Thursday, October 25, 2012

Cape Blanco State Park

We are at the westernmost point in the geographic lower 48 states of the USA.  Here is a picture of the lighthouse that sits on the bluff at this point.

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We arrived at Cape Blanco yesterday after pulling out of three days of rain at Beverly Beach State Park farther north on Highway 101.  It was 156 miles travel distance, but the weather improvement was wonderful.  We arrived here in sunshine and today has been sunny all day.  Of course, this is the Oregon coast in October and the Weather Channel says we will have showers on and off for the next 6 nights we plan to be here.  On the way down here, we stopped at Carl G. Washburne State Park beach and picnic area to have lunch.  After lunch we took the pooches down to the beach for a little off leash time.  While we were down there I spotted this dead tree sticking out of the sand:

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I don’t know about you, but I think this is one of the better photos I have taken in several years.

Cape Blanco State Park is pretty big with a campground with large sites with good privacy between the sites.  The facilities include 50 amp electric and water hookups.  A really good deal for the off season rate of $16 a night.  The Verizon service is fair, fluctuating from fair to non-existent.  I did manage to find a small space between two trees to aim the satellite dish.  So here we are in a forest, on the beach, with internet and satellite television.  Life is pretty darn good.  Here are some pictures of the site:

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A short walk takes you to the bluff overlooking the ocean.  The campground is over 400 feet above sea level so it is set aside as a Tsunami escape zone.  That makes Rosie feel secure; she has concerns about the big Tsunami predicted for the west coast of the US someday.  Here are some pictures from the bluff area:

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After lunch we climbed into the truck and headed down a narrow paved road for the beach.  We were shocked to find 2 parking lots and only one empty parking space.  There were 4-wheel drive vehicles driving down on the beach.  How weird; or fun, depending on what floats your boat.  Here are some pictures from the beach:

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Rosie continues to improve a little bit every day.  We grilled up some pork chops for dinner with some roasted potatoes and fresh veggies still from the Farmers Market in Idaho Falls.  Add adult beverages and we are having a good evening.

Thanks for stopping by.

5 comments:

TravelBug-Susan said...

I love your photo of the Cape Blanco lighthouse. The tire tracks in the sand draw you into the photo, then there's the interesting lines in the sea stack, followed by more interesting lines and curves leading your eye up to the lighthouse. Very nice.

The photo of the dead tree on the beach is my second favorite.

Jim Sathe said...

Thank you Susan. I had to look again at the lighthouse photo to see what you were seeing. You have a good eye for detail

owensontheroad said...

Very nice shots of the coast! Sounds like you picked a winner of a state park too.

DNPC said...

Enjoy the Cape - we spent the summer at Humbug Mountain and enjoyed the area. Make sure you try the fish & chips at the Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford! Glad to hear Rosie's doing better. As you head south, you may want to try Harris Beach SP near Brookings. It also has RV spots high on the bluff above the water.

Anonymous said...

So LOVE that area. Just re-reading your older blog posts and want to wish the best of healing for Rosie! What an ordeal she's been through...and what a trooper she is!
Nina