A World Class Aquarium

Our next base of operations was Lincoln City, Oregon. We've developed a pattern of selecting a base of operations and going out on day trips. Our stays are running three to five days, and the distance between stops has been, on average, maybe 70 or 80 miles. Although it seems like we're traveling slow, we are only seeing the highlights.

We love being able to have lunch sitting at our own table and seeing marvelous views, like this.

An hour or two later, we could look out our big rear window and see the Siletz River. This will be our home for the next few days.

The next day, we backtracked down Highway 101 to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. This is a "world-class facility, one of the nation's top ten aquariums." We were just in time for the sea otter feeding. I don't mind the admission fee; we paid about $32 for the two of us, and I know caring for these animals is expensive.

The aquarium is also home to seals and sea lions.

Next, we made our way to the "Passages of the Deep" exhibit, where we walked among the creatures of the underwater world.

There are three tunnels like this, each with its own component of inhabitants. I could almost hear the "Jaws" theme music as the sharks circled. Here we are looking at them from below. I learned how to tell a boy shark from a girl shark, not that I think that's knowledge I'll ever have a practical use for.

Other buildings had exhibits of smaller sea life.

You could actually touch these animals. I'm squeamish, so I didn't, but lots of other people did. I guess they're really soft when they're alive. (I can't even take a fish off a hook, so that's why I don't fish.)

More exhibits:

We went to the aviary to watch the seabirds at feeding time. This puffin came over to the crowd and put on a show for us. They can swim, walk, and fly, but they swim best of all. Especially underwater.

On our way out of Newport, we stopped at the park just north of the harbor bridge.

The steps to the lighthouse and lookout were closed.

The beach was open, though, so we took the dogs for a nice, long walk before heading "home."