Banana Belt Beckons

They call it the Banana Belt of Oregon. It supplies most of the Easter lilies and Daffodils to florist in America. Grey whales migrate along it shores and they often summer-over close in to the food rich coves and shallows. Stellar Sea Lions are often found on the rocks along the coves, and in summer sometimes leave their pups on the beaches to keep them safe while they feed further out. Agates, Jasper, fossils abound in the gravel beds near river and stream outlets on its beaches. Miles and miles of sand beach are everywhere.






This is a satellite image of the place where we will stay with my son and his wife. Click on the image to enlarge it. My cabin will be across U. S. Highway 101 from the Whales Head Beach.


We will be here several days spending "quality time" with family and exploring the area. The Rouge River outlet at Gold Beach is 25 miles North of here and the California Redwood Forests are 30 miles South.



We will start in Astoria at the Columbia River and will meander our way down to Whales Head over a six day period.





Here is Astoria, again using Google Earth to see what is there.




Newport Beach showing some of the lodging available in town.

As a geographer I love Google Earth. For example, to find a hotel all I got to do is ask for the lodging icons (little pink beds) to be displayed. Then I "drive" along the road where I will be and just click on the little pink bed near where I want to stay. It brings up a name of the hotel-motel-B&B or whatever and you click on that and you have independent reviews of the place and can go directly to their web site for rates and reservation. Found some very interesting and reasonable cost places that way. Businesses, restraunts, and gas stations etc. can be found that way as well. It is also a way to find truly out of the way type places. Best of all, it is totally FREE.

See you latter.