My trip to the blustery south

I'm back from the Oregon coast, which was spectacular but a mite chilly. Windy, really. A cold, biting wind. Following, just because, are the "pics of the day" that I took each day with my low-quality camera phone and sent to Enrico via the miracle of technology, to keep him connected with our adventures.

Day One: Darlingtonia californica, a carnivorous plant native to southern Oregon and northern California. Also known as the "cobra plant" because - although it's hard to tell in this crappy picture - it looks like a cobra rising up to strike. It eats insects, yum! Learn more from the Carnivorous Plant Society, because I know you're curious!

Day Two: Sea Lion Caves. Ok, I know this is a really bad picture, but give me a break, it was taken in a cave 200 feet below ground with a friggin' telephone. You are in fact looking at the largest sea cave in the US (and maybe the world, they seem a little unclear on this point), and that rock in the middle is covered with Stellar's sea lions, which can weight over 2,000 pounds. On that day, we also went to Cape Perpetua, which is probably my favorite place on the whole Oregon coast, and that's saying something. I know Ma got some good pictures of the spouting waves.

Day Three: The Dunes. Flora's Ma and Pa heading out for a hike on the dunes at Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area, 40 miles of dunes as high as 500 feet, along with over 30 lakes, forests of various sorts, and of course, beaches.


Day Three: Horses on the beach. In the fog.

Day Four: Falls on Sweet Creek. A lovely hike on a waterfall-rich stream in the Coast Range.