Driving route- Rovinj to Plitvice

In 2017 we drove this route in the opposite direction. We stopped in Opatija and quickly left - it reminded me of Waikiki: nice but too touristy. We drove the coast roads (E65 and A7) from Senj to Opatija. From Plitvice Park we drove 52 and then (from Svica) E71/50/23 to Senj. Experiences along this route:

• Senj. We didn't plan to stop in Senj, but on entering it and seeing the wall along the main road that bordered the old town, we decided to stop and have lunch. Parked at a small lot along the main road across from the police station, and walked through a gate in the wall to small twisty (mostly) pedestrian streets leading down to the waterfront, with plenty of restaurants. Had an excellent fresh seafood lunch at a place called "Kod Veska", in a street a few steps from the waterfront.
• Overlook above Senj. Driving toward Senj we were on a high plateau. We spotted a small barely marked viewpoint on the right (which would be on the left coming from Senj as you top the winding road), and stopped. Breathtakingly unexpected gorgeous view after a 15 second walk from the dirt parking lot to the ridge (which had a small disused fortification perched atop it). The road dropped from the plateau to the coast via a series of switchbacks.
• Otacac. Drove through this town on 52. Many buildings were still scarred from the war. Two almost-adjoining churches on the main street: the almost-abandoned Orthodox Christian and the rebuilt (including a crucifix with a Jesus figure outside built from artillery shell casings) Roman Catholic church. As we were standing near the artillery-shell crucifix two middle-aged gentlemen walked by and genuflected as they passed.

Though 2 years old, my trip report is posted here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/croatia-road-trip-aug-2017-dubrovnik-and-drive-to-split

Jeff, thank you very much for sharing your driving experience from Plitvice to Rovinj!

Can you help me find the approximate location of” UNEXPECTED AWESOME VIEW. As we drove toward the coast, we saw a sign at the side of the road that read "Uprava Suma Senj. Loviste Ricicko Bilo." A short dirt path led up to what appeared to be an old pillbox. One car was parked with a family at the top of the trail; we decided to join them. We walked up the trail, and we both gasped audibly at the sight that opened up before us: a panoramic view of the Adriatic coast. The place we were at marked the end of a high plateau, and from here the road wound down a steep drop to the coast.”

Hi Ken. I looked at Google Street view. Hopefully these links will work. It shows the image one would see upon reaching the top of the plateau while driving uphill out of Senj. The dirt flat area on left side of road is the parking for the lookout. https://goo.gl/maps/6Kxq9ah78e6Ndfvr5

Jeff, thank you very much for leveraging Google Maps to find the location! We’re really looking forward to this trip and your experience and forum support has helped us find a scenic route to Plitvice falls. Thank you for your time and support! KenR