Cape Blanco June 12th - 17th 2012

The lens of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

Date: June 12th–17th 2012

Location: Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Tuesday was another day off. The weather was the foggiest since our return this year. The kind of heavy, thick, wet, fog that you aren’t quite sure if there is a light rain or is it just the heavy mist from the fog. So, Tuesday was a inside day to clean, write the blog and to get caught up on computer things and read.

Wednesday we did the morning shift at the Lighthouse. All of yesterday’s fog was gone due to the strong 20 – 25 MPH winds that were blowing. Even with the strong wind we had more visitors Wednesday morning than we did all day last Sunday, when the weather was so much better. Kathy decided that this afternoon was a good time to do the laundry so we drove into Cape Blanco. The Laundromat there has been refreshed with 18 new washers and 30 new dryers. When we arrived no one else was there. Didn’t take too long and we were done and headed back to Cape Blanco. It was too windy to go down to the overlook to look for whales.

Thursday, yet another day off and the wind still blowing like yesterday. We had a slow morning checking out blogs on the Internet until about 10 AM. We decided that if we walked around the campground loop it wouldn’t be too windy and we could see what birds were around. As we were approaching the paved road of the Park we saw a familiar truck. Birding friends John & Sue had decided to take a ride down to Cape Blanco. Since we were already out birding and because like all birders John & Sue had their binoculars with them, they joined us on our bird walk. By 1:00 the birds had settled down so we all went to Port Orford for lunch at Bonnie’s Bistro.

Friday we had the afternoon 12:30 to 4 shift at the Lighthouse. The winds continue in the 20s with gusts at 30 mph. It was clear with near unlimited seeing at the top of the Lighthouse. We had just a enough people visit to make the time go by very quickly.

Saturday we had a change in the weather with heavy fog and winds reduced to about 10 mph. It was the kind of day when there was no view from the top of the lighthouse but people came anyway to see the lens.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday heavy fog but also big crowds of visitors.

Kit and Kathy

Editor’s Note:  Over the last 4 years, Kathy has chatted via email with a group of ladies every day! On our eastern trip in 2010, we met every one except Kit in Georgia. As we buzzed through her state she was recuperating from some medical issues and really couldn’t have visitors. Fast forward to 2012. Kit, her husband David and their 3 Labrador Retrievers are on a cross country trip. Their destination and favorite place to visit: the Oregon Coast, specifically Cape Blanco State Park, while we are hosting!!  Oh Yeah!! We finally get to meet, but it’s like we already knew each other! It was so fun to share “our” over look at “whale rock” with them, looking for whales. In fact, they both spotted whales one evening! We had a “girls only afternoon” and Kit treated me to a delicious crab melt sandwich in Port Orford, with a spectacular view of the ocean. Despite the weather’s moods, (sunny and windy, foggy and windy, or drizzly and windy), it was special to be able to share our experience here with them. Monday it was almost 2 weeks, the most you can stay here, so they had to move up the coast to perhaps find a warm beach for the Labs to run on! We hope to see them again in a few weeks!

 

Tiger Lilly in Kit's Camp Site           David and Sassy

 I thought we buried the treasure here.

    Kit's Hummer feeder suspended from David's Tripod

    

Looking toward Port Orford from Cape Blanco "Lookout”.

 Waves breaking down on the beach 100' below

Bird List: Wrentit, Savanna Sparrow, Osprey, American Robin, Barn Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Common Raven, American Crow, Purple Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Wilson’s Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Rufous Hummingbird, Song Sparrow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Steller's Jay, American Goldfinch, Swainson’s Thrush.

Wildlife List: Deer, mole, chipmunk, squirrel