Newport, OR 6/2 - 6/3/00

We decided to stop at Newport because there were a couple of interesting attractions that caught our attention. We decided to try one of the state parks along the coast. So we stopped at Beverly Beach State Park. When we checked in we discovered that Saturday is State Park Appreciation Day and overnight camping was free. So not being one to turn down free camping we decided to stay for two days instead of the one day we had planned. We should stay at state and federal parks more often. This one is really beautiful with big sites spread out in the trees and away from the road. We have electric and water but no sewer. This really isn't a problem if we take shorter showers or use the parks shower facilities. If we do this we can go for over a couple of weeks without emptying our holding tanks.

One of the attractions is the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Here Susan is looking at a tank of jelly fish. I didn't get a picture of the main attraction. It is a gigantic tank that has glass tubes you walk through where you are in the center of the tanks. This one not only had the sides and top to look through but they also had glass windows in the floor so you could see fish swimming beneath you as well. Very impressive for a small town aquarium.

This is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse on Friday afternoon. The sun was directly behind the lighthouse creating the affect you see in the picture.	Saturday was a completely different day. The fog along the coast was rolling in and almost obscured the lighthouse. However, a quarter mile from the coast the sun was shining and the sky was clear.