Westworld Alberta

road trip Sea Stacked Oregon's dramatic coastline is packed with wildlife by Crai S. Bower The Oregon coast boasts more (top) Haystack Rock, a 72-metretall sea stack at Cannon Beach, is home to nesting seabirds and marine creatures such as starfish, anemones and sea slugs; (above) a tufted puffin at Newport's Oregon Coast Aquarium (the birds can also be spotted in the wild along the Oregon coast); (opposite page, left) sea lions bask in the sun near the Sea Lion Caves, just off Hwy. 101; surf's up at Cannon Beach. 18 W e s t w o r l d p18-21_Road_Trip.indd 18 >> MAY 2013 dramatic elevation changes lead to the Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint JAUNT Bandon-by-the-Sea (excellent for marine mammal to Newport surveys) and spectacular Cape Perpetua (highest elevation on the distance Oregon Coast Highway). Numerous 374 km roadside pullouts make it easy to duration scan for migrating grey whales and 2 nights pelagic seabirds, and to clamber prime time surfside to explore tidal pools that Spring spark even more curiosity about the region's marine ecology. The answers are just an hour north. Like all top marine science centres, LEG ONE: Bandon-by-the-Sea Newport's Oregon Coast Aquarium doubles as to Newport (Approx. 200 km) Located just two hours north of the California- a research facility, focused mainly on the local Oregon border on Hwy. 101, Bandon-by-the-Sea ecology: seals and sea lions, the sea at night is a great long-weekend destination in itself: a and the restoration of the coast's sea otter quaint fishing hamlet with excellent amenities. population. The aquarium's coastal conserRenowned for its links-style Bandon Dunes Golf vation efforts are also a huge benefit to the Resort, the community is also the best place on region's estuaries and wetlands; the recently preserved Beaver Creek State Natural Area is the west coast to view tufted puffins. The second wildlife stop heading north just one example. Barely 20 minutes south on 101 is the Sea Lion Caves' huge herd of of Newport, this 130-hectare wetland supSteller sea lions. Just north of the caves is ports more than 1,000 beavers (a species 255,000-hectare Siuslaw State Forest, where hunted to near extinction 150 years ago) and than 50 state parks and recreation and scenic preserves along its 374-kilometre stretch of Hwy. 101 (a.k.a. the Oregon Coast Highway). The result: an unbroken stretch of wildlife-rich estuaries, deltas and natural beach where road-trippers journey barely 10 km without some kind of access to a whimsical shoreline of sea stacks, cliffs, grasslands and sand dunes. (top) Greg Vaughn/Alamy/All Canada Photos, (above) CuboImages/All Canada Photos 13-04-12 1:01 PM

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