Sun, Wind, Fog & Love – A Week In Living Pictures, Cape Blanco OR
Being a bit of a natural sap I’m apt to become rather tongue-tied and girly giggling when it comes to romance. I go through the whole gamut -> heart-strings a-flutter, bare-foot skipping across the moors, the urge to burst into song. Oh yes, I’m the type of girl that goes the full Monty and currently I’m lost in my very own version of Cape Blanco “Sound of Music” (except not quite in tune), and I am in LOVE.
This past week has given me a picture-panorama of weather and images on this wild and wonderful cape, teasing me deeper into nature’s romance. We’ve had days of heavy fog and ominous clouds, days of brilliant sunset and open views, and even a morning we hiked to the furthest beach (north of the lighthouse) when it was eerily completely wind-still.
I am amazed at how many “hidden” trails there are around this cape, many of which are rarely used. We’ve discovered a back trail to the south beach which we walk daily and in all the time we’ve been here we’ve not seen a single soul. Most early mornings the entire coast is empty too, so we get our own private beach, our own private tide-pools (there’s some great ones just north of the lighthouse), our own private lighthouse view and our very own private wonderland-cape
….And this is high season!!!
Cape Blanco headland covers about 48 acres and is the most western point in Oregon (just narrowly short of being the most western point in the contiguous United States). The cape towers ~200 feet above the sea sculpted by a series of uplifted marine sediments the oldest of which dates to the late Cretaceous period (80 to 60 million years ago). It was originally land of the Suc-qua-cha-ta-ny (or “Sixes”) Indians and re-named when Spanish explorers sailed the coast in 1603 and saw the “white cape” cliffs gleaming in the afternoon sun. Once heavily forested (some of which still exists today) the far end of the cape was cleared when the lighthouse was erected in 1870.
The lighthouse, the main road and the campground are really the only significant changes this spot has seen through the years so it still shines with all the wild and natural beauty of its deep past. You can still walk the spruce forest in the south, roam the beach in the north and see the very cliffs and rocks that existed thousands of years ago. It’s all here and all as romantically beautiful as when man first set eyes on the land.
But my camera really does it justice best. So I will put my bare feet back under the covers, store my singing voice away and let you folks enjoy a few shots of my little love-affair in the west. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love too?
Beautiful photos and nice post! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Isdiebs! Nina
These photos are so beautiful they make me want to cry in celebration of the breathtaking joy of nature. Gosh, I wish I was there.
That’s the way I feel too. Sometimes it’s so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Good tears, those!
Nina
Oh my, what a fabulous experience you are having. My own private gorgeous beach has been my dream since I was a teenager. A place to see nature totally undisturbed by man and his creations. Every year that dream becomes more and more impossible as the land becomes increasingly developed. What an unbelievable experience you are having. If I were in your shoes, I might be so in love I’d never leave. This pictures are just breathtaking. That’s just all I can say.
Well I think you’d find the OR coast a treat. It’s VERY ligthly visited, especially the southern stretch and the fact that it’s 100% public makes it even better. This is a defintely a spot we would consider “settling down” when that day comes.
Nina
Thanks for sharing, what a beautiful place. I hope we are able to get there sometime soon. What a beautiful place!!!
I hope you get up here too Linda. It’s a gorgeous spot!
Nina
I think the Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful places there is. Great photos. Thanks for posting.
I most definitely agree. I am always amazed at how much space and wild coast there is up here. Such a contrast to the CA coast just south of us.
Nina
You’ve got a great eye. Those photos are fantastic. Beautiful area you’re in and your photos actually do it justice. I’m motivated to finally retrieve my pictures of Monterey from my camera now.
Thanks! Monterey brings back some good ‘ol memories for me. That’s where I learned to Scuba Dive. Lovely spot.
Nina
we have been there and we know how great a place it is..the oregon coast is a place like no other..love it there too!!
We’re so happy we get to spend a whole MONTH here! Really gives us the time to enjoy the entire gamut of weather & moods.
Nina
wonderful writing, beautiful photos, you are capturing the wild, rugged Oregon coast so well. Makes a person want to come and stay and never leave! I could live there easily!
Thanks for the kudos Jeannie 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying the posts.
Nina
Nina, that is an awesome description of Cape Blanco and so true!
I have forwarded the link to your blog to LOTS of friends! Absolutely wonderful!
Kathy
Kathy,
Thanks so much for the recommendations 🙂 We’re really enjoying our time here…and your company too!!
Nina
Love, love, love this beautiful post about one of my fave places in the world!!!
I prefer to keep it a secret, though 🙂
Give Kathy Webb a hug from me!
~K
http://kit-dogdaze.blogspot.com/
Your comment finally made it through (sorry, it got caught in wordpress there for a while). Totally agree this is a magical place…and so lightly visited too! Will definitely give Kathy a hug for you. We’re happy to have the chance to volunteer here with them.
Nina
Glad to hear you and Paul are having such a great time. Your photos are amazing!
Thanks Lu….we’re totally digging your N.OR coast posts too!
Nina
Your photos and descriptions make the area seem absolutely gorgeous. I look forward to visiting that part of the country in a few years. Thank you for sharing!
It’s a gorgeous spot. I’m sure you’ll love it!
Nina
WOWWIE! I hope we don’t have to cat-fight over Cape Blanco when I get there LATER THIS AFTERNOON. Sure, we were strongly considering the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but after reading this…
Roxanne
It’s a short ~1,000 mile drive so hop on over 🙂 And we’ll be ready for that cat-fight hehe
Nina
Wow! Such a beautiful place. My wife and I will be arriving at Cape Blanco RV Park in Pt. Orford on Wednesday for a few days. The lighthouse is on our list of things to see for sure. Would love to meet you and Paul…maybe we’ll catch you on one of your work days. Thanks for sharing!
Oh cool! We’ll be working all day Wed so if you come by the lighthouse we’ll most definitely be there. On Thurs we’re working AM shift. If you don’t see us at the lighthouse come on by and knock on our RV door (we’re in the host sites at the park)…would love to say “hi” and have a chat. See you soon!
Nina
We enjoyed so much visiting with you and Paul today. We wish we had more time to visit but didn’t want to interfere with your volunteer work. We may swing through the campground tomorrow and check if you are around if that’s okay. Here’s our blog…T & B Travels, located at trentbarbaratravels.blogspot.com. We welcome comments and suggestions.
Trent & Barbara
Hi Nina and Paul,
This is a bit off topic since this thread is about your Cape Blanco experience. I found your site as i was reading some posts on the IRV2.com website. I have just spent the last hour reading about your travels and have completely lost track of time! You have put together a very creative and interesting site. I have the desire to full time but have not yet been able to convince my wife. So i am hoping that if I can get her to read about you two and your lifestyle, I think it will help her understand why i have this dream to full time. We dont have an rv yet either. So some pretty big steps ahead. I see that you have a 40′ MH. I have looked at several and have fallen in love with a 45′ long Newmar. So my question is do you ever wish your MH was larger or is your 40 footer the right size? I have read that a 45′ MH will limit where you can stay. At the same time, a 40′ MH is probably restricted in the same camp areas as a 45′ MH would be too. I appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
I think the size of RV you get really depends alot on how you like to travel and camp. If you don’t mind private parks then any size RV will do just fine. However if you prefer public camping and more remote locations then the smaller the RV you have, the better. I often wish we had picked something smaller than 40-feet especially when we go camping in the mountins (many forest service sites have 35′ or smaller limits). I would say that for our kind of camping (nature, remote, boondocking etc.) 40-foot is the absolute limit…we “squeeze” our rig into many spots that other big rigs never go, and anything bigger would be difficult. Just my 2 cents…
Nina