Newport Bayfront

After the Aquarium we caught the Shuttle to the Bay front area here in Newport.

It wasn't very busy for a Sunday but that was fine with me I really dislike overcrowding and the area was very colorful.


They make good use of the space in the area like this shop that was created in an old alleyway.


There were many murals on S.W. Bay Blvd and this was one great Whale of a painting.


Being a tourist area the Blvd is very colorful and a creative like the Corvette and another great mural.


It is a working seaport, mostly seafood, one of the main catches is crab but it includes Salmon, Tuna and other varieties of fresh seafood.


There were many traps and nets neatly lined up all over the area.


The murals really brightened the walk. We saw this one after a nice lunch at the original Mo's restaurant, a well known Oregon chain. When in Mo's we noticed that Robert F. Kennedy had eaten there just before his assassination.


I like this shot because the white care actually fits in nicely with the white boats in the mural.

Most of the murals were done by an artist named Rick Chambers I would have liked to meet him to learn more about the artist. One mural said he was from Bend I wonder if he vacations here part of the year.

I really like the working look of this street where the reality of the fishing industry rubs shoulders with the fantasy of the romantic thinking tourists.

The murals wouldn't be complete without a tribute to the wonderful people of the Coast Guard. It was in Newport a few years we watched a rescue neat the Yaquina Lighthouse. A surfer had gotten too far out and caught by a powerful rip tide. We saw his distress and called in on our Cell phone and the Coast Guard was there in minutes with two boats and a helicopter. The waves were huge, higher than the large boats that bobbed up and down in the surf. They finally pulled the surfer aboard at great risk to themselves. The Coast Guard are on my hero list for sure.

We got to the western end of S.W. Bay Blvd and went into a great gallery and the first thing that caught my eye was this great clock made from Bicycle parts. The Gallery is called Inscapes Gallery. Frome their Web page I found this note:

"INSCAPES features works by nearly 400 artists. Precision wood turnings, such as bowls, platters, vases and other vessels remain a principle feature at INSCAPES; but original oil paintings, bronze sculptures, steel wall hangings, photography, jewelry, dichroic and fused glass, games, kaleidoscopes and furniture remain staples of the gallery's "Fine Art--Fun Furnishings--Finishing Touches" place of wonder."

I also like the great use of wood for this carving of an eagle.


This black sculpture of a woman titled "Blowin in the Wind" by Jerry Joslin was beautiful and the sense of flowing motion was wonderful.


What a great red winged blackbird on a Cattail, it fist perfectly with the painting behind it.


Also very clever and beautiful was this girl building a sandcastle - very precious. This bronze was created by Kelly Barker and is titled "Sandcastle."


Color rules in tourists areas and if it isn't all the newest it must be one of the most colorful streets in the US.


Speaking of the Coast Guard their headquarters for the Newport Area is at the foot of S.W. Bay Blvd and it's definitely not a tourist visit spot but it's very photogenic from outside the grounds.


I liked this curvy pier on the other side of the bay where the Musemobile was resting peacefully.


Going back east on Bay Blvd we saw some workers preparing fresh fish behind Mo's annex a second spot to eat across the street from the Original Mo's.


We walked back to the shuttle stop for our ride back to the RV park and saw this skateboarder using one dog power to pull him around.

The interesting thing about the shuttle is we had to ride it for and hour and a half to go across the bay. The shuttle goes in a circle and to go south (we were at the southern tip of the route) we had to go north first. On the way back the driver took a break at an ocean view park for 20 minutes. So we explored a bit. Here is Sharyn looking at a sculpture next to the park.

Oh! and here is the Shuttle Bus minus our 83 year old driver, a retired beer distributor and a great guy/guide.


I just love the face on these viewing binoculars because they remind me of a robot face.


The had a whale bones exhibit in the Don Davis Memorial Park and no they are not real bones.


There was a gentleman just starting to fly his kite while we were there so snap! snap! I got a shot.


I got a shot of this wood carved sculpture across the street from the park. It's a nice park with a walkway down to Nye Beach and the Pacific ocean.

As I turned to walk back to the shuttle I got this picture of some of the houses in this unique area inter woven by narrow streets. This area is noted for it's artists and creative spirit.

We headed back to the RV and had a nice evening after a very full day.

Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen beat me by 17 but I don't know the score

Quote of the Day ~

"Our intent will not be to create gridlock. Oh, except maybe from time to time." ~ Bob Dole (American Senator and Republican congressional leader, b.1923)