After we left Staters, we headed down the Oregon Coast. We just had to stick our toes in the cold Pacific Ocean, just to say we did it. The coast was fogged in. In the nearby shipping channel, we could hear the ships going out at low tide, blowing foghorns and being answered by the bells on the channel buoys. But all we could see of them even with binoculars were looming gray shadows. It didn’t seem like a very climactic moment to our transcontinental journey. I was also using the binoculars to watch birds but there were very few–also disappointing. So we piled back in the little cherry-red rented Nissan Versa and continued south along 101. There weren’t even any coastal views for miles and whenever we got close to the coast, we could tell by the fog banks rolling in.
After many miles we came to the town of Port Orford, OR. Route 101 made a sharp left turn but straight ahead was a broad uphill street with the words “Ocean view” painted clearly in huge letters on the pavement across both lanes. The last time we saw such signs, it had been several miles to the actual coast. But this time as soon as we crested the knoll, there it was, a beautiful coastal view of the Pacific; and surprise, there was no fog. We stopped; took turns taking pictures; then I spent time watching the many birds and the coastal small-boat activity while JoAnne sketched. Then someone pointed out a whale spout. Amazing! We had the unexpected privilege of watching a whale spouting while presumably feeding among the huge rocks for at least a half-hour before he decided to swim back out to sea.
After that, for many miles of coastal road, the fog stayed out to sea and we enjoyed a beautiful trip, with many stops. We even took a coastal byway and the weather held for hours while we traversed it, taking pictures and feasting with our eyes on the vistas.
[nggallery id=7]It reminded me that you just never know what blessing God has in store when the fog clears. God is like that in our lives. We can live in expectancy looking for God’s sunshine to break through. The “sun of righteousness rises” and then somehow the fog clears. St. Paul put it bluntly, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14 NIV).