Oregon 2026 - Friday, June 26, 2026

This morning was a quiet one.  Raining early then just cloudy and cool. Mark assumed cook’s duties this morning and whipped up scrambled eggs with baby shrimp tucked into the curds.  Surprisingly tasty, accompanied by orange juice, coffee and toast. Shortly after noon, the crew popped into the chariot for some sightseeing. We hoovered south on highway 101 towards the destination of Newport. 

We stopped at Yaquina Lighthouse for some history. This 93 foot tall lighthouse is Oregon’s tallest. It is one of  a string of lighthouses built along the Pacific Ocean coast to allow shipping and to open up the region to commerce.  The construction of Yaquina Lighthouse was begun in 1871 and the light was first lit on August 20, 1873. The light was visible for 20 miles out to sea, courtesy of a Fresnel lens manufactured in Paris, France in 1868. The lens was shipped across the Atlantic to Panama, carried overland across the isthmus and then continued its voyage up the Pacific coast to Oregon. In the 1930’s the 4-wick lamp fueled by oil was replaced wth a 1,000 watt electric theatrical lamp of 130,000 candlepower. In 1939, the U.S. Lighthouse Service was incorporated into the U.S. Coastguard which took over control of the lighthouse, its structures and supervision of its keepers. 

In 1966, the era of Lighthouse Keeper ended as a computerised light was installed. A GPS system has since replaced most navigation, but the lighthouse remains lit for those vessels not equipped with GPS equipment. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management now administers the sight and conducts tours of the lighthouse and staffs the facility with Rangers to provide lectures about the lighthouse and it’s animal and sea life in the tide pools.

The  other attraction at Yaquina Point are the small islands just off shore which are part of a designated bird sanctuary.  We were able to spot Brown Pelicans, Pelagic and Brandt’s Cormorants, Xantus’ Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemot, Seagulls trying to steal eggs, and Turkey Vultures swooping down to scare the small birds and steal some eggs. We talked  at length to a volunteer Ranger, Wil(helmina) who provided us with some background and information on all the wildlife. She was just getting off of her shift and so walked with us towards the parking lot.  A younger tourist woman was walking  up the path towards the lighthouse, with a young pit bull type dog pulling on the leash. As she walked past the “No Pets Allowed” sign, Wil said “I’m sorry, Ma’am, no pets are allowed as this is a bird sanctuary.” The woman looked over her shoulder, kept going and said “This is a service dog.” Wil said,”Service dogs don’t pull at their leads.” The woman ignored her and kept on going. Wil muttered that she was off duty and didn’t want to lose her temper, so turned towards the  parking lot and left. We are not sure not sure if the dog was a bitch, but we are certain about the woman!

We then continued south into the town of Newport. The fishing industry and warehouses here are gradually giving away to tourism, but the town still bustles. We stopped at a local jewelry shop that Ann frequents to find earrings to match a ring she had purchased last year.  It was a Herkimer diamond, which I had never heard of but are only mined near Herkimer, N.Y.  Considerably less expensive than regular diamonds but very attractive, nonetheless.  Afterwards we went looking for the “hundreds of seals” that generally hang out at the local pier only to find one poor, lonely bull seal with the whole pier to himself.  We have no idea where the others are hanging out these days but when we find out, we will send someone to tell him.  We stopped for a late lunch/early supper at the famous Mo’s Diner for our afternoon repast. Deb & Mark enjoyed wonderful clam chowder accompanied by a bowl of fried onion rings for the table. Ann ordered fish tacos and a small shrimp salad (which proved to be too much food, so the salad became take-out) while Don enjoyed a large seafood salad.  We finished the meal with a shared piece of peanut butter cream pie, which was delicious.  Deb is still talking about it!

 On the drive home, we stopped at the roadside Chester’s Market for additional provisions and then, some of us returned for a rest. Don & Ann, however, went for a walk along the beach which was cut somewhat short by rain. Meanwhile, Mark made Deb a Dirty Martini (it is Friday after all!) which she couldn’t finish because she was too full of chowder and onion rings!  We then worked on Ann’s million piece jigsaw puzzle, watched PBS Newshour for updates on the Orange Felon, then Washington Week with The Atlantic. The weather cleared and we watched the sun sink into the wide Pacific Ocean.

Oregon 2026 - Thursday, June 25, 2026

Another cloudy day on the Oregon coast. The sun is trying to break through the clouds early as the morning rain stops. Ann & Deb step out for a walk of 3/4 mile to the shops for some bakery goods, while Mark works on his blog posting and Don enjoys his morning coffee. The ladies return laden with a fresh loaf of sourdough, some frosted cake donuts, a couple of marionberry jam-filled bear claw pastries. Marionberry fruit is a cultivar of blackberry released on 1956; it was bred in cooperation with Oregon State University and is named after Marion County, Oregon. Oregon accounts for 90% of the frozen blackberries grown in the U.S, most of which occurs in the Willamette Valley region.

After a leisurely late morning of coffee and pastries, we regroup and load into the RAV 4 for an afternoon outing. Our first stop is the Alder House Glass Blower, where we peruse all the hand blown glass objects. One of the artisans is explaining the process to  a tourist group watching him create, while we make decisions on purchases. Deb invests in a set of earrings in the shape of a martini glass with an olive in each glass. Don and Mark discuss buying a pair between them, but then they would have to get their ears pierced, and an argument would ensue as to who would get which ear punctured; as no consensus could be reached, the plan was abandoned for the time being.

Next on to the Mossy Creek ceramic gallery. There are 8-12 different ceramic artists represented in the gallery; although the types of pieces (glasses, cups, bowls) were similar, the coloring, styles and shapes were all different. After careful consideration, Deb again made a contribution to the economy.

We pressed onward to the Freed Art Gallery to view their fine art offerings. Nothing much was purchased, but Deb noted that the metal windmill art sculpture she had purchased 20 years ago in Santa Fe was still available and displayed in the front garden of the Gallery. Based upon the current prices, she seems to have made a worthwhile investment.  

Next on the agenda was lunch. We made our way to the nearby Squatchsami Restaurant/Diner. Coincidently, Darcy had texted Deb the day before that this establishment “had the best fish and clam chowder in the area.” The grilled cod was delicious, the chowder was very good, and the feta/spinach salad was tasty, but a bit overdressed (evidently the chef didn’t get the correct current dress code!)

After lunch, we drove back towards the home base with a stop at Salishan Lodge. We learned that the lodge, first opened in 1965, was where Don and Ann honeymooned all those many moons ago (1972.) Although the structure is now 61 years old, it, like the Hosfords, has aged well. The greenery and trees have grown tremendously, but the attached golf course is still well used and there were plenty of people around.

Back at our lodgings, we rested or napped as the case might be and then, as the evening rain began, we left for our 6:00 dinner reservation at The Side Door Restaurant.  Unpresupposing from the outside, it was a pleasant lodge-style look on the interior. Although the menu was fairly extensive, we were bent on seafood for the evening. Don chose the fried halibut dinner for the “hellavit”.  Deb chose the crab cakes and jumbo prawns over mashed potatoes, Mark chose the char-grilled wild salmon (no tame ones were available,) while Ann chose the seafood ragu. Mark & Deb enjoyed a glass of Willamette Valley wine. The real star here was the marionberry cobbler alla mode which was why Don chose the restaurant. Deb had the warmed bread pudding, and Ann the coconut gelato. Mark wielded the spare spoon.

We returned home in time to catch the last half of the WIFA World Cup match between Turkey and the U.S. It was tied up 2-2 going into the last 7:00 minute extra. With 30 seconds left Turkey scored to make it 3-2. Unfortunately for Turkey, given the unfathomable point scoring system of the tournament, Turkey was going home in any event and the U.S. were advancing into the next round. The match was played in Los Angeles, so the partisan crowd were not too happy with the last minute score, but Turkey was ecstatic with the win and U.S. was living with it in order to move on.  After the game, we learned that our eldest, Ed, was actually in the stadium!  Since we didn’t actually spot him in the crowd, we were glad he sent pictures as proof.

After the match concluded, Don, Mark & Deb viewed a portion of their PBS Newshour. Ann is working on a multi-million piece puzzle  and wished us each a good night as, one after the other, the rest of us straggled to bed.  Another great day of vacation in the Northwest.

Oregon 2026 - Wednesday, June 24, 2026

After a fairly restful night, given the two hour time differential, Mark was up at 5:30, and out to gaze upon the ever restless Pacific Ocean as it crashed into the sandy beach below. What a sight and sound. For flatlanders from the Midwest, this coast provides a never ending fascination! 

Today was a slow start, Ann preparing hot oatmeal for those who find that kind of gruel tasty, which is three of the four members of the party. We spent most of the morning chatting and staring out the windows at the sea. The weather today is surprisingly warm and sunny. We went for a short walk along the roads of the Salishan subdivision to find the new access path for the beach, although we did not take the time to walk the beach this day. 

Shortly after noon, we loaded into our white chariot to head for Depoe Bay, the name being both a bay and a town, some 10 miles south of our location. As it is summer and the weather is warm, and the town is full of tourists. The whale watching boats were streaming in and out of the bay, ferrying the tourists out to look for the elusive cetaceans as they are straying close to the shore in search of food. The whale watching center in Depoe Bay has a marvelous display to teach one all about whales. As an example; the large gray whale, about the size of a school bus, consumes over 2,000 pounds of krill shrimp a day. That is a lot of very small crustaceans to scoop up; no wonder the occasional Pinocchio gets caught in the mix!

We stopped in for a late lunch at The Horn Public House & Brewery, overlooking the harbor, next to the iron bridge that stretches across the mouth of the Depoe Bay harbor. We watched the small craft come and go, fantasizing about which of the craft we would most like to own. Lunch was seafood chowder, fried cod with fries, cole slaw and some cod tacos. Very tasty, and delivered by a spritely young server whom Deb & Ann speculated must spend at least an hour each morning applying her facial make-up - quite a work of art!

After lunch we walked alongside a wall topping the sea break for some distance as we returned to the car, then drove back towards home base, first with a diversionary stop at Boiler Bay turnout for another view of the seemingly boiling ocean below, followed by an additional stop at Chester’s Market for needed supplies. Upon return to Salishan, we unloaded the car and plunked down in front of the windows to watch the sea for a while, during which Mark & Deb enjoyed a glass of wine. By 6:00, it was time for the news, first a 25 minute lecture by a U.S. Senator speaking on the Senate floor about the vast corruption of the Trump Administration, with fact after fact about all the graft and grift that is occurring with the family and friends of our wanna-be king. Next it was time for our daily dose of the PBS Newshour. Since we were all well sated from our late lunch, our evening meal consisted of snacks of crackers, cream cheese spread, small plates of miniature shrimp ala’ the gray whale, with some cocktail sauce. 

Don wandered off to the lower level to read for the evening, while Ann, Deb & Mark watched some television until shortly after 9:00. Deb headed for the bedroom, while Mark, Ann & Don watched the tide roll in - admittedly not real eventful but, again as flatlanders, if not exciting, then at least exotic!?! A fitting end to a relaxing first day in Oregon. 

Oregon - 2026, Tuesday Traveling

We are on the road again, or rather headed into the air again. On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026, we were up and awake by 5:30 (or 6:30 for some) to double check our luggage and await the arrival of Darcy to ferry us to Eppley Airfield for the beginning of another adventure. She arrived mostly on time by 9:15 and we were loaded and on our way. At Eppley, we met our traveling partners, Ann and Don Hosford for a Southwest flight to Denver. 

As the College World Series had ended on the day before, giving Oklahoma a well earned win over North Carolina in the third and final match, the airport was teeming with fans. We were hard pressed to find seats in the waiting area. After a very full flight left for Denver, the crowd thinned and our 11:00 AM flight departed about 30 minutes behind schedule. Smooth flying on a full flight and an almost clear day.

We arrived in Denver, and learned that our connecting flight to Portland was delayed for an hour. Just enough time to stop and grab a sandwich for lunch: a pair of ham and butter on baguettes, a BLT on whole wheat, and a berry and yogurt purée for the healthy amongst us. The Denver to Portland leg likewise was a totally full flight. We had forgotten what it is like to travel in the summer vacation time. Lots of children and then, upon landing in Portland, the line of wheelchairs waiting in the jetway was jarring. We counted seven waiting wheelchair.attendants and two more at the top of the jetway. Uneventful flights with some napping involved.

In Portland, we secured our rental chariot, a 2026 Toyota RAV 4, a three year earlier version of what Deb drives in Omaha. Don is the designated driver for the trip, so we plugged Deb’s iPhone into the dash and plotted directions to our first destination - Powell’s Books. For bibliophiles, this is a west coast Mecca, similar to Strand Bookstore in NYC. Three floors covering a half block stretch of downtown Portland. We spent nearly an hour here, wandering the aisles, refraining from impulse buying, mostly. Deb and Mark managed to walk out with only four or five tomes, Don refrained, as he still has a huge credit at The Bookworm in Omaha to clear, and Ann just didn’t find anything worth lugging home.

Following Powells, we plotted a course to McMinnville towards the Oregon Hotel, our dinner destination. We arrived around 7:30, found a nice table for four in this renovated and quirky hotel built in 1905. The pub food was basic and tasty, a pair of Wedge Salads topped with steak points, a well appointed cheeseburger with fries, and a house soup and side of Cole slaw. We departed McMinnville fully sated, and pointed our chariot toward Lincoln City, Oregon, along the coast.   We arrived in Lincoln City and then 5 miles along the highway to our final destination, an amazing home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Salashan subdivision. 

We disembarked from the vehicle in the dark; we were immediately immersed in the sound of the ocean, the odor of the sea and the saltwater air on our skin. We stumbled in, finding our assigned bedrooms, crawled into warm beds and were out like proverbial lights. 11:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time, or 1:30 AM body time. A long day but not arduous, although we did put in some walking miles at the airports. So starts our weeklong vacation (can you vacation when you are retired?)