As far as beautiful scenery is concerned, the Oregon coast is up there with the best.  The coast offers a mixture of sandy beaches, dunes, rock formations,   rocky cliffs and forested hills.

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The blue of the sea really complements the blue of my plumage don't you think?

Pristine deserted beach

Near Florence, we found the Sea Lion Caves.  In order to get into the caves, we took and elevator down 280 feet into the largest Sea Lion caves in the world (according to Guinness)

Sea Lion Cave

This is home for the wild Steller Sea Lion, they live in and around the caves year round.

The bull can weigh up to 700 pounds and they bark  like dogs.

Sea lions on the rock, see the big bull?

They seemed a bit short-tempered and on top of barking really loudly at each other, they didn’t seem to mind having a good fight once in a while.

Sea Lion fighting

If you ever find yourself in Florence OR, don’t miss going to eat at the Waterfront Depot Restaurant, you will get out-of-this-world food for a very down-to-earth price.  We especially enjoyed the crab-encrusted halibut.  Reservations are highly recommended because it is very popular.

Best restaurant in Florence

Old Town Florence is a really cute shopping area, about two blocks of boutiques and restaurants.

Old Town

About 15 miles north of Florence we saw the Heceta Light House, built in 1894, its 0ne million candles beacon can be seen from 20 miles at sea.  It is claimed to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world, although we heard the same claim made about  the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, and if you ask me, Peggy’s Cove wins…  but that’s my humble opinion.

Heceta Lightouse

Wildlife is abundant on the Oregon Coast, it was the first time we saw Black Guillemots, really cute black and white bird with amazingly bright red feet.

Black Guillemot Sea Bird

We took advantage of the scenery and had a wonderful on-the-road breakfast by the sea 🙂

Breakfast with a view

This afternoon in the campground, I saw my first ever “in person”  beaver!

My first beaver encounter!

From Sacramento we made our way to the impressive Redwood forest.  We stayed slightly north of  Trinidad CA, on Highway 101.  There is much to see here.

Trinidad is a small town blessed with a spectacular view of  the Pacific.

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View of the Pacific ocea from Trinidad

We had lunch in a little restaurant right on the beach, where  a Seal was sunbathing.

Sunbathing beauty 😉

Trinidad also boast the shortest lightouse we have ever seen!

Short Lighthouse of Trinidad CA

In contrast to the short lighthouse, we saw the tallest and biggest trees we’d ever seen!

Bear next to the trunk of a Redwood tree

It was hard to photograph the top of the trees.

The height of the trees, combined with the fact that they were backlit made it almost impossible to photograph the top.

Redwood trees can measure 370 feet tall.  This would make the statue of Liberty look dwarfed (240 feet tall).  Surprisingly though, for their size, their root system is extremely shallow, going down only 10 to 12 feet deep, but spreading 100’s feet wide and entangling with neighbor trees, which provide reinforcement against winds and winter storms.  Redwood Trees can live for thousands of years.

Redwood trees are resistant to fire, insects, disease and fugi.

This still thriving giant tree bears a giant scar carved by a fire.

Shaded by the Redwoods,   grow ten-foot high Rhododendrons, azalea, huckleberry and salmonberry brushes.  Sword ferns grow as tall as a person.

Blooming Rhododendron

Fallen trees provide food for new plant life, it is the ultimate recycling.

Tree taking root and growing on top of a fallen Redwood tree

chicken wanted to check his size against a Redwood tree...

Life abounds in the cool humid forest

Jay bird

What! Another tourist who wants my picture, can't you see I am eating dinner now! Tourists have no manners I tell you...

A herd of female Rosevelt Elks protecting their newborn calves

At the end of the day, we went to the beach to see the sunset.

We saw whales,   on their long trip to Alaska

The best picture I could get of 2 whales

It was an exciting finish to a wonderful day

The day after Kristina’s graduation, we decided to go to San Francisco.  As you all know, Bear has a bridge phobia, which he had to try to conquer really quick, because that day, we crossed 5 bridges!

We crossed the $4.oo bridge twice! (that’s the name I gave it, since it cost 4 dollars to cross it)

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4 dollars bridge

Then we crossed the Bay Bridge (that was a big one!)

Bay bridge

Chicken is glad he survived crossing that big Bay Bridge!

And finally, at the end of the day, we crossed the famous Golden Gate Bridge!

Golden Gate Bridge

Chicken is glad he survived crossing this one too!

And last but not least, the Richmond Bridge!

Richmond Bridge

After all of that, believe it or not, Bear is not over his bridge phobia yet!  But he is working on it.

We had a lot of fun in San Francisco, we first went to famous Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf where we shopped and had lunch.

Kristina arriving at Pier 39

Chicken was stunned when he saw the “Egg Heads”, it was love at first sight!

Chicken and the Egg Head

I must admit the Heads were not as happy to see Chicken, he almost got eaten!

OOPS!

OK, these are actually a sculpture called Ying and Yang if I remember correctly, it is in front of one of San Francisco’s building near Pier 2.

The Sea Lions were having a nap at Pier 39

Sea Lions napping at Pier 39

After lunch, we caught a Ferry and went to visit the famous Alcatraz prison.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz was first a brick fort, part of a 3 point defensive strategy for San Francisco Bay, brought about by the increase of traffic in the Bay of San Francisco during the Gold Rush.  The construction of the fort began in 1853.  400 soldiers were stationed at Alcatraz during the Civil War.  Since almost the very beginning, Alcatraz also served as a prison.  During he Civil War, soldiers convicted of desertion, theft, assault, rape and murder, or citizen accused of treason and the crew of confederate ships were imprisoned there.  It also served as a place to incarcerate Hopi, Apache and Modoc Indians during the various Indian wars of the mid-to-late nineteen century, and for military convicts during the Spanish-American war.

After 1907 however, the regular army troops were replaced by U.S. military guards and within a year, the army had begun building a huge concrete cellhouse.  In 1915, Alcatraz was renamed: “United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch”.   Conscientious objector to World War I were imprisoned there.  In 1930, during the Great Depression, Alcatraz was transferred from War department to Department of Justice and reopened in 1934 as a federal penitenciary.  1545 men did “time” in Alcatraz, only a handful were famous, like Al “Scarface” Capone,   “Doc” Barker, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz” (who actually conducted his famous bird studies when he was imprisoned in Leavenworth).

Bear and Kristina about to enter the prison

It is said that no one ever survived an escape attempt  from Alcatraz.  But quite a few tried!  the most famous attempt was in June 1962, when Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin slipped into the water.  They used raincoats as floatation devices and were presumably bound for San Francisco.  Although their bodies were never found, they are assumed to have drowned.

The cells measured 9ft X 5ft X 7 ft tall.

There was 3 tiers of cells

Inmates passed time by painting and surprisingly crocheting!

One of the inmates had learned to crochet from his grandmother, and he taught other inmates how to do it!

Different building around the island served as housing for prison employees.

Look like a good-size chicken coop to me!

The biggest punishment must have been the “View” of San Francisco, so close, but so far!  1 mile across deadly cold water, close enough to hear the buzz of the City, totally unreachable to inmates.

Panoramic view of San Francisco skyline, Click on the picture to see a bigger version.

It was really a fun day!

Totally exhausted but happy. (Me, Bear and Tanya in front of the Golden Gate Bridge)