RETIREMENT TRIP #7

Life's a Beach!

                                                                                         The coastline was totally socked in with clouds this morning when we got up, but the motel owner swore that absolutely no rain was in the forecast for the whole state.



Seal Rock appears white
from the presence of
sea bird guano.

A few tiny patches of blue broke through at Lost Creek pullout.  Birds paraded up and down and the morning waves broke along the beach as the tide came in.  We just hope the blue patches foretell a little clearing.



From the Seal Rock pullout looking south, the sandy beach
stretches far down the coast.

We walked out to Seal Rock.  A huge wildlife preserve just off the beach, the area was not even visible from the road or parking lot.  In 1909, a small resort here entertained guests, and a lady named Mrs. Ryan brought in fresh vegetables via horse cart.  Today the rocks are protected.  Thank goodness!  The sandstone cliff face contains graffiti scratched initials that could even date to this year.  It never ceases to abhor me how thoughtless and callous people can be!  Unfortunately grey skies dulled the environment even more.



With the sun out, Seal Rock
looks white indeed.

Driftwood Beach was a beautiful expanse of sand, and just as we pulled into the parking lot, the sun came out.  "I’m going back to Seal Rock,” announced Andy, and he turned the car around.  Now THAT was a great decision!  By the time we drove back the two or three miles, we had blue sky and bright sun.  That meant lots more good pictures.
Space on an island is limited, but numerous species can coexist by exploiting different areas.  Seabird species are found in predictable spots largely due to their different nesting strategies.  They nest on the ground, on cliff ledges, in underground burrows, and in rocky crevices.  Being clumsy on land makes them vulnerable to predators, so inaccessible islands and cliffs offer safety from predatory mammals and intrusive humans.
The rocky marine islands of the Northwest remain uninhabited during the short days and long nights of winter.  But come summer the islands are bustling with the raucous atmosphere of tens of thousands of seabirds returning to raise young.  Fourteen different species vie for suitable space on the islands where they can lay their eggs.  Over time this wide variety of birds has adapted to each other and flourishes in this concentrated community.  Seal Rock is one such place.

Birds perch on the basalt rocks near
Seal Rock until the tide comes in
and waves break high.

The expansive beach at Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site in Waldport was even bigger since the tide was just coming in.

At Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site,
 berry bushes line the beach edge. 

The warming land drove clouds out to sea; a local bank read 60 degrees, but it felt a lot warmer than that in the sun.

At Beachside, a sheriff prepared for daily duties, Velcro-ing his vest and slinging on his belt.  Sea gulls strutted the waterline, looking for breakfast or maybe brunch, since now it was 10:30 a.m.

Life’s a beach in this part of the world,” said Andy.

A makeshift lean-to protects
sunbathers on the beach at
Governor Patterson Memorial. 

“Tide will be high in another hour or so,” said Andy at Smelt Sand State Park.

The waves crashed and broke high against the basalt shore.  “Anyone who goes over that edge or gets caught in the rocks there doesn’t have a chance,” said Andy.  And he had not even read the plaque on the bronze memorial.  It explained how two young men had been swept off the edge a mile north by a sneaker wave.  With the churning so strong, they were dashed against rocks and killed within three minutes, friends standing by helplessly.  The lesson?  Never turn your back on the ocean!



Temporary homes of driftwood piled on the beach offer
shelters for something or maybe even someone
at Yachats State Recreation Site

At Yachats State Recreation Area, a young seagull that looked nearly full grown pestered an adult for food.  The adult tried hard to ignore the pestering.

A juvenile seagull demands food from
its adult at Yachats Recreation Area.

Lots of small homes dotted the rugged, rural coast.  “I could live here!” said Andy, “about four months a year!”  The scenery was absolutely spectacular with gigantic drift logs and crashing waves against the blue ocean and black basalt rocks.

“I haven’t seen any houses with solar panels,” quipped Andy.  We both laughed. We had never expected such gorgeous sunny weather and we were grateful beyond words!

Wind whipped around the point at Cape Perpetua.  It was cold here!   We put our jackets back on, found a pullout along the cliff edge and balanced on the barrier for photos.

A rock fracture widened by eons of pounding waves,
Devil's Churn surges and boils at high tide.

It was high tide at Devil’s Churn—the perfect time for photographs with the most spectacular breakers.  We followed the switchbacks and steps all the way down to the basalt churn, even though the parking spaces all had 15-minute limits.  This would be an easy spot to spend hours exploring the tide pools and rock ledges, but parking limits and many interested visitors discouraged any thoughts of staying around too long.

Devil’s Churn began as a small fracture—a weak area in the ancient volcanic rock.  Thunderous waves have gnawed at the rock for eons, eroding it away grain by grain, enlarging the crack into a chasm.  It’s one more example of the awesome power of nature.

Rock-covered Neptune North Beach hosts a wide variety
of sea life in basalt tide pools.

At Neptune North, the tide had reached its height, and the waves crashed.  We climbed over the rocks down to the tide pools and over to the beach on the north face.  There a seagull had two crabs, both still alive.  We watched as he flipped one and pecked the underbelly, avoiding the claws.  Just then a large wave washed up, just enough to capture his meal and float it off.  Mr. Gull chased it into the surf a moment too late to catch the run-away crab.  He went back to his second catch.

After the first crab is captured by the
surf, a hungry seagull feasts on another.

“We should get better gas mileage now,” said Andy.  I looked at him questioningly.  “You just emptied your shoes!”  My sneakers could have filled a sandbox.

The pebble beach at Bob Creek Wayside rolls and rattles
with each incoming and retreating wave.

A number of small groups stopped for lunch at Bob Creek wayside.  We walked the stone beach, listening to the pebbles and rocks rolling with each retreating wave.  It was just past high tide, easy to avoid the biggest swells as they crashed on land.

Locate Klootchman was a state Natural Site set aside for ocean viewing and whale watching. We didn’t see any whales today, but the views were beautiful.

On the beach in the Siuslaw
National Forest picnic area,
we find live crabs washed ashore.

A picnic area in the Siuslaw National Forest was managed by the U.S. Forest Service.  Again, we stopped to walk the sand beach.  Huge crabs had been left behind by the retreating tide, and the birds were having a field day.

“This is five miles of beach,” said Andy.  “You can actually walk from one to another.”  They were all connected, but it was interesting how each one had an individual character.



Sue tests out the shelter at Muriel Ponsler
Wayside just in case of rain.

The Muriel D. Ponsler Memorial Wayside and Scenic Viewpoint was sandy but had an unusual natural feature—a rise of small, tightly packed pebbles that almost served as a dam between water and beach.  Here too a stream emptied from the mountainside.  It was crammed with driftwood.  Huge trunks and root masses as well!

At Carl G. Washburne State Park the sign boasted six straight miles of beach.  My shoes were already filled with sand.  Here a few people sunbathed and two other couples flew kites.  The farther down the coast we drove, the higher and more vegetated the headlands grew.  “And the rockier it seemed,” added Andy.

Heceta Lighthouse, situated on the point, lends a perfect
accent to what is already a gorgeous landscape.

The views south of Heceta Lighthouse from the side of the mountain were amazing. Andy visited with some bikers, while I snapped pictures of the lighthouse and coastline.  One gentleman was doing four days in a loop—about 35 miles a day.   He pulled a little two-wheeled trailer by bicycle.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site protects the two-to-three-foot tall Cobra Lily, Darlingtonia Californica.  It is a carnivorous plant, also called the Pitcher Plant.  We walked along a short trail in the woods when it opened on a clearing loaded with the strange looking plants.



Carnivorous Pitcher Plants, also called
Cobra Lilies, sway in the breeze
in a secluded forest opening.

Found natively in bog areas of northern California and southwestern Oregon, the Cobra Lily blooms in May or June with hanging blossoms of yellow and red.  Insects are lured into the leaf opening under the hood by nectar on the colorful “petal-like” appendages.  Many transparent areas confuse the insect once it is inside.  Keeping a foothold on the glossy, smooth upper surface of the tube is difficult, and the lower tube has sharp downward pointing hairs. Digestive enzymes at the bottom absorb the insect through thin lower walls.  Poor bug is doomed!

A view of the Oregon Dunes through the trees on the other side of the Siuslaw River looked lovely in the late afternoon as we searched for our motel.

Dinner and a relaxing drive through the Oregon Dunes made for a lovely day. Life’s a BEACH in Oregon!