Tillamook Coast, Oregon

Leaving Cannon Beach (mile 28) we drove through the Tillamook Coast passing through the little towns of Manzanita, Nehalem (population 200), Wheeler (poplulation 400),

 

 Rockaway Beach, small fishing village of Garibaldi, and Bay City.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

There is plenty to do in Cannon Beach but what I loved most about it was the beach. The beach is I believe 6 miles long with Haystack Rock just about right in the middle.

 Haystack Rock rises 235 feet from the edge of the shoreline, and is home the Puffins in the summer months. Tide pools surround the rock where you can find star fish and other interesting creatures.

Wind n Tides, Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach is the perfect spot to call home for the next couple of days.

We rented a little cottage, Wind n Tides right on the beach.

 It is wonderful to just walk out the door and be right on the ocean. The views of haystack are fantastic.

What really made the best special was sunset. We were treated with an amazing one.

Ecola State Park, Oregon

Moving down the Coast just before Cannon Beach is Ecola State Park ( mile 28).  It is a great place to spend a day with views of the Northern Coastline and Haystack Rock.

The park was named by Captain William Clark after the Chinook Indian word for whale, ekoli.

Lots of great hiking trails.

It was high 60's today which is warm for this time of year and many were enjoying a day on the beach.

 Indian beach is very popular for surfing.

Astoria, Oregon

Astoria-Megler Bridge

The journey begins, mile marker 0 in the historic town of Astoria, it is the oldest settlement west of the Rockies, dating back to 1805.

There are 12 Lighthouse from Astoria to Eureka Ca. and I intend to visit them all. The first on the list is right here in Astoria, it is not a light house but a lightship. 

Driving the Oregon Coast

Our next adventure is driving the Oregon Coast from Astoria to Bookings which is 363 miles of beautiful scenery and on to California to San Francisco.
Along the way we will be staying in little coastal towns.



Our first stop before heading out to the coast is Portland, Oregon which is home to 53 brewery's, the most of any town in the world.




Someone say -

First Stop Rogue for a delicious morning cold brew 

Shark Diving off Seal Island, Simon's Town Cape Town South Africa

Another of the things on our list to do in Capetown was to go shark diving. I know it sounds crazy to want to be put in a cage while a great white sharks swims by or comes at the cage but it also sounded very exciting and one of the few places you can do this. The weather just wasn't cooperating and the seas have not looked like we would want to be on a boat. By weeks end things were changing and we had 1 more day to either go or go home. I quickly did some research and found Apex Shark Expeditions which offered just a few passenger on board and was the team on discovery channel that filmed air jaws.  Perfect! Plus it was only about an hour away.
The boat left the dock before sunrise.

It was pretty cold but no wind and the seas were calm.

African Penguins on Boulder Beach, South Africa

Everything is better in when the sun is out! I flew all this way to see some penguins whats another 2 hour car ride back to Simon's town and Boulder to get to spend some time with African Penguins.

I was very happy we made the trip back. They are really cute and it was fun to watching them.

Table Mountain, Cape Town South Africa

After days of wind and rain the sun finally came out.

We thought a trip to the top of Table Mountain was in order before the wind returned. There is a cable car that takes you up and down the mountain but if there is wind they stop service. I would not want to be at the top and have to hike down.

It takes 5 minutes to get to the top of Table Mountain.

There are lots of trails you can take all with amazing views.

Fog rolling in and covering Table Moutain, Cape Town South Africa

Camps Bay, Cape Town South Africa

The condo we rented in Cape Town was located in Camps Bay, a little town right on the beach. It was the perfect location, with many restaurants within walking distance, close to everything, and the views were spectacular.

We had dinner at many of the restaurants in town. Cod Fathers was one we enjoyed. You pick from the case what it is you would like

then it's cooked and served family style. It was a great way to sample different types of fish.