Yosemite Firefall

27 Feb 2022

Impromptu decision to visit Yosemite after reading about the Horsetail Falls firefall phenomenon. We arrived on the second to the last day of the two week window when it is visible. Because we were at the end of the window, the reflections weren't dramatic or vibrant. We had to park at least a mile away and just followed the crowd to the viewing areas. We passed several areas where others thought they would have a better viewing angle but we ended up sitting where the park ranger was doing crowd control. We watched as the ranger chased a few cars away that tried parking along the main road. It was exciting nevertheless as we anticipated the peak of the reflection and was a little disappointed when it was over, "was that IT?"

We stayed at the Tenaya Lodge, which was a lot closer in Fish Camp than our previous stays in Oakhurst. The first picture we took, the second picture was taken by a friend two years ago.

Oregon Coast Road Trip

Oregon Coast Road Trip

Feb 2022

We've been planning this trip for a couple of years but never found the right time to take it. The Omicron surge cancellation of our Panama Cruise provided the opportunity. Took us 2 days to reach Crescent City at the Oregon border. We did stop by at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Santa Rosa and drove through the Humboldt Redwoods State Park on the way to Crescent City.

The Samuel Boardman  scenic area starts just north of Brookings and is a 12 mile stretch of coastline with numerous scenic sights and lookouts. Heavy fog obscured the first few stops but cleared when we got to Natural Bridges lookout. We decided to start the drive over and was rewarded with clear visibility. Natural Bridges, Arch Rock, and Meyers Beach were a few of the highlights. Lunch at Redfish in Port Orford was excellent. We didn't have any hotel reservations when we pulled into Bay Point Landing in Coos Bay but were lucky to stay in a very modern tiny home, about the size of a cargo container.

Heceta Lighthouse overlooking the Cape Creek Bridge was a pleasant stop with a half mile trail from the parking lot to the lighthouse. It had stunning coastline views although the the stairs to the top of the lighthouse were closed to the public. It was lunchtime when we arrived at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. This was a major destination of the road trip where we planned to see Thor's Well, Spouting Horn, Devil's Chasm, and Devil's Churn. They were all within a half mile of the visitors center. The seas were a little angry which made for large sprays at the Spouting Horn and the surrounding area. We continued on to Devil's Punchbowl in Otter Rock but the weather started to turn cold and drizzly as we entered Cape Kiwanda so we couldn't even see Haystack Rock. We ended the day at the Tillamook Creamery and stayed at the Shiloh Inn. We didn't anticipate hotels being hard to find because of the President's Day weekend.

The weather forecast for the next few days was for rain and snow at Crater Lake so we opted to skip the Columbia Gorge and the drive to Crater Lake. We  headed north instead through Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach where we finally got to eat dungeness crab at Jetty Fishery. The unexpected highlight of the trip was arriving at Hug Point Beach at low tide. As the tide recedes, the beach exposes many sea caves and a waterfall otherwise inaccessible. We knew that Ecola State Park, where the Goonies was filmed, was closed but we drove through Cannon Beach anyway to make sure. We made it as far as Medford on the way back home.

It was a boring and tedious 5 hour drive to San Francisco where we found the Langdon Court Parking lot and the trails that took you around and under the Golden Gate Bridge. Lots of WWII bunkers provide viewing spots for the bridge. San Francisco's chilling winds were on full display today. We spent the night in Salinas and made it home the next day.