The day started at The Blue Sorcerer for breakfast. They have an interesting policy -- the door is wide open even though the opening hour hasn't been reached. We walk up to the door and discover a hand-written sign that tells us early birds are welcome for coffee and breads only. The fresh baked goods and breakfast items won't be served until 8:00. The place itself faces the street and is uphill from the river giving a pretty good view of river activity. There is a magazine kiosk with quite a variety of magazines for sale -- for example, one for bicycle enthusiasts, one on organic cooking, an astrology tomb, Mad magazine, among others. No Family Circle or O or People.
When our order was taken at 8:00 on the dot, Roger ordered the special French toast with yogurt, red plums, and kiwi. I had cherry/hazelnut granoloa and yogurt. All that and our coffee were provided locally, definitely organic, and tasted healthy and wholesome.
The rest of the day was spent driving along the coast starting at Seaside and ending at Florence. Starting with rain and sprinkles, low lying fog, clouds and wind and ending with clear skies and a lovely sunset. Ecola, Three Capes Scenic Loop, Otter Crest Scenic Loop, Cape Meares lighthouse -- these were among the many stops and walks we took. We saw more rain forests, one in particular that was draped in mist and had trees so tall the sunlight was shut out resulting in a dark and mysterious feel. We both felt we could have fallen through a time tunnel and come out in a prehistoric age. I wouldn't have been too surprised had a dinosaur reached down and scooped us up. It was one of the most other worldly places I've ever been.
We saw haystack rock formations along the coast beaten by never ending waves. The gray sea churned and boiled wearing away rock and soil at the weakest points, leaving behemoths of rock, cut out inlets, cliffs. We saw a few homes precariously perched on the highest points. One turned out not to be a home but instead a tourist store so we were able to get a real feeling of what living close to the edge would be like. I took many pictures in a futile effort to capture the grandeur of this coast.
Surprisingly, we passed numerous antique shops, several of which looked so inviting. It pained Roger to not stop but in his words, "This is not that kind of trip." Perhaps in some future time we will head to Oregon again allowing ourselves much more time to not only take in the sights but also to stroll the antique shops.
We finally stopped at Florence, took a hotel, Old Town Inn, and then walked to the historic Old Town Florence. Arriving at near 6:30 pm meant the stores were closed but there were several restaurants open. Located on the Suislaw River, fish were a major menu item. We decided to once again follow Frommer's advice and dined at the River Front Depot Restaurant, a small, delightfully intimate setting on the river. That it was so busy we could only be seated at the bar tells you a little about the food. The menu was on a huge blackboard hanging above the diners opposite the bar.
Dining at the bar has its advantages. We were totally entertained by the bartender. I don't think we've seen bartenders quite so active or take so much pride in their performance. She was surely one of the hardest working bartenders we'd ever seen and clearly she took pleasure in her creations. Spanish coffee, flamed liqueur, carmalized sugar, Mojitos, and others. The food, while we couldn't see it prepared, gave every reason to believe that the chef was cut from the same cloth as the bartender. Delicious! I had crab encrusted halibut; Rog had some kind of beef. It all disappeared! We walked home and settled in for the night.
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