(Lincoln City, Oregon) - Extraordinary weather took over the Oregon coast Friday. One media weather pundit called it the “best it can get.” And indeed it was, especially for the very tail-end of October. Temperatures were around 60 degrees during the day, though it could have felt colder or warmer, depending on what the wind was doing. Conditions were ripe for things to get much warmer, because the wind didn’t disturb the air much, allowing the sun to reflect off the ocean and heat things up more than usual.
In Lincoln City, sights were intoxicating. Unfortunately, it all began with a horrible car accident that shut down traffic on Highway 18 just outside of Lincoln City, forcing plenty to turn back east and then head back to a road at Rose Lodge, which then came back to 18 at Otis. The backup lasted for miles.But once out on the beaches of Lincoln City, these scenes presented themselves. The Nelscott District was bathed in a wash of ethereal sunset colors. People were playing and cavorting in the surf with reckless abandon, and the water felt a bit warm, in actuality.
Later, as the sun began dipping behind the horizon, the colors went bonkers even more. The surf flirted with becoming unruly, although never quite getting there, as not enough winds were shoving the waves towards to shore.Angi Wildt, of Depoe Bay Winery, was watching the same sunset in that area, some 20 miles south. She saw the coveted “green flash” as the sun slipped away. This phenomenon wasn’t visible from this vantage point in Lincoln City, for whatever reason.
Of course, as night fell, the temperatures dropped, and a bit more wind kicked in. Down in Newport, things got chilly, but the stars remained mostly visible. Nye Beach, from atop the Jump-Off Joe rock structure, exhibited some especially mind altering colors, between the lights of the area, the stars above, and a smattering of sea-faring vessels a ways out.
The big, delicious surprise of the evening was the way the Yaquina Bay Bridge could be caught in camera. It is especially photogenic at night. Here, the lights of an approaching vessel help light up the structure in some amazing colors and textures.
A little while later, that same vessel comes cruising through the bridge and down the river, creating this intoxicating streak during this long exposure in the camera. The stars continue their twinkling, and numerous shooting stars are seen this Friday evening, ripping their way through the sky, seemingly darting between the lights in the heavens. 
Down at the Devil’s Punchbowl, a bit north of Newport, at Otter Rock, the scene here at night looks much more like another planet than this Earth. It is surreal and startling, where the sea becomes a blurry mist, and the varied light sources of the street lamps, buildings and stars make for strange visual bedfellows.Welcome to an alternate reality, right here in your own backyard.More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Lincoln City Dining, Restaurants..... LATEST OREGON COAST NEWS STORIES
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