Sea Lions and Vistas

Friday the sun woke us up. It was nice to see old Sol for the first time in several days. We knew as soon as we saw her that we had to make the most of a beautiful day so we quickly ate breakfast and headed out on the road. The campground where we had spent the night was the nicest thus far and we actually had the entire hiker/biker campground all to ourselves. Set in the midst of luxuriant tall trees dappled with light shining through the canopy, it really was a beautiful spot. Oregon State Parks deserve a tip of the hat as they really  know how to run a campground. The showers have nice hot water and are generally immaculately clean and the nice thing about the hiker/biker sites is that bikers and hikers will never be turned away. That's not always the case; in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons we saw hiker/biker sites being used by motorcyclists and we heard from some cyclists that they had been turned away because the hiker/biker sites were full. That never happened to us, but it's nice to know that in Oregon you are guaranteed a site no matter how long a day you've had or how late at night you're rolling in to camp.

Friday's goals are to enjoy the sunshine, see the " world's largest sea caves" just north of Florence and then spend the night at Honeyman Memorial State Park. We've put in enough miles in the last several days that we are slightly ahead of schedule, so today is a relatively short 20 miles or so. As a cycle tourist, knowing that I have 'miles to go before I sleep' (I don't know if Robert Frost was a cyclist, but much of his poetry seems to fit) it's often difficult to stop to see the myriad roadside attractions that entice folks in vehicles to stop and stretch their legs and lighten their wallets. Every minute stopped is a minute added to riding at the end of the day when you are really tired so whatever touristy things we do stop for had better be worth the time. The 'Sea Lion Caves' are certainly worth taking a sojourn from pedaling. As we were there many of our cycling brethren pulled over and took a quick gander and then continued riding. Sophie had read about this place and convinced me to stop. The main building is at the top of another one of endless climbs and houses your typical gift shop. $12 gets one adult ticket and a trip down an elevator some 200 feet back to sea level ( I was thinking that we should have loaded the bikes on the elevator at the start of the climb and paid $12 for a ride up to the top, not the other way around). Once at the bottom you really are in a gigantic sea cave. The first thing that hits you upon exiting the elevator is a pungent smell that seems only slightly familiar and turns out to be an aromatic blend of sea lion (Stellar sea lions to be precise) and sea bird guano. I've often observed that where there is a fresh scent of guano in the air the guano makers can't be too far distant and I was not disappointed. Rounding a corner inside the cave you come to an overlook from where you see several dozen sea lions lounging on the rocks inside the cave while ocean waves sweep in through the cave entrance. The guide at the bottom indicates that through summer and fall the cave is home to sometimes several hundred sea lions at a time. When in the cave it sure sounds like it as sea lions are not especially quiet creatures. At times it's hard to hear someone talking over their incessant roar. The cave has been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years, with sea lions longtime residents but humans only more recently discovering it. If you're ever by this neck of the woods, commit to stopping as it's really something to see. The cherry on top is that you also get fantastic views of the Heceta Head lighthouse to the north and miles of rolling surf and sandy beaches to the south.