zingly elegant inn, high on the cliffs overlooking the waters and rocks, with the stately lighthouse. 
The Inn – you enter into the “guest kitchen” which is equipped with snacks (honour), wine glasses, soft drinks, umbrellas, suggestions on where to go and where to eat in the area.
The house itself used to be a duplex but the dividing wall has since been removed and the two sides of the house are now mirror-images of the other. Each side has a parlour with fireplace. The dining room is central.
Our room was “Victoria’s Room”. Small but very lovely with a tiny bathroom (used to be a closet) and a view of the garden. The bed was very high up – I needed a step-stool.
After resting up and having a glass of wine, we headed off to explore
Florence. Along the way, we stopped to watch the sealions on the rocks below. This was approximately half a mile from the Inn. They were amazing! They’re huge … fat … lazy … noisy… smellysmellysmelly … wonderful.
And who knew that Florence had a “Rhododendron Days” festival. Yep. It’s a lovely flower, and it is literally everywhere. So, yes. They have a festival – a fair along the waterfront and all. I have to say that Florence is an enchanting little town. It’s big enough to have a Fred Meyers and a Safeway, but still small and charming. We were a bit hungry and dinner wasn’t for a while, so we stopped in the Beachcomber Pub. That was a treat! It was just your basic pub … nothing fancy or trendy about it, but great atmosphere and a wicked beer list – 17 craft beers on tap and a whole pile more in bottles for off-sales. It was there that I was introduced to and fell in love with … Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. (Happily I’ve found it for sale in Edmonton. Phew.)
The restaurant we went to for dinner – Feast – was a disappointment. I had really looked forward to it, but they changed their menu for “Rhoddy Days” and it was not what we’d expected. Oh well …
We came back to the Inn and relaxed with a glass of wine by the fire with some of the guests. We even played a little Male vs Female “how well do you know your partner” kind of game. Interesting to play that with strangers, but fun.
Off to bed and a sound, wonderful sleep …
Next morning! Showered, dressed, and eagerly anticipating the 7-course breakfast. But first, Bob couldn’t find his keys. He had put them on the night-table the night before, but they weren’t where he’d left them. He found them … tucked behind the little ceramic horse on the table. This was not a place where Bob would put keys. And remember, Bob is the King of the Skeptics when it comes to the paranormal. Did we have a visit from Rue?
Breakfast. How do you describe breakfast? Amazing. Wonderful. Spectacular. And that’s just a start. Breakfast on Day 1 at Heceta Head was:
Fruit cup – gala apples, nectarine, strawberries infused with an orange water / honey mixture.
Raspberry bread
Crab cakes with an amazing sauce.
Raspberry sorbet
Puff Pastry filled with scrambled eggs with several local cheeses, sautéed asparagus and button mushrooms.
Swedish potato sausages.
Oregon blueberry cake
Pink lady apples, local cheese, and homemade caramel sauce.
And coffee, coffee, coffee.
Our breakfast companions that morning were an animated and interesting group. Even a veterinarian and his wife from Louisiana.
With very, very full bellies, we explored the coast. It was an on and off rainy day, but we drove and saw amazing sights. 
We went to the Sealion Caves. Wow! Those creatures are amazing. The bulls can weigh 2400 pounds and reach 12 feet in length. The noise was incredible, but oddly the smell wasn’t nearly what we thought it would be. We suspect that they pump a lot of fresh air into the caves. Otherwise, I think it would be an unpleasant place to be.
We saw the dunes. There is no way to describe the dunes. You HAVE to see them. We did some hiking on them, but I’m a little out of shape and the effort of walking on the soft sand was a bit of a challenge. Still, it’s an experience I’m so happy that I had.
We saw so many wonderful things. Every twist and turn brought something new and magical into view. Besides the heart stopping beauty of the coast itself, the growth along the highway is beautiful – lush and green. So very, very green.
We returned to the Inn, freshened up and headed to dinner – again in Florence. This time it was at the Waterfront Depot Restaurant. Verdict? Wow! We had reservations and were brought to a window table where we could watch the river and see some of the dunes. Dinner was amazing. I had their signature dish – Crab Encrusted Halibut with a sweet chili sauce and a salad – for only $11.00. Bob had a pasta dish with so many kinds of seafood. Smoked salmon appetizer … bottle of wine … tab was $70.00. What a treasure!
It was raining as we returned to Heceta Head, and walking up to the Lighthouse seemed like a great idea, and it was. It was rainy, but we had umbrellas and flashlights. It was so dark … all you could see was what was right ahead of you in the flashlight’s beam. But off to the side, you could hear the waves crash against the rocks and the bellowing of the sealions. Then suddenly … gradually … the beam from the lighthouse began to filter through the trees and suddenly you were there! Captivated by the light. It truly was magical. It was an unforgettable experience.
Back to the inn and off to bed.
Another wonderful sound sleep. The beds there are heavenly. You sleep … ummm … like the dead. Bob checked his keys. Yep – exactly where he left them. However, I had folded my laptop lid over the night before, as I always do. I opened the lid to log on and …
… on the keyboard was a candy! It was one of the two little wrapped candies that were in a little dish on that table the night before. My jaw dropped. “Someone” was having some fun with us.
The breakfast crowd on morning 2 was more subdued than the previous morning’s guests, however we did have a young couple on their honeymoon. They’d gotten married the day before – at VooDoo Donuts in Portland! How cool.
Breakfast #2:
Fruit dish topped with white chocolate Frangelico
Banana bread with hazelnut praline topping
Bagle, lox, cream cheese, other toppings
An incredible egg, gruyere, cheddar, seaweed, broccoli yumminess (called Eggs Heceta)
More of those amazing sausages
Cheese blintzes with Marionberry compot
Apple, pear, brie
And that wonderful coffee!
How will we leave this place?
It was a wild and windy morning and I wanted so much to just tuck in with a good book, a blanket, a fire in the fireplace, and savour the view – the pounding waves along the coast. But sadly, we had to leave. But I took my memories with me.
This is a picture that Bob took on our last morning there. Truly stunning.
I will miss the breakfasts, the walks, the ocean, Rue, the cats – fat tabby Mary who is a dear, sweet soul, and sleek, mysterious Sheba, who apparently just showed up one day acting like she owned the place and walked straight up to Victoria’s Room. The staff have “suspicions” about Sheba.
Mostly I'll miss the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt air.
We will be back. We have to.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
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