Old Towns, Carnivores & More

Our Saturday evening/Sunday morning was spent in one of the Oregon Coast's leading destinations, the historic riverfront town of Florence.

Originally the Siuslaw estuary was the winter home for the Siuslaw tribe. French, Russian, and Spanish explorers and traders moved through the area, and in 1909 a river port was established here. The district thrived economically with industry from fishing, canning, lumber and rock quarries, and eventually tourism.

We spent our time there discovering the scenic boardwalk and harbor lined with historic buildings, landmarks, public art, unique shopping and (rumor has it) excellent coastal dining.
We also spent time admiring Conde Balcom McCullough's spectacularly designed bridge (1936).
Mr. McCullough was an American civil engineer who is primarily known for designing many of Oregon's coastal bridges on U.S. Route 101. The native of South Dakota worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1919 to 1935 and 1937 until he died in 1946. We have admired many of his amazing structures on various trips!

We loved strolling through town on a quiet Sunday morning, learning a little about the town's history. The Harbor Theater opened in 1938.
It has been a shoe store since 2004 but it has retained its theater elements. I love that.
This 1905 building housed the first telephone company in town.
Bill Karnowsky's Auto and Evinrude Outboard Motor Garage was here for 50 years (1945-1995).
It has since become a bakery.
William Kyle built this Italianate commercial building in 1901 as a mercantile and served as one for the next 60 years. The entire downtown is historic and demands a longer explore!

Throughout town, these Dancing Sea Lions delighted. We loved the hunt for them as we strolled.
Our next stop was nature intriguing us like mad. Darlingtonia State Natural Site is the only Oregon state park property dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. 
Interestingly, the plants it protects are the only carnivorous flora in the system.
This 18-acre botanical park provides parking and a boardwalk trail out into a fen that is home to Darlingtonia californica. Also called a cobra lily, the rare, strangely-shaped plant is the only member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae) in Oregon.
What visitors see in this little garden of multi-colored horrors (for insects), is a plant with yellowish green hooded leaves that form erect, 10 to 20-inch-high hollow tubes. On top, the leaves are often purplish to reddish mottled with transparent areas. A hidden opening into the stalk is bordered by a large, green, mustache-shaped appendage beneath the curved hood of the leaf. Nectar inside the plant's hidden opening attracts the insects. Once inside, an insect becomes confused by the transparent areas that appear like exits. It's all "downhill" for the insect from that point as it eventually drops into the lower part of the tube, is trapped by downward-pointed hairs and falls into a pool of water at the bottom of the stalk. Bacteria in the water decompose it into nitrogen that is then absorbed by the plant.
This was a true botanical wonder! WOW.

This sign made us stop. Depoe Bay’s harbor is noteworthy for being the smallest natural navigable harbor in the world. During storms and turbulent seas, the area’s distinctive geological features result in a phenomena called a “spouting horn” where, much like a whale, the sea itself spouts a massive spray of water into the air above Main Street.
We also had to stop for another of Conde McCullough's bridges (1927). The Depoe Bay Bridge is one of a series of significant bridges along the Oregon Coast Highway. The concrete arch bridge spans the mouth of Depoe Bay and was originally only 18 feet wide from curb to curb with no sidewalks. It was widened in 1940 with a similar arched concrete bridge immediately adjacent to the original. The added structure is sympathetic to the original and is included in the National Register of Historic Places listing.

Another historical landmark, in this small town, and perched on a seawall with expansive ocean views and a large viewing deck, is the Whale Watching Center (1956).
Depoe Bay, nicknamed the Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast, is the perfect spot to see whales. The center is equipped with binoculars for visitors, and displays feature facts about whales and information on what swimming patterns you might see. During the busiest weeks, thousands of gray whales migrate past on their way to and from the waters of Alaska and Mexico. Spouts were visible, I'm just not sure I saw one! It is fun to try though.

Our next stop is in Tillamook for more than just cheese. Let the adventure continue.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You missed our favorite story about Florence. https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/exploding-whale-memorial-park/

September 23, 2022 at 12:19 AM
Denise Hanten said...

We were there camping for a few days on our trip this summer. We visited the park… which is lovely despite the hilarious story.

September 23, 2022 at 12:21 AM

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