After exploring the 'old town' in Florence yesterday we drove a few miles northwards to visit the Sea Lion Cave. You descend 208 feet in a lift from the cliff top to emerge in a short tunnel to a sort of galleria overlooking the world's largest ocean cave, which is a rookery (remember that for the next quiz!) for hundred's of Steller's sea lions. The atmosphere is very fishy! Oh yes ... and we also spotted another whale from the cliff top there!

We drove on up to Cape Perpetua, the highest point on the Oregon coast for our picnic lunch, after walking the Whispering Spruces Trail around the top.

The a long drive to Astoria, where it was a rather cold, bleak evening, but we found a lovely bistro in which to enjoy a gorgonzola burger! Sunday morning was much warmer, as was the welcome at Grace Episcopal Church. After church we crossed the amazing bridge which descends onto a causeway and then becomes a bridge again. Shortly after entering Washington I spotted my first bald eagle. Our onward route passed through Cosmopolis, Aberdeen and Humptulips!!

After checking out the world's largest Sitka Spruce (on the way I think I glimpsed a black and orange snake disappearing), and an impressively huge cedar too, we bade farewell to the Pacific Ocean and headed for Forks,where a sign in the diner tells us there are 17 vampires. (It's the setting for those 'Twilight' novels.)