Our first ride of the day was a side trip to the Cape Mears Lighthouse. Rascal stretched her wings on a winding road, speckled with potholes and blanketed in fog. As wispy arms of mist eerily reached out to us from the trees, we downshifted and drove slowly through the muffled silence. The lighthouse eluded us in clouds of fog, but the trip was worth it.
Reversing our tracks, we swung down the hill and along Netarts Bay to Cape Lookout. Here, we rose with the clouds to cliffs where the sun weakly broke through to give us a Pacific panorama. Dipping back down to the shore, we were enveloped in fog. Through The Siuslaw National Forest, we passed the Sand Lake Dunes, an unexpected desert in the middle of deep woods. Shocking to us, it is a well known recreation spot for running dune buggies.
After shopping for groceries in Lincoln City, a teeming shore town, we decided to seek a little warmth for a late lunch. Heading east along the Siletz River, we felt the mercury rise as soon as we left the coast. Using a boat ramp for our picnic table, we basked in the warm sun. Leather came off and the chill was gone. Any further east and that warmth would have become unbearable, so we finished our lunch, suited up and headed back down into the mist.
A Friday night, we decided to head in early to be assured a room in these beach towns. Even in chilly weather, they are packed. We landed in Newport where we set anchor and hunkered down.
A foggy day and route determined by the weather kept us running the shoreline of the Pacific. Plans to explore the valley have been thwarted, so the PCH will remain our companion. Considering the fine rides and spectacular views granted to us, she is not such a bad friend to have.
Fog
The Dunes
Lunch
The sun peeks through the fog.
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