There are more than 12 miles of easy walking trail on both sides of the river and several bridges crossing it that make for great loops. The trail stays close to the river so it is easy to access from any of the campgrounds along it’s length and even from Camp Sherman.

A great 6.4 mile hike starts at the Wizard Falls state fish hatchery where you can explore the rustic buildings and working hatchery tanks and follows either bank of the river downstream for 3.2 miles and crosses over the river at Lower Bridge Campground for the return upstream hike.

What: 12+ miles of easy walking trails along the crystal clear waters of the Metolius River with only a couple hundred feet of elevation gain/loss.

Fees: None

Dogs: Allowed on leash

Open: Year-round

Getting There: Leave Bend on Hwy 20 towards the town of Sisters. Continue west on Hwy 20 for 9 miles past Sisters and turn right near milepost 91 at a sign for the Metolius River. Drive straight on paved road 1419, stay right towards the signs for the “Campgrounds” rather than left towards the signs for the “Resorts.” Continue through Camp Sherman on the paved road and turn left at the sign for the Wizard Falls state fish hatchery, about 10 miles from Hwy 20. Note: The Metolius River is about a 40 mile drive from Bend.

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Once inside the elevator you will take the 50 second descent into the natural made cavern. Once the doors open prepare yourself for the cacophony of conversation among the sea lions. Inside the cave is unique itself simply because you know where you are at; technically below sea level, far back into the rocks, where the sea lions used to roam and probably still would if not for the fence. There are interpretive kiosks about a variety of subjects to include the skeletal remains of a sea lion, still lying where it was found.

As you venture further into the cave you can go left or right, left taking you to the lions den or right, up the stairs to a spectacular view of the lighthouse, beach and waterfall. The lions den is huge and at the time that I was there, there must have been close to 500 sea lions. Of course there is a chain link fence that separates you from them but nonetheless the lions are right there at the fence line. Despite the fencing this is as close one may ever get to the complete nature of the wild and untameable sea as well as the magnificent and ferocious beasts that have tamed the sea.

Being a nature lover and loving what comes naturally to a person or animal there isn’t much equanimity except wild abandon. These lions are in their total natural habitat, no man has put them asunder and it was the great ocean that helped form this cavern by many years of erosion.

After I talked with the lions for awhile and resisted my urge to find away into the actual den I wandered upstairs expecting just a small platform with maybe a few more kiosks but I was quite surprised to find the view that I did. It was a serenely beautiful view and the only place to get this view is from the platform. Driving by the Sea Lion caves, you would never know of the amount of lions or the view that you are missing.

The Sea Lion Caves are located 11 miles North of Florence, OR and 38 miles South of Newport. The cave is famous for the fact that this is the world’s largest sea cave. If you visit nothing else, make sure to stop here as you will be amazed at the size of the cave, you will probably find yourself talking to the sea lions as I did and the view of the lighthouse and waterfall are one not to be missed. The cave & gift shop are handicap accessible.  The entrance fee into the caves themselves are $7.00.

When standing at the lookout, you can see the small bridge in which we all drive across (Hwy 101). Just on the other side of this bridge is Cummins Creek, a tiny rippling bit of water. If you are willing to take the short climb down the creek it leads you right down into the chasm.

It is an intense feeling of being right in the middle of the wild waters. Should you choose to climb down the creek please be safe and use simple repelling gear should you slip among the moist laden growth of the hillside, besides that, it makes it a bit easier to climb back up.

This spot is just 10 miles North of Florence before Newport if following the mapquest directions. The viewpoint is totally handicap accessible.

Upon showing up at the Asian Festival at the Lane County Fairgrounds there was hardly any parking and after hunting we finally found a spot way out in left field. I kept remarking about the amount of cars and that I was surprised at the amount of people who would choose to go to the festival.

Well to my surprise the festival was great. We had a blast. There were a million streaming people and the whole place was redolent w/ not only the different smells of Asian food fare but the different arts were amazing. Many things that I took for granted as being US made were made by Asians and their artwork is just stunning in many aspects.

There were also several stages where different dance styles and self defense styles were being exhibited. Unknowing to me, just not to everyone else in my party, our friend Gabe was in one of the self defense productions. He was also to be at the surprise b-day party for my daughter later that evening. We watched the different dancers and of course made our own critiquing standards. We tried speaking in Chinese and Cantonese by an elderly man who was wandering around to teach us hello and good bye in different languages…no I do not know how to say either of these words at this time.

We came upon an origami station and I had thought I had seen the extent of origami but apparently not. There was so many different origami characters that I didn’t realize existed. Some of the dragons were done in colored foils. The boquet of wild flowers were done up in similar foils, glitter paper & a cellophane type of paper, complete with different colored centers. I am not this nimble fingered, I would have definitely torn the paper.

We each bought something different from the different Asian food vendors and sat at a table sampling everyone’s plate which in the end erupted into much laughter and an almost food fight with rice and chopsticks. I am famous for spur of the moment food fights and our last one was pumpkin guts at Halloween.

All in all we had an awesome time. We learned much of the country’s history, what they eat, saw a lot of their artwork and tried to understand their economics. The whole place was festive and even all the kids running around had a great time.

To top off the day of the Asian Festival, about 20 of us gathered for my daughter’s 18^th birthday and did our own sushi. My niece thought sushi was disgusting until she tried it. She came back to me later that night and thanked me for a great day.

So I have learned that no matter how tired I am I will make a point to go to the cultural festivals. I worked my way out of my tiredness and learnt a lot of this culture and had a great time teasing some of the vendors, eating of the foods one doesn’t eat everyday. I can’t wait for another cultural festival whether it be Asian or some other culture. I would definitely recommend these festivals to all.

The bowl sits down below the main park and is accessed by following the path down to the bottom. At the bottom, amazingly enough there is no railing as this whole area, once off the steps becomes a potential hazard zone. This is my favorite part. I wander to the edge and push the extremes against the sea. I go around the corner to view the entire ocean in front of me. I warily make my way in the other direction towards the cave. Sometimes I go slow other times I scurry like a crab. It is the most amazing adrenaline junkie rush to stand on the edge at high tide as the waves virtually cascade up and around you. Always remember, never to turn your back on the sea, especially down here.

Many people do go out among the rocks as I do but I’ve yet to really watch anyone stand at the edge and wander at high tide as I do.

For those who do not share this kind of extreme the state park does also offer a beach side of things where one can calmly walk without the worries of the high tide.

The Devil’s Churn is said to have been formed by the collapse of two different caves to form the one but there is no definite answer on that. The state park itself hosts hiking, picnicking, tide pools, view points, restroom facilities and is handicap accessible with the exception of going down to the ledge of the punch bowl.

Located 8 miles North of Newport on Hwy 101. Make this a must see stop on your way through as you won’t ever forget it. Know that tide tables can be found online quite easily.

The place was filled, lively, packed due to it being Valentine’s Day but everyone was nice, helpful, courteous & friendly. There were no tables available so I sat at the counter which provided me an additional an up close & personal view of all the cooks, how they interacted, what they cooked, how they cooked and it was a great experience. In the future, when by myself I will opt for the counter again. I loved watching them whiz through what they were doing, the team work, which was super apparent and so because I enjoy cooking this was kind of a different treat for me as odd as it may sound. All this aside, also has an awesome view of the commercial docks and when the sun went down it was beautiful to watch. The shadows crept in to make their twilight appearance and formed spectacular sights to watch through their glassed in front, which I suspect that in better weather opens up to the gentle sea air. This is a perfect little romantic spot so it was no wonder it was so full on Valentine’s Day. So when in Newport, do as I did and take the recommendation and make a visit to their homey place with the great menu and salivating smells, complete with the enigmatic view.

To this day I still lose myself in the “lost in time” moments of my wanderings. I even still trap, hunt & fish this area. I explore the streams of my childhood and new ones in my adulthood. My spirit becomes peaceful and my mind clears away. Back in Waldport I love to sit on the bay and watch the sea otters and lions at play or resting in groups upon the sandy shore of the Alsea bay and should I be lucky enough to be there on 4^th of July, the bay is the perfect spot to watch the fireworks as you are literally under them as they colorize the night sky.

While small and hold little in the way of conventional coastal recreation, it makes up for in natural beauty.

There is more than one tunnel. Each different tunnel holds a different habitation of fish. Then there are the sea otters and they will play with you. It was awesome. While I found one that was asleep and wouldn’t wake up to leave his den, there were half a dozen more already out playing so of course I wandered to the outside part. Due to the reason I was there I had special privileges that allowed me to climb upon the rocks for photography reasons though I did not get any good photos of these creatures I learned real quick that they like to play hide and seek. Now this game can be played with the otters without having to climb upon the rocks.The Oregon Coast Aquarium also has one of the largest aviaries when it comes to the different sea birds. Some of them I recognize from my numerous visits to the coast, others I’ve seen but only from afar and then they have the ones that I’ll describe as grumpy old men but that’s only because they looked like it. The aviary is a totally open air exhibit, so don’t be surprised if a bird may swoop down in front of you. I almost landed in one of their pools when this happened. The black Oystercatchers and Puffins were my favorite. Maybe this is because I am not used to seeing them up close. It was a few of the puffins that gave me the old man reminder with their tufted feathers.

One of the indoor tanks had jellyfish. Now it is my assumption that most of us have seen jellyfish out of the water, on the sandy beaches and probably dead but those that are alive are absolutely beautiful. If you have never seen a jellyfish up close and almost personal then this is the place to go. They emit their own radiant glow that even my hi-tech camera couldn’t catch and they are so awesomely graceful. It is hard to imagine that these delightful creatures sting like they do. From what I hear it is a very painful experience.

This is just a very small insight to the Coast Aquarium, home to Keiko, the (not so) Killer Whale. The aquarium is also in Newport, right off the bay front, right around the corner from the OSU/Mark Hatfield Science Center. Once you are in Newport, there are several signs for this great attraction. Keep in mind to give yourself at least 1 ½ hours to wander through all the exhibits. Also, all the exhibits, they way they were done, made me stop and look. This is an awesome trek and a great experience and the closest one can ever get to the lives of the sea unless you are a diver.

Agate Beach has been well known for years for it’s agates of character and the long quiet beach in which to wander. This has always been an amazing beach to me as everyone knows quite well where this stretch of pristine views are yet I have never been on this beach when it is crowded so I don’t even know if it gets that way. I still have hundreds of agates from beach combing and when you come across a creek, take your time to look for agates there.

My favorite time of day is the evening on this beach as it is one of the best beaches on the Oregon Coast that has some of the most spectacular & colorful views as the sun goes down. Unfortunately this time I wasn’t there during the suns decline onto the horizon. I did stop in at the beach and go see my friend Kelly who owns the Agate Beach Motel.

Now many people who stop here are choosing to stay the night and there are two immediate hotel/motels within walking distance of the beach. One being the Agate Beach Inn and the other being the Agate Beach Motel, which, bar none, is my favorite. Agate Beach Motel, thankfully lacking the polished look of newer buildings has its perfect charm and restfulness. Their rooms are more like an actual room in our own homes versus the almost sterile looking environment. There is more character and life both inside and outside the rooms. The landscaping is beautiful yet simple. The managers are wonderful and even fun people. There is a short walk down the stairs to the beach and on occasion the owners will choose to do a bonfire on the beach for their guests. I was lucky at one time to be involved in this when helping to refinish the deck chairs with a group of friends. The motel is small and quaint and boasts of solitude and privacy while yet making it simple to meet others and make new friends.

Don’t take my word on any of this. Go see for yourself. If nothing else go take a look at what they have to offer, to include the views of the setting sun. Then you will understand why I love this beach and motel.

Located on the beach in Newport, right off of Hwy 101. The directions to get here are pretty much the same as the directions to get to other Newport area attractions. http://www.mapquest.com/maps/La+Pine+OR/Newport+OR/