.

View from the house

View of the ocean from nearby Yachats State Park

Tim, Yondi & Jixer at Yachats State Park

Guess which one doesn't live in the Pacific Northwest?

We took an afternoon and went to Newport, OR to have lunch and look through the shops.  While we were there we went out on one of the piers and saw the Sea Lions who have taken up residence there.

Sea Lion pile in the harbor

Sea Lions being neighborly at the pier

Dinner in Yachats after an afternoon of sightseeing in Newport

We took an afternoon and took a leisurely stroll along the coast in Yachats.  It was beautiful...and chilly!

Looking towards the Inlet

The rocky coast

Beautiful!

Barb on the coast

Inlet at low tide

Tim takes a break

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it was time for us to move on.  We wanted to make it to Malibu and be on the Santa Monica Pier to see the riders in the Cannonball Run come in.  Next stop....Malibu.

Colorado to Oregon

We finally felt up to leaving Colorado with the camper so we headed off to Yachats, Oregon to meet up with Yondi & Daniel Hall.  This trek took us back through Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and finally back to Oregon.  Along the way, we decided to take Route 14 through the Columbia River Gorge.  It was great a great road with river, mountains, canyons and some unexpected sights.

Pronghorn Antelope herd

Monument commemorating Lincolns birth at a Wyoming 

Rest Area in Telephone Canyon

Mountain formations in Green River, WY

Devil's Slide - UT

 Buttes in Idaho

The evening found us in Oregon and ready for a rest.  Since there weren't many places around we spent the night in an Oregon rest area near Weatherby. 

Ready for a good nights rest.

We were looking forward to getting on to Route 14 (aka the Lewis & Clark Trail) in Washington and traveling the Columbia River Gorge.  We had heard from several people that this was a route that we shouldn't miss and they were definitely right!

Columbia River Gorge

Over every hill there was another spectacular view

And every curve brought something different

Columbia River View

One of the most unusual sights was just off the road....Stonehenge!  Yes that's right there is a Stonehenge in Washington.  It was begun by Samuel Hill in 1918 and completed in 1928 as a monument to military personnel who gave their lives during WWI.   It was truly amazing!!!

Stonehenge

Plaques on the columns contained the names of those who had given their lives in WWI

Awesome!

Stonehenge from a distance

More views of the Columbia River

Canyon view

Bison - again!  

When we had Mt. Hood in our sights, we knew we were back in Oregon and would soon be back on the coast, next stop Yachats.

Mt. Hood

Trip to Florence & Canon City

While we were in Colorado, we decided to visit cousins living in Florence.  A friend recommended driving 285 to 9 to 50 as a more scenic route avoiding the interstate. The trip took us through the Kenosha Pass, Red Hill Pass and the Pike National Forest.

Coming out of Kenosha Pass - 10,000'

Driving out of Red Hill Pass - 9,993'

Bison along Route 9 

Nyle & Tina are building a house on 35 acres outside of Florence, CO.  Looking out from their front porch is a gorgeous view of the south side of Pike's Peak.

The house under construction

Pike's Peak - 14,110' 

View from the front porch

View of Pike's Peak from upstairs

The next day, we decided a train ride through the Royal Gorge would be a great side trip.  The views of the river and surrounding mountains were outstanding!

Royal Gorge Station

All aboard!

Take a ride with us on the Royal Gorge Train

Admiring the beauty of the Gorge

Bridge across the Royal Gorge

Rapids on the Royal River

You can see how close the train runs to the walls of the Gorge

After our train trip, we were headed off to see Bishop Castle.  Jim Bishop bought the land on the edge of the San Isabel National Forest when he was 15.  It was started in 1969 as a family cabin made of nearby stone because he was too poor to buy conventional building material.  People said it resembled a castle and so he decided that's what it would be and has been building ever since.  

Bishop Castle

Stained glass at the Castle

Windows & more stained glass

The castle's dragon is made from recycled metal hospital trays 

& shoots fire about 6 feet

The view from one of the towers down to the road. 

You can barely see the van from here.

Tim in one of the towers

Iron grating walkways are everywhere - a little scary to walk on!

A good view of one of the towers & the walkways surrounding it.

Cosses on the outside of a tower

Walkway to nowhere

Side view of the Castle

Castle from the Isabel National Forest

This was definitely a wild place to visit and it's still under construction....if you're ever in the vicinity you should go see it!