Day 3: Newport, Oregon, to Suttle Lake, Oregon

Day 3, Newport, Oregon to Suttle Lake, Oregon

As soon as I woke up, I immediately dashed to the window to see if the fog from last night had lifted. We had called Newport Tradewinds Deep Sea Fishing the night before to try to schedule a crabbing expedition. Although there was no crabbing boat scheduled, we could reserve a spot on the 1:30 whale watching trip, but it might be cancelled if the visibility was too poor. On seeing that the fog was as dense as ever, I did not expect to see my hand in front of me, much less a whale.
After a very good continental breakfast at the Elizabeth Street Inn consisting of warm scones, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, and rich local strawberry yogurt, we went out in search of wireless internet and a way to bide our time until the afternoon. We eventually found a Starbucks where we could plug in and post our previous entries. At about 1:00, I called Tradewinds and they told me yes, the whale watching trip was on, but we should get moving quickly because parking was very sparse in the Historic Bayfront area. We scrambled to finish our internet projects and hurried out to the car. The Bayfront was easy enough to find, just turn left and keep going down toward the water. It was a small, crowded street lined with fishing expedition companies, seafood restaurants, and souvenir shops. However, by the time I got there, I had completely forgotten the name of the fishing charter I had now called on three separate occasions. I had Aaron drop me off at the first fishing charter company and go off to find a parking space. As I approached the door, I noticed that the sign read “Whale Watching 1:00.” This was not a good sign. I timidly snuck in and told the clerk “We might have a reservation with you. For whale watching?” Seeing me instantly for the helpless tourist I was, she was able to look at the phone number in my cell phone and tell me that company I had called was three blocks up the street. I thanked her, left the shop, and waited for Aaron. I eventually saw him approaching from the direction of the place that actually had our reservation, so I started jogging toward him, holding up my hand, gesturing him to “Stop!” We turned around and, against all odds, made in onto our boat on time.
Our vessel was a small fishing boat. It was clear that this outfit was primarily a fishing company that occasionally took out whale watching tours to get a little extra cash. After a quick orientation by the captain (“If you feel queasy, you can go to this side of the boat, or that side of the boat, or the back of the boat, but, please, not into the cabin. And that rule about don’t spit into the wind, it applies here, too.), we left the dock and set out towards the end of the jetties. We saw a substantial amount of wildlife before we reached the open sea, a huge variety of pelicans and other sea birds and the head of a sea lion. As we reached the tip of the jetty, we stood against the railing of the boat, eagerly scanning the surface of the water for a plume or a fin. The water was very choppy and in the small boat, the motion was dramatic. Aaron and I sat down on the bench on the deck and continued to look for signs of life. And the motion of the boat continued. Up and down, back and forth. The silvery gray water flecked with slate waves began to play tricks on our hopeful eyes. Every wave, bird, and buoy began to look like the back of a whale. The constant rocking and the dim, unchanging surroundings made us both a little sick but mostly sleepy. After about an hour of staring out into the nothing, something caught my eye. A small black hump broke the surface of the water and then disappeared. I sat up straight and strained to see it again, when both Aaron and I saw it come up a second time, we stood up and pointed and uttered something like “Whale… out… there.” The boat came to a halt and the other passengers crowded to the edge. After a few seconds of nothing, I grumbled that the stupid thing would make a liar out of me. And sure enough, no one saw the phantom bump in the water again. Aaron and I talked about what it might have been: a wave, the head of a sea lion, a diving bird, maybe a shoe. It certainly could have been any one of those things, but that doesn’t really make for a very good story. We decided that it was most likely a sea monster. That’s the story, and we’re sticking to it.
To get back into the bay, we had to move directly against the wind. While it had been cool the entire trip, it suddenly became cold. Very cold. We huddled together for warmth, but to no avail. The end of the jetty was a very welcome sight. The winds and the swells calmed. Aaron sat up and declared “I am not of seafaring stock.”
At the beginning of the boat tour, I saw one of the other passengers with a bowl of clam chowder. By the time we got back to the dock, nothing in the world sounded as wonderful as a hot bowl of chowder. We walked up to street level and went into Mo’s, the seafood restaurant next door. The sign on the door described Mo, the restaurant’s founder, as “a crusty, chain smoking, big-hearted town mother” who passed away in 1992. We went inside and asked the woman at the counter whether we could get some chowder to go. She pointed to the three sizes against the wall: the cup, the bowl, and the family size. I debated aloud whether I should get the cup or the bowl, and she said “if you get the cup, you’ll be coming back.” Aaron and I got two bowls. She added “would you like it with a scoop of bay shrimp over the top? It’s to die for.” Of course, we agreed. We took our warm plastic containers of creamy seafood goodness back up the hill to our car and settled in for lunch. The New England style chowder was, in fact, to die for. The tiny shrimp were incredibly tender and flavorful and the soup was dense, filled with potatoes, bacon, and clams. It revived us, and gave us the energy to finally start driving east on Route 20.
Route 20 begins at a very average intersection with Route 101 in Newport, but after less than five miles, it is quickly enveloped by thick, misty coastal rainforests. It remains dark and damp as you climb through the Cascade Mountains, and then, just as you get past the first large ridge, the clouds break and the sun comes out. Seeing the sun after two days in Newport is a tremendous relief because by then I had begun to wonder whether it had died and the report had simply failed to make the news. Once we came into the sun, the landscape changed dramatically. Although there were still towering mountains in the background, vast rolling farmland dotted with small towns made up the foreground.
This lasted until we reached the Willamette National Forest. The forest is composed of steep mountains blanketed in acres of towering evergreen trees. As you open your window, the sharp fresh scent of a pine forest pours in, refreshing but almost overwhelming. The road weaved through these forests for miles, teasing us with spectacular views that were gone too quickly to capture in a photo. About 30 miles west of Sisters, Oregon, we came upon a starkly different landscape: acres of forests that had been burned to almost nothing. It was hard to tell whether this had been a natural fire or a controlled burn, but either way, the results were dramatic.
Around seven o’ clock, we arrived at the Lodge at Suttle Lake. The resort has a large main building surrounded by a dozen small cabins and one teepee (not really culturally accurate, but still looked like a fun place to spend the night). We entered the main lodge through a massive wooden door, carved with images of Native Americans and local wildlife. The interior of the lodge was impressive, but still very inviting. We approached a small desk near the entrance to claim our reservations. The two clerks talked amongst themselves, flipping through folders. On finding our reservation, one looked to the other and said “Running Water?” The other nodded. Thinking this referred to an amenity of the room, we were very pleased because we were not prepared to stay anywhere without running water. It turned out that “Running Water” was actually the name of the room. Thinking back, I’m sure all the rooms had running water.
After checking into the room, we left to take in some quick sightseeing before dinner. The location of the resort is serenity itself, perched on a small lake surrounded by the massive evergreen trees that looked even more spectacular in person than they had from the road. Our trip was cut short by sudden wind and lightning, so headed to the Boathouse, the resort restaurant, for dinner.
The Boathouse is not very large and reservations are recommended. However, the meal is well worth the effort. I started with a mixed green salad with chili roasted walnuts, dried cranberries, apple slices, and a few crumbles of some very tasty bleu cheese. Aaron had a beef and vegetable soup. For entrees, I had a roasted Wild Alaskan salmon with melon salsa, basmati rice, and summer squash. The salsa and the sides were very good, but the fish itself was the real star. It had a tender, buttery consistency and a delicate flavor. Aaron ordered a scallop, shrimp, and crab tortellini in a dill and harvarti cheese sauce. Initially, they made a mistake and brought out the vegetarian lasagna, which looked very good, but was not very carnivore friendly. When the pasta eventually came out it was excellent. For dessert, we split a berry mousse. Very satisfied, we made the long (not really all that long) walk back to Running Water and quickly fell asleep.
As soon as we arrived at Suttle Lake, we knew that the 14 hours we would be spending here were woefully insufficient. One of the downsides to a vacation like this is that we never feel like we have time enough to see everything we want to see. Making this trip with time to savor every small town and linger in the best places might take months or even years. Still, there is always the promise of the next day’s adventures to move us eastward.

Links
Newport Tradewinds Deep Sea Fishing
http://www.newporttradewinds.com/

Mo's Chowder
www.moschowder.com

Willamette National Forest
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/

The Lodge at Suttle Lake
http://www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com/