Day Six (9/20/2010)

After breakfast and the usual morning walk on the beach, we continued on our way south.  This is some of the most beautiful part of the Oregon coast, with long stretches of pristine beaches, sea stacks, cliffs with overhanging conifers, and miles of rolling, white surf.

 Arriving at the famous Sea Lion Caves, we stopped, paid our money, and descended the 200-foot tunnel in a small elevator which takes you down to the caves, themselves.  We were told that the sea lions would probably not be in the caves, because, at this time of year, they prefer to gather in groups just off the
shoreline. Unfortunately, they were right, and all we got were pictures of empty, albeit beautiful, caves.  We could barely see the pods of sea lions, but at that distance, they only looked like bunches of kelp, floating in the surf. 

The only sea lion that we really got to see, here
 (the one in the foreground)

 No sea lions, but the caves are beautiful, anyway

A Turkey Vulture

(I didn't like the way he was looking at me; I know that I'm looking kinda old, but hey...)

Heceta Head Lighthouse - the stuff of picture postcards

(This shot was taken from the Sea Lion Caves)

Then, just when things were seeming a little uneventful, we experienced an interesting time.  While in the caves, midway between the surf below us, and 200' feet of tunnel above us, we got word that the little elevator was stuck...with people in it.  One of the other nearby tourists said that he could smell smoke...hmmm.  After a few minute's wait, the elevator finally arrived and three or four people stepped out, with a couple of them looking a little stressed; one, in fact, appeared as though she was about ready to cry.  There was some talk about the possible need of taking the narrow, spiral stairway back to the top. The entrance to this was behind a locked door, and they said that they preferred to not use it, unless it was a real emergency; not sure what their definition of "real emergency" is, though, if smelling smoke and being stuck doesn't qualify.  At any rate, after a few minutes of communicating with each via walkie-talkies, the workers gave us the "all clear" to board the elevator once more, for the ride to the top, which proved to be uneventful.  Feeling guilty over the stress that they had put everyone through, the establishment refunded our twenty-dollar admission fee.  I thought that was kinda cheap, actually, 'cause we could probably get at least a million bucks from some kinda law suit that claimed damages due to mental anguish or whatever.

After our exciting adventure in the Sea Lion Caves, we continued on to Coos Bay, where we stopped and ate lunch at Arbys, got some groceries at the local Fred Meyer, then traveled onward to the Bullards Beach State Campground, arriving kinda late in the day, at 7:19.