Depoe Bay…A WHALE Of A Way To Spend A Day!

A trip to Depoe Bay to see migrating whales was next up on our Oregon agenda, and our friends Rick and Candy (and their four-legged boss Sally) treated us to a wonderful meal before we left McMinnville.

Candy was “The hostess with the mostest” as my dear old dad used to say…

We loved her delicious quiche…

And fresh fruit cups…

And English muffins topped with homemade jam…

It was a wonderful start to our day…one bite at a time!

It was another gorgeous summer day in Oregon. A perfect day for the sixty-three mile drive to the beach at Depoe Bay. And the weather at the coast was perfect too…a real bonus since Depoe Bay has more than it’s share of fog and cool temperatures…even in the summer.

I was anxious for a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean…And suddenly…there it was. That beautiful, rugged Oregon coastline!

It was only seconds before we began spotting those magnificent whales. But try as I might…I could NOT capture more than a small part of them as they came up out of the water, and timing IS everything when whale watching!

Depoe Bay was said to be hosting a pod of approximately sixty whales while we were there!!!

It was fascinating to watch them surface…and spout!

It was a perfect spot for a photo op for all of us.

And I informed Peepaw this might be the only time I would ever be taller than he is since I chose to stand on a picnic table for this shot!

I only wish I could have timed my photo snaps when several whales lifted their HUGE bodies out of the water…No breaching whales for me on that day…

It was an amazing experience.

And after communing with nature we all agreed it was time for lunch, so Rick suggested a restaurant located right across the street. That eatery has been around for more than forty years… Gracie’s Sea Hag. 

I’m told the Sea Hag is very popular with “the locals”. We arrived at lunchtime and the place was nearly full…except for the best table in the place! We were seated at a round table in front of the window overlooking the ocean.

The decor was exactly what you’d expect in a beach town spot…

And since the menu said their Clam Chowder is “World Famous” I just had to try it. Unfortunately I don’t agree. It was nearly flavorless…and not very hot. (My pet peeve for any kind of soup!) It tasted more like paste and less like clams…

Next we tried their Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms topped with Hollandaise Sauce…

(Good…but not great.)

Rick and Candy ordered wraps, and they were satisfied with their choices.

And my fish sandwich and fries tasted pretty good too.

I think this is a case where LOCATION…LOCATION…LOCATION is more important to the success of a restaurant than the food served there. (But when you’re eating with great friends..that’s what really matters anyway.)

After lunch we headed out to explore the quaint shops along the street. 

After our little shopping trip Rick and Candy had one more spot to share with us before we headed back to McMinnville…a stop in a quaint little beach town nearby called Neskowin.

According to their website, the town’s year round population is 300…but that number swells to 2,000 in the summertime.

It’s not hard to choose your restaurant when going out to eat in Neskowin…You have ONE restaurant to choose from! The Hawk Creek Cafe is your choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner…and everything in between. And locals like it that way.

The quaint little beach town is totally laid back in MANY ways. Their motto seems to be Slow Down…Stop and Smell the Ocean. And their hand lettered signs are everywhere!

We even found a sign that was perfect for Peepaw!

So after our SLOW drive through Neskowin we headed back to McMinnville, and I marveled at how great it was to see that there there are still some unspoiled little beach enclaves left in America. Gems like Neskowin. But the “locals” hope that gem won’t be discovered by the masses any time soon…and who could blame them for that.

Yes…I’d say we had a WHALE of a day…our day spent along the Oregon coast.