Down the Coast to Newport, Oregon

The highlight of the area is the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where I headed our first day in Newport. My favorite thing was all the rusty stuff with creatures in it!

Wow! This one even smiled for me!

There were lots of these beautiful Plumose Anemone, and lots of coral, starfish, etc.

Outside, the otters were having lunch, while floating on their backs.

And there were both Tufted Puffins (shown here) and Horned Puffins.

Then we wandered through the Passages of the Deep, where the fish were swimming above, below, and next to us.

And there was more rusty stuff!

We went out to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, still operational today. We didn't get a tour, because you have to sign up for them in advance.

But we saw lots of whales blowing right in front of the lighthouse!

We did get to tour the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, which was only operational for a couple years. It was built in the wrong place, where ships coming from the north were unable to see the light.

The inside was very well done.

From the lighthouse, we were able to watch ships coming into the bay passing under their unique bridge.

It was a short, but great stop on our journey down the Oregon coast!