The Rest of our Perfect Day

Part 2 of our Picture Perfect Day began just outside of Waldport, OR where we pulled over for a look at the tidal flats.  We saw what looked like a heron but the color is not right.  I sent this photo to a local bird expert and he thinks it may be a sandhill crane.  He said he needed a better angle to tell for sure but it is a possibility.  Maybe Judy can weigh in on this.



If we had scripted it ourselves, we could not had imagined a nicer day on the coast.  A few wispy clouds softened the stark blue of the sky and an intermittent gentle breeze kept the temperatures just right.  We made one stop in Waldport and headed for the tiny picturesque village of Yachats.

Yachats State Park is more or less a loop drive on the north side of the Yachats River, that follows right along the rocky shoreline.  There is a small park with restrooms and picnic tables and that’s where we broke out the groceries!
  
This is the view we enjoyed from our picnic table.  Well, we didn’t sit and stare at the sandwiches – we put them to better use.

We were plenty warm sitting in the shade while we enjoyed our lunch.


And for dessert, fresh, straight from the farm, Oregon strawberries.  The berries are ripe about a month early this year and boy are they good!


Right across the street from the park is an observation deck, with steps going down to the tide pools.  The deck is wheelchair accessible so everyone can enjoy the view.


All along the loop road there are places to pull over and park, and benches for those who wish to just sit and watch the ocean.

No words are needed to enhance the beauty of this stretch of the Oregon coast.

Can you see the small natural bridge on the left hand side midway in the picture?


Big, beautiful beach where the Yachats Rivers empties into the Pacific.






From the south side of the river, looking back towards town.







Is it any wonder that we love Oregon? 

On the way home, we made a quick stop in Cushman, a small bump in the road on the Siuslaw River.  Russ spotted this little bird sitting on a piling and did a quick snap. 

We didn’t realize how colorful this violet green swallow was until we got home and looked at the picture.

I can’t remember a nicer day at the coast and we are so glad we decided to just take off and make some memories.  We had a wonderful day, and so did Poppy.