美しい海岸線を行く

　オレゴンと聞くと緑豊かなイメージを思い浮かべますが、アメリカで最も美しいと言われるオレゴン・コーストがあることでも知られています。ニューポートの約16キロ北に位置する Cape Foulweather は、オレゴン沖で北西航路を探していた英国の探検家キャプテン・クックが初めて見た太平洋岸の景色だとも言われています。

　オレゴン・コーストは、海洋生物の宝庫です。潮が引いた後にできる潮だまりには、色とりどりのヒトデが姿を現します。小さな港町 Depoe Bay は、whale watching で有名です。

　今回の旅の筆者は、エンジン付きのゴムボートに乗り、アシカの群れを見に行きました。息がかかるほど近くに寄って来たものもいました。

　海岸では、浜辺に打ち上げられたガラスの浮き球を拾う楽しみもあります。Lincoln City では、毎年10月から5月の Memorial Day まで Finders Keepers (拾ったものは自分のもの)という催しが開催されます。浜辺に隠された手作りの浮き球を見つけた人は、持って帰ることができます。浮き球を作っている工房も訪れました。

　もちろん、海の幸も豊富なので、食べる楽しみも満喫できる旅です。（Ｓ）

　Dick Cutler was standing high atop a rugged cliff gazing at the sea and admiring a glass of pinot noir from his own Flying Dutchman Winery on the Oregon Coast.

　"Isn't it breathtaking?"he asked. "I never tire of it."

　I wasn't sure if he meant the wine or the view, but it soon became clear he was talking about the spectacular seascape fading into the horizon below him. From a grove of pine trees behind his wine tasting room, Cutler can see an endless vista of sandy beaches, rocky promontories and lush evergreen forests.

　Dick's wife, Joanne, sells espresso coffee ice cream out of a bright red 1934 truck parked nearby.

　"Don't miss the scenic drive along Cape Foulweather," she told me. "It was the first point on the Pacific coast that Captain (James) Cook sighted during his 1778 expedition, but a sudden storm almost sank his ship. That's why he called it Foulweather."

　Their winery's unusual location in Devil's Punchbowl State Park is just one of many surprises along the central Oregon Coast. Another is the amazing variety of sea creatures found in tidal pools when the waters recede.

　There seem to be as many colorful starfish as there are stars in the sky.

　Larger forms of marine wildlife also inhabit this coast. In the tiny harbor of Depoe Bay, best known for whale watching, I boarded a tiny Zodiac boat to visit the nesting grounds of sea lions.

　Although the sky was clear, the ocean was wild and windy. In the high-speed craft, we bounced over the tops of waves until we entered calmer coves where sea lions frolic. The barking marine mammals generally ignored us, although several swam up so close we could smell their fishy breath.

　Just as a Zodiac skips over waves, high-speed dune buggies just south of Florence seem to fly over the giant sand hills. Personally, I'm addicted to this noisy thrill ride, but my naturalist friends prefer quieter strolls along estuaries where they can observe back-swimming sea otters tearing apart shellfish, their favorite food.

　Human shellfish lovers also flock to this coast in search of oysters, clams and Dungeness crabs. I met local crab hunter Bill Paterak on a beach, using a trap he'd invented to catch the succulent and sweet-tasting crabs.

　"Got to measure each one to be sure they are minimum size," he explained. A super crab lover, he even had crab tattoos on his arms. For those of us who don't have the patience to catch our food, Paterak recommended chef Rob Pounding's Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City.

海の幸を味わえるレストラン

　"Chinook salmon is Oregon's principal fish," Paterak said. "Rob smokes his salmon using alderwood, then serves it on pasta with locally made white cheddar cheese. Perfection!"

　Since ranches are also located along the coast, it's not unusual to find restaurants alternating seafood with other Pacific Northwest specialties. At the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort near Gleneden Beach, for example, the menu features elk loin, rack of lamb, seared ahi tuna and raw oysters among other local delicacies.

　One thing you won't find on the menu is giant octopus, which can grow to more than 70 kilograms here. They're generally too shy to be seen by divers, but easy to view at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, along with hundreds of other species.

　Another treasure found washed up on beaches are spherical glass floats ranging from 5 centimeters to half a meter. Long ago, they were used by Japanese fishing boats to float their nets. Today, Lincoln City uses these to attract beachcombers to an annual seaside festival called Finders Keepers.

　Volunteers carefully hide more than 2,000 handcrafted, blown-glass floats along public beaches. If you find one, you can keep it! One of the studios that provides these floats is Alder House, surrounded by romantic woodland. It was here I watched glassblowers turn hot, molten glass into exquisite objects, a 2,000-year-old art.

　In between these coastal towns, there are abundant opportunities to glimpse sea birds nesting on the rocks, fleets of fishing boats, and, in certain seasons, the peaceful calm that follows the violence of a sudden storm.

　Clearly, the Oregon Coast has gotten mixed reviews. Some, like Cook (1728-1779), the famed English explorer, feared its dangerous cliffs. Even today we must be careful on beaches because of sudden large waves, and swimming is not allowed. On the other hand, Oregon is also the place to find America's most picturesque coastal scenery, legendary in its dramatic beauty.