Saturday, August 27, 2022
We packed up the Porsche and headed for the coast this morning, all due to the kindness of our friend P, who had offered to let us stay in her cottage in Yachats. We took Highway 20 west and it was top down weather all the way. From Newport we headed south and stopped in Waldport at the Pacific Sourdough Bakery, a place that we had heard a lot about. It’s incredible–so many different breads and pastries. How do they make it all? There was a long line of customers waiting outside, but it moved fast. We ended up getting a little more than we really needed; to wit: a raspberry puff, a pecan sticky roll, a potato knish, and a lavender lemon sourdough boule. They all turned out to be delicious. We must go there again–except that it’s 65 miles away…
We arrived in Yachats just before noon. P’s cottage is in a lovely spot just at the mouth of the Yachats River, a short walk from the town center. Yes, if there’s a tsunami, it will be the first to go, but it’s awfully nice now.
Sunday, August 28, 2022
After a breakfast of Chambeck espresso and Pacific Sourdough pastries, we went for hike on what they call the Amanda Trail. The trailhead was only half a mile from P’s cottage, so we decided to just walk the whole way. We found that the first part of the trail runs just beside the coast highway. Not terribly pleasant. Soon, though, it crosses the highway and climbs up onto a forested mountainside. From there the trail continues south with some nice views along the way.
Eventually the trail turns deeper into forest and descends into a steep valley at the base of Heceta Head. A suspension bridge crosses the stream and leads to a very strenuous trail up to the Heceta Head viewpoint. We wandered out onto the bridge, just to see how it was…
Our destination, however, was just beside the bridge. A wooden stair, which can be seen in the upper right of the photo above, leads down to a park-like meeting area dedicated to the memory of a Native American woman whose English name was Amanda.
Amanda was a blind Coos woman who was discovered by an army patrol and forcibly relocated to a camp known as the Yachats Sub-Agency. Since conditions in the agencies were disastrous, the “relocation” policy was in effect genocidal. Our knowledge of Amanda comes from the diary of Corporal Royal Bensell, a soldier who was a member of the unit that apprehended her. We will not tell her story here. Better that our readers examine for themselves the relevant excerpts from Bensell’s diary.
After the hike we rested and in the evening went to the Drift Inn for dinner. The Drift Inn is a fine place for dinner–or lunch or breakfast probably–but that’s only in its latest incarnation. For most of its long life the Drift Inn was a bar, a bar of the sort that caused some people–it is said–to cross the street rather than walk past its doors. You can read its colorful history here.
Sunday, September 4, 2022
Back in the valley, we celebrated Labor Day with a great dinner at K and J’s place in Salem. The Andees were there as well. J made elote (Mexican corn on the cob), chicken mole with lime rice, and some extraordinary margaritas. Dinner was served in their back yard, which is small but exploding with life.
Tuesday, September 6. 2022
In the morning we met with a woman named Yaddi in Lebanon and bought pre-paid cremation plans. Yaddi is a rare marketer–more interested in finding out what you want than in describing what they sell. In the afternoon we had even more fun. M had a root canal and E got stung on the foot by a yellow jacket. (Maybe we shoulda died yesterday–less painful.)
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Just a normal day. A walk in the forest. A trip to the Co-op. E made potato salad and soaked her foot. Then the patio umbrella blew over despite the 150 pounds of sand in its base. With much effort, we got it back into place. Later, E went to see her seamstress. We ate the potato salad and washed it down with Argyle, a wonderful Willamette Valley sparkler.
beautiful pictures!! and i love those plates at K and J’s!!