We awoke to quiet. The rain had stopped! When we opened the tent door, we actually saw bits of blue sky! Miracle of miracles! After a quick breakfast -- outside on the picnic table – we started disassembling camp, thankful that we didn’t have to do it in the rain.
Our tent had – so far – kept us dry. (And there was plenty of wood around to knock on.) As we started on the second half of our trip, continuing farther south on the Oregon Coast, the clouds closed the blue gaps and it started to rain – it seemed more humid, more heavy, cooler as we went south. When we arrived at Ecola State Park, the rain was cold and a wind was picking up. Ecola State Park is the one you see most often on postcards with Haystack Rock in the water off to the south.
This is where the Lewis & Clark expedition, after struggling through the mountains and underbrush and huge trees, came upon the overlooks and saw a beached whale that the natives were working on. They went down and were able to trade for some whale meat and blubber. They named the place Ecola - which means “whale.”It is a beautiful spot – one that would make you think of as a place for a spectacular wedding reception. And, apparently that was what was happening that day. In the parking lot, a beautifully wedding gowned bride was in the process of gathering her skirts and exiting her car – a process that took over 30 minutes. The tuxedoed groom stood patiently at the door of the car, holding an umbrella, attempting to shield them both from the wind and rain. After the extrication, the couple walked under the umbrella out onto the top of the bluff to have wedding pictures taken.
“Just go to a hall and have your pictures taken,” I muttered to her from 200 yards away. Then a big catering van pulled up and workers started setting up white chairs and a small white EZ-up shade canopy. “No, No, No!” I pled. “Just go to a hall! Just go home!” But the bride was determined that everything should go as planned. They continued their photo walk down the paths we had just trod – paths running with muddy water. Her in her pristine, white gown, and white, spiked heels.
An hour later, with the rain still slatting down, and the wind still blowing cold, we stood aside while they passed us on their way to another lookout. The bride’s eye makeup was beginning to smudge, her dress was hanging on her – wet and with brown, soggy mud stains soaked up at least 15 inches from the bottom, her shoes – soaked and brown. I thought when we returned to the parking lot that the catering company would have given up the battle and re-packed their truck – but, No. They were still setting up as if nature would suddenly understand and send the sun. I thought about this bride and her doomed wedding throughout the day, and unfortunately throughout the night. At the last stop on our walk to the Ecola lookouts, we were fortunate to glimpse through the fog and rain the Tillamook Head lighthouse, on a rock out in the ocean.
Tillamook Head has a very exciting history -- as do all the light houses -- and we were glad to have been given even a foggy glimpse.
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