Arch Rock, Natural Bridges, Brookings, Azalea State Park

May 31st, 2016 

Today's sightseeing took us south to Brookings.  We stopped at a couple of places on the way.  

Arch Rock was our first stop.
                                 
                             


There was a short walk through a small forested grove.

The first viewpoint opened on a spectacular vista, with rocks, beaches and crashing waves below. It was breathtaking.  I took this short VIDEO.

Bryan set up his tripod to take some pictures.
                           

                           

These birds were on the top of the rock on the right in the picture above.

                           

A peek-a-boo view of Arch Rock

We walked through the forest toward the Arch Rock viewpoint.
                           

                           

What a wonderful place to sit and just admire the view.  The seat was placed there "In Loving Memory of Gladys Thompson".  I thought that she must have loved the place as well, and wondered if she visited it often or whether it was a one time visit and she fell in love with it.

                           

A young couple with a baby caught up with us here.  I asked them how old their son was, he was 10 months, just a little older than Trystan.  I talked to them for quite a while, told them about Trystan.  She was carrying him as he had just woken up but then they stood him down.  He was unsteady on his feet and clutched both their hands, as he stumbled along putting one foot in front of the other.  At that moment, I felt a tinge of sadness as Ryan is not here to be with his son, at this stage of his life.  However, this is his job and there are thousands of others who make sacrifices every day in all walks of life to ensure a future for their families.  Christina is doing a great job of raising Trystan, it is not an easy job on your own. There will be time, when Ryan returns, to catch up with all the fun that being a parent brings.  We are so proud of all of our children and grandchildren, as they work hard for the future.

We continued on the circular trail through the trees back toward the car.

Tilly resting!!!

We continued to the next stop, amazed at the beauty we had just seen.

Little did we know, there was even more splendor just down the road!!!

The next stop was Natural Bridges and Thunder Cove

There was a very short path to the viewpoint. Natural Bridges was amazing.  There was a trail down to it, but it was steep and winding and we learnt from our previous escapades that we wouldn't make it, so we didn't try.  I did go a little way to see if there was an even better viewpoint around the next corner, but it was apparent that there was a lot of forest to walk through and down, before you got there.

I made this short VIDEO to try and capture more of the beauty.

Next stop was the Port of Brookings Harbor.  This harbor was one of the many casualties of the 2011 Tsunami that started with a 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake in Japan.  This LINK tells of the events of that Tsunami as it affected Brookings Harbor.

We actually went to see Pelican Bay Lighthouse, which is privately owned and the newest lighthouse in the United States.  As it is privately owned your can't go in it but this view is from the harbor.

We decided to have some lunch and stopped at the local KFC to eat.

After lunch we went to Azalea State Park.  We walked around admiring the many different flowers.

The azaleas were getting near to the end of their flowering season but there were still a few around.

Lily waiting patiently in the car park!!!

The Capella By The Sea building amongst the trees.  It was a beautiful building that overlooks the harbor.

We got a view of the Lighthouse through the trees.

Wild Strawberries

Hydrangea

There were so many different flowers, it was beautiful.

Driving through the neighborhood afterwards we spotted these and I got a picture for the boys.

Hello to Bailey, Kai & Trystan

Another great day.   We both liked Brookings, but then again we like many of the places here in Oregon.