OR 4/10- Moolack beach and the Oregon Dunes

Raya recommended that we look for agates while in Newport so I asked the concierge at our hotel where the best place to go was, Agate Beach, maybe?  No, not Agate beach, there are hardly any agates left at Agate Beach .  He thought our best bet would be at Moolack beach, near the Moolack Shores Hotel.  We searched for an hour at the mouth of the cold river, but in the end we came up empty handed.

We did find some cool fossils,

and whatever this is...

After agate hunting we drove 75 miles to the Oregon Dunes, just south of Florence.  The dunes are a result of millions of years of wind and rain erosion.  Our total hike was just around two miles, but walking on the sand is embarrassingly difficult, so two miles was plenty.

There was no one on the coast, in either direction.

It was shortly after this picture was taken that Eric found the COOLEST, biggest orange agate.  I didn't get a picture, maybe because at the time I was so jealous I didn't see it first...  

We had dinner at the trendy, highly rated, Waterfront Depot.  They were able to accommodate us without a reservation, but gave us a one hour time limit.  The food was overpriced but good.  The best part is the location, it is right on the Suislaw River, which runs through Florence.