Oregon (coast): Pacific waves and sea lions

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Oregon (coast): Pacific waves and sea lions
Battered by the unrelenting waves of the Pacific, the Oregon coast is a dramatic meeting of rock and tide. If you like precipitous cliffs and dramatic sea stacks, this is is the place to be. And it offers great opportunities for watching sea life as well, like seals sunbathing on secluded beaches or sea lions fighting for a place on a harbor pontoon. Adding to the natural drama are a coastal rain forest and some of the largest oceanfront dunes in the world.

[USA.OREGON 28761] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28762] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28764] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. The mushroom shaped rock is a product of wind erosion. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28766] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28768] ’Pacific coast near Devil's Punchbowl.’ The Pacific coast near Devil's Punchbowl, 15 km north of Newport, consists of sandstone cliffs. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28770] ’Beach at Yaquina Head.’ The beach at Yaquina Head, just north of Newport, is a good stake-out for watching seals. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28772] ’Yaquina Bay Bridge.’ The Yaquina Bay Bridge (1936) spans the mouth of the Yaquina River at Newport. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28774] ’Siesta time in Newport.’ It's busy at this pontoon in the harbor of Newport at the Oregon coast. Is it siesta time? Or are all those California sea lions having a sun tan? With their playful behavior and dog-like barks they are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28776] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ California sea lions occupy a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Their dog-like barks and playful behavior are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28778] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ California sea lions occupy a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Their dog-like barks and playful behavior are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28780] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ California sea lions occupy a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Their dog-like barks and playful behavior are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28782] ’Sea lion in Newport.’ California sea lion on a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28784] ’Coast near Cape Perpetua.’ The Pacific seems to be emptying itself into this hole located on the rocky coast near Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[USA.OREGON 28761a] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28763] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. The mushroom shaped rock is a product of wind erosion. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28765] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28767] ’Cape Kiwanda.’ The sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda, just north of Pacific City, is a good place to experience spectacular wave action if seas are rough. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28769] ’Devil's Punchbowl.’ Devil's Punchbowl, 15 km north of Newport, is a cauldron-like sandstone formation that has been sculpted by centuries of tidewater flooding what had been a cave until the roof collapsed. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28771] ’Yaquina Bay Bridge.’ The Yaquina Bay Bridge (1936) spans the mouth of the Yaquina River at Newport. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28773] ’Oregon Coast Aquarium.’ Jelly-fish in the Oregon Coast Aquarium at Newport. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28775] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ California sea lions occupy a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Their dog-like barks and playful behavior are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28777] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ "Get away from here, these are my girlfriends." "I'm not moving one inch! She just told me she has a crush on me." California sea lions have siesta on a pontoon in the harbor of Newport at the Oregon coast. With their playful behavior and dog-like barks they are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28779] ’Sea lions in Newport.’ California sea lions occupy a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Their dog-like barks and playful behavior are an attraction for visitors of the Bayfront area. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28781] ’Sea lion in Newport.’ California sea lion on a pontoon in the harbor of Newport. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[USA.OREGON 28783] ’Gathering clams.’ A family is gathering clams on the black volcanic shore at Devil's Churn, a narrow inlet near Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats. Photo Mick Palarczyk.