Our next destination after Cannon Beach, as Hwy 101 goes, is the city of Tillamook. But before getting there, we will be stopping at a few scenic spots, where we will enjoy some of the best views that Oregon Coast has to offer.
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While still in Cannon Beach, we are getting a glimpse of two rocks in the ocean between Cannon Beach and the next beach over - Arcadia. The big rock is called Jockey Cap. The second one is not big enough to have a name, I guess.
And this is the first stop on our drive from Cannon Beach to Tillamook - Silver Point, a small headland, which separates Cannon Beach from Arcadia Beach.There is a viewpoint on top of that little cape, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of Arcadia Beach.That shapely outcrop in the water is called Lion Rock. It does look like a sitting lion, doesn′t it?An artsy looky-through.An even artsier looky-through.That′s Jockey Cap. Remember the rock we saw from the road in Cannon Beach?The view to the north, towards Cannon Beach, with that smaller nameless rock next to Jockey Cap, in the foreground.This is Tillamook Rock Light, a decommissioned lighthouse sitting on a small island 2 km into the ocean from Cannon Beach. It was nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" because of its location in the very dangerous waters around Columbia River′s estuary. It′s privately-owned now. Imagine having your own island, and with a lighthouse to boot!Now, we have left Silver Point and are moving south. After a quick stop at a picturesque Hug Point Beach (I wonder, where did this name come from...), ⇨⇨ ... we arrive at the next viewpoint along Highway 101 - Neahkahnie Rockwork stop. Neah-Kah-Nie in the language of the local indigenous people (who themselves are called Tillamook, by the way) means "the place of the God"."Rockwork" refers to that wall in the mountainside, built of solid boulders, which supports the highway. There are a number of such rockworks along this route, constructed under the Public Works program that provided much-needed income to thousands of people during the Great Depression in 1930s. This specific section of the highway skirts Neahkahnie Mountain, and the viewpoint built into the rockwork provides some of the most spectacular views on the Oregon coastline.
The view from Neahkahnie Viewpoint onto Neahkahnie and Manzanita Beaches, the next two beaches after Arcadia.The pictures in this collage were taken in 2009 and 2015. As you can see, not much changed. Even the trees are of the same shape.The town of Manzanita along its eponymous beach, with the Oregon Coast mountains in the background. The dark mass in the centre of this pic is Cape Meares, which cuts off this particular stretch of beaches. The standalone rocks at the tip of Cape Meares are Three Arch Rocks. You can even see one of the arches if you look close.Shifting our eyesight closer to where we are - to the town of Neahkahnie Beach right behind Neahkahnie Mountain. The bottom of Neahkahnie Mountain, with a rock pillar standing sentinel of the sacred mountain, which probably was not called "the place of the God" for nothing.Or maybe, that rocky sentry (whose top we can see in this picture too) is guarding the treasure rumored to be buried at the foot of the mountain, where the rock is standing. As the legend goes, the treasure was buried by Spanish sailors from a ship that sank near here in 1600s, back when the Spaniards were busy plundering the New World.The highway cuts through Neahkahnie Mountain, quite literally. [Full disclosure - this is not my car.]A Monet-sque picture of pretty yellow flowers.A bit aside from the viewpoint, there is a little meadow called Elk Flats, which makes for a nice stroll after you′ve had enough of the breathtaking ocean scenery.Elk Flats ends abruptly at Treasure Cove. Something tells me that the name of this little bight is connected somehow to that Spanish treasure.That′s it for Neahkahnie. Let′s move on.Press ESC to exit
