Cannon Beach Oregon (part 1)
April 14, 2021
We left California and headed north to Oregon today.
We made it through the rock slide area with only a 3 minute wait.
video of rockslide:
https://kymkemp.com/2021/02/13/slide-pouring-down-onto-last-chance-grade-101-still-closed/
And before we left the state of California, another work area,
this time to clear out fire damage. Fortunately it was only a 5 minute delay.
Oregon, glad to see you. We are taking a break from driving in Oakland, Oregon and will drive another 4 hours to get to Cannon Beach tomorrow.
We shot a little pool in the rec room here. It is a nice rec room building that also houses the laundry room and the men's and women's showers.
We finished off the afternoon reading at the campsite.
April 15,2021
We had a successful drive to Cannon Beach today, but hit a snag in our plan to park behind the house.
Here we are parked at the lot next door, off the road physically but not legally.
The space behind the house is 25 feet from telephone pole to trees.
Our RV is 31 feet, that will not work.
Jim takes a lap around the block to turn right into the street across from the front driveway
and then backs it into the driveway, SUCCESS!
Tucked away nice and neat with room to park the truck as well.
Visitors will have to park in the back.
A celebratory beer after parking the RV.
It is good to be at the ocean here in Cannon Beach.
Thanks John & Bev for the lovely accommodations.
It is a beautiful Spring day. Downtown is decorated with blooming flowers all around.
We went to the most interesting hardware store, Screw & Brew.
Hardware on the left and food and brew on the right.
It seems like this is going to be a very nice stop for us.
April 15, 2021
Low tide was at ten am today, perfect time to go check out anemones and everything else clinging onto the rocks under the ocean here on Cannon Beach.
Plenty of rocks exposed as the tide rolled out. The area is roped off close to the rock to not disturb the puffins and to keep folks from climbing on the rocks. You are also asked to walk only on the sand to not step on any marine life.
Here are some Giant Green Anemone; while under water they open up.
A western gull, nice but common. I am hoping to spot a puffin while here, most likely with binoculars, since they nest up high on the northside of the Haystack and burrow in 5-7 feet to avoid eagles and peregrine falcons.
Giant Green Anemone, easy to see why they are called giant.
Aggregating Anemone, these are quite small, I just zoomed in with my camera.
These mostly closed aggregating anemone are above the waterline here.
The pink is more intense when they are closed.
Aggregating anemone underwater and opened.
Giant green anemone and a beautiful reflection of the rock they are on with a little red seaweed too.
A closed giant green anemone with broken shell pieces adhered to it.
The same giant green anemone while underwater and wide open.
Frilled Dogwinkle, love the name, " a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails." These were the only four that I saw.
A little of everything, seaweed, aggregating anemone and giant green anemone.
The only bit of orange I spotted, too little of it showing to be sure if its a starfish or something else like red sea cucumber. Last time I was here I saw more starfish, but I was told they are further out to sea.
In taking the obligatory selfie I was surprised with some beach kisses.
Oh its been another good day.
On a walk to town I enjoyed these calla-lily, pretty jealous as I can't get these to grow past one season back home and they are not nearly this large.
And I had to look this one up, Mediterranean Spurge.
"A show-stopper during the late winter to early spring when the winter rains provide moisture for robust growth and flowering. The combination of blue-green foliage and chartreuse flower bracts achieve the appearance of giant puff-balls in the garden."
No picture, but I thought I would share that even though I was told that everything in Cannon Beach is expensive, I was taken aback when I looked for a bag of chocolate chips at a small market in town. At $6.69 for a bag of chocolate chips, I left it at the store.
April 17, 2021
Today the Haystack Rock Awareness Program is having a welcome back party for the puffins.
"Boasting bright-colored plumage, Tufted Puffins that have spent the last eight months floating and diving on open seas return each spring to Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock to lay eggs and raise their chicks."
A scope was set up so you could see a puffin's burrow.
The grassy area on the north side of the Haystack is where they nest.
"One of the Northwest's most accessible locations to observe puffins nesting in their natural environment, Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach provides an ideal habitat for the puffins who prefer to nest on rocky islands with grassy areas into which they can burrow their nests, usually in inaccessible locations like Haystack Rock."
We sat down and waited for a sighting, but none were seen by us.
The only puffin we saw today. We will keep looking out for the real ones.
"The puffins are most visible and active at Haystack Rock from April through early July. Once chicks have hatched, parents are busy at sea, fishing for food to bring home to the burrow. By late August, the puffin chicks will be ready to return to the open sea with their parents."
After the unsuccessful puffin watching I went for a walk south on the beach and did have success in finding this orange starfish. He was at the bottom of the rock and so hard to photograph in its entirety as the legs were us and under the rock.
However, this purple starfish on the same rock was clearly visible.
I found both of these outside the area roped off around Haystack Rock, let's hear it for perseverance, maybe it will work and we will see puffins before we leave as well.
The tide was going out as the mist was rolling in this morning.
Some smaller sea stacks at low tide. (No anemones or starfish spotted here.)
And I just like this balancing nose shaped sea stack.
As I head back towards Haystack Rock it also appears to be in a mist in the distance.
It always nice to walk along the roaring surf here and see colorful kites dancing in the sky.
This afternoon we tackled washing the RV.
It is nice to be all clean again, until we hit the road and gather up more road dust.
We decided to go to 4:00pm mass in Seaside on Saturday.
Wow, even at 3:30 on a Saturday traffic is still flowing in from Portland.
A friendly looking sign as we roll into town.
After church we picked up a delicious pizza from Fultano's.
The restaurant was a crazy busy as the town. I think we will only visit Seaside during the week.
After dinner we headed back down to the beach
(Just a little photoshop fun on Jim's part.)
Jim gave it a try with our mini binoculars too.
April 18, 2021
Rise and shine it is a new day
And an hour later the mist has hidden Haystack Rock
A walk on a misty day, how intriguing looking south.
while it is clear enough for a reflection shot of Haystack before I head south into the mist.
I also spied a puffin thru the scope set up by the volunteers on the beach!
Two miles down the beach I find an unnamed sea stack with this starfish squeezed on the side between some closed sea anemones. So I decide to climb on some rocks to check out this sea stack.
I found a cave, well more like a tunnel and since it is low tide I wonder what may be visible in there now.
An excited me ready to explore some more.
Here is a video of some of the things I saw.
A couple of purple starfish, and some closed green anemone.
In the video a voice says he sees puffins. They were not puffins but harlequin ducks.
As I head back I see now the north end of the beach is covered in a misty haze.
Fortunately I was able to find Jim out of the mist and meet up.
I was able to share with Jim the place I found the starfish the other day so he could see them in person.
Back at Haystack Rock we learned that this is a flock of Common Murre.
"Common Murres are dapper, black-and-white seabirds that nest in raucous throngs on crowded sea cliffs. Often described as "flying penguins," they have a tuxedoed look but are actually relatives of auks and puffins."
We were able to see a few puffins flying around the rock through binoculars. The puffins flap there wings and the gulls are more of a glider so they are easy to spot in flight.
The only picture of a puffin I have to share is this taxidermy one. It is a tufted puffin, like the ones here at Haystack Rock. The white bellied puffin is an Atlantic Puffin and those do not come here and are misrepresented around town here on signs and literature.
GREAT photos!
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