We left Pacific City with promises of returning and headed down Route 101 on our way to California. We didn’t get too far, as there is so much to see along the Oregon Coast. We traveled through several small quaint towns and then came across “the heart of the Oregon Coast - Lincoln City”. This is a huge beach town with great surf shops, gift shops and restaurants. It was bustling with activity and we wanted to stop but decided to keep going. We entered the next town of Newport and decided to go out onto the point at Yaguina Head. It was definitely worth the stop, as the park area is run by the Bureau of Land Management and has a great visitor center with interpretive materials pertaining to the coastal area. The rangers gave the boys their Junior Ranger materials and we headed out to the point. There was a beautiful lighthouse at the head and a wonderful black rock beach with a cool tide pool area. We enjoyed a great lunch and then hit the tide pools. It was so much fun! The beach was made of large round black pebbles. Closer to the water the rocks were smaller but still completely black. We played in the water and looked for sea creatures. The tide was starting to come back in so “sneaker waves” were our main concern. We would go into the tide pool to look at shells, mussels, anemones and even harbor seals splashing in the water around us. As we were looking, a huge wave would come upon us and soak everybody. We all had a blast running from the waves and trying to navigate the rocks without getting soaked. Needless to say, by the end of the day we were all drenched! Above us on the cliff towered the lighthouse. With over 100 stairs, we were anxious to get to the top. Unfortunately, by the time we were done playing in the water, the lighthouse was closed. Looks like we are going to have to come back another day (yeah!) We then returned to the visitor center and turned in our completed Junior Ranger materials. After learning about the migration of grey whales, tides and tide pools, harbor seals and black oystercatchers it was time for Dylan and Christian to become official rangers and receive their badges. We then traveled a few more miles down the coast to a Thousand Trails campground called Whalers Rest. With the indoor pool, playground and Playstation 2 in the activity center - everyone decided it was time to stop. Hopefully we’ll get a little further down the coast tomorrow!