Manzanita, Oregon

So nice to see the sunshine this morning streaming through the windows. It’s been raining off and on for the last week. More on than off. As one person told me, “It’s liquid Sunshine, that is what you get!”

A word here to say that I got carried away with pictures. Oregon’s beauty is hard not to take photo’s. Since taking the Highway 101 route along the Oregon Coast, I have taken close to 700 shots.

In our stay here for a few days, we wasted no time in exploring. Areas north and south is full of parks, beautify coast line, lighthouses and historical sites. Here are my best shots of our adventure.

Fort Steven State Park, Oregon

This state park is located at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Oregon side and has remnants of a military fort used during WWII. It was totally dedicated to prevent Japanese warships from entering USA territory. A Japanese war ship did actually fire upon USA territory at this location. This battery respsonded!

Exploring this military battery site required a hike. Once there, the site is totally open to explore. It was erected in the early 1940’s. It was a cool place to explore.

We hike to the observation bunker that supported the battery bunkers.

At the time WWII, the tree line in front of the observation bunker was clear to the ocean, just 1/4 mile away. This observation bunker spotted the Japanese war ship. It provide the coordinates for the battery bunker to launch an assault.

This is what is left from a 1890’s sunken ship that has been sitting on the beach since its’ demise.

Tillamook, Oregon Area

Over the years, we have bought Tillamook Cheese. We thought it would be good to take the tour of the cheese factory since we were in the area. The sign said a “FREE TOUR”. It was CHEESY(pun). It was only a self guided walk into their market.

Along the coast of Tillamook, just 10 miles to the west is Cape Meares.

Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. A navigation aid for the mouth of the Columbia River on the Washington state side. It is still a functional aid with an active Coast Guard observation tower maned 24/7.

This couple seem to have built there own shelter from drift wood at Cape Disappointment.

Lewis and Clark National Park, Oregon

This national park was disappointing. Not much to explore…only a reconstruction of the original fort. I really wanted to see and feel Lewis and Clark expedition artifacts. This park was lame!

Our Overnight Stay:

We stayed at Nehalem Bay State Park. We paid $29/night. We have water and 50amp service. We are in site C38 along the beach. The site is paved and level. We got 11 over-the-air TV channels and cell service was good. We would stay here again.