Disclaimer:  It’s my lunch break…it’s either blogging or working out, so deal with it!

Still in shock about the killer sting-rays of the Florida Keys, I found this article on CNN.com.  What, according to this article, is the best place to go to see coastal wildlife?  Stingray City in the Grand Caymans.  Thanks, but I’ll pass.  Maybe I’ll go shark diving instead.  I’m not a risk taker and that seems like a safer option.

But, the second place?  Depoe Bay, Oregon!  Now, I love Depoe Bay…it has the best salt water Taffy in the world!  (There’s a little candy store, I can’t remember the name of it, but it is next to the charter fishing place…that’s where to go.  Trust me, I’ve tried out all the salt water taffy places on the Oregon Coast.)  But, well, I wouldn’t call it a tourist attraction. 

For those of you who have not been lucky enough to go to the Oregon Coast (I am not being sarcastic there…it really is great!), here’s how you get to Depoe Bay.  You drive either north (from Newport) or south (from Lincoln City) on 101 and you’re there.  I kid you not.  The main street of Depoe Bay is a highway.  Parking is a pain there as the parking spaces are on the highway.  Oh, and there aren’t really any hotels.  And, other than the Sea Hag–which has great food but has become horribly expensive–there really isn’t any good place to eat, unless you want to subsist on salt water taffy.  And, worst of all, there’s no beach.

Depoe Bay is not a “destination”–it’s a place to stop and get salt water taffy while going between Lincoln City and Newport (both of those places have hotels, beaches AND Mo’s Restaurants!).  And, really, the best whale watching isn’t at Depoe Bay, it’s at the Whale Cove, about 10 miles or so down the road. 

But, do stop in Depoe Bay.  You can go deep sea fishing, or eat salt water taffy or, um, go to the bathroom……