Cannon Beach (part 2)

 April 19, 2021

Today we hiked to Crescent Beach.

First things first, we use the automated machine at the parking lot to pay the daily use state park fee, a very CoVid safe interaction. 

This is the first sign I have encountered that notes "experienced hikers only"

well let's see what it entails.  Come join me on this hike.

As all trails it goes up hill even though the objective is Crescent Beach which is downhill.

There are exposed roots so watch your step, and these steps are all at various heights.

Early on we get a pick at some sea stacks in the ocean.

We encountered a large tree fallen across the trail.

I'm not sure why they have yet to cut this tree and clear the path.

As an experienced hiker I climb up and keep hiking.

Jim climbs over and finds the tree makes a natural staircase back to the trail.

One step at a time is the way to hike this trail.

The trail looks washed out in many places.

And it is truly a muddy patch here with a plant right in the middle of it.

We continue on and as we reach the beach we see what looks like a sand tower.

So far all of the sea stacks are dark, this one is sand colored.

Upon closer examination, we can clearly see that is solid rock covered with a sandy surface.

Crescent Beach is a large sandy expanse (especially as we approach low tide).

The sand is dense and very easy to walk on.

On the south end there are 2 sea stacks with door like openings.

The tide is going out but only a few exposed star fish and anemone.

It is still too wet with waves for me to get too close.

We did spy several sand dollars on the beach.  The beaches here have very few shells on them, so to see the sand dollars was quite surprising.

"Sand dollars (also known as a sea cookie or snapper biscuit in New Zealand, or pansy shell in South Africa) are species of flat, burrowing sea urchins belonging to the order Clypeasteroida."

Jim spotted a lone Ochre Sea Star

"Ochre Sea Stars are relatively large sea stars, with five arms and a rough surface, the short spines on the upper surface arranged in wavy patterns. Most of them are either orange (ochre) or purple, quite a dramatic difference, and there is still no good hypothesis to explain this color polymorphism."

I did not see it.  Jim and I  scoured the beach to relocate it but with no success.

Walking north we spy a waterfall, and you all know I do love falling water.

And it is always fun to walk right up to the base of a waterfall.

Low tide is here now so its time to investigate the sea stacks on the north end of the beach.

This bright orange shell stood out.

"The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle is a species of predatory sea snail, a carnivorous marine gastropod in the family Muricidae, the rock snails."

This swirled pattern in the rock at the base of the hillside also caught our attention.  I wonder what happened to make it so swirly?  And with all my rock queries I go to my favorite geologist Dr. Caroline

"What you're looking at here are my favorite kind of rocks - deformed rocks!!!! This rock would have been subject to high pressure and temperature deep in the earth and squeezed into this folded shape. The layers that are letting you see the fold are probably original sedimentary beds. Deforming rocks is the only way for the tectonic plates encircling the earth to move past one another, and folded rocks like this one are very common."

Thanks to my favorite geologist for keeping us informed.

The exposed sea stacks on the north side of the beach are full of sea stars.

Oh yes, I am thrilled with the abundance of sea life here.

Everywhere we looked was alive with more and more starfish, anemone, snails, mussels and barnacles.

These 3 were lying right out on the beach.  You literally just turn around and find more and more colorful sea life.  

Here is a video of some of the sea stars on Crescent Beach so you can feel the abundance of sea life yourself.

And lastly, a commercial fishing boat out working on the Ocean.

Crescent Beach Trail was rewarding, I recommend it to everyone, but make sure you have done one hike before so you will be an experienced hiker first.

In the afternoon I walked to the post office to pick up a package, after seeing so many blossoming trees I had to take a picture and share these spring blossoms to share with you.

They certainly add so much beauty to this picturesque seaside town.

April 20, 2021

I started today off with a walk on the beach

It was a beautiful morning partly cloudy and about 50 degrees.

This little sand crab was also having a fine day.

We drove into Seaside (much less traffic midday on a Tuesday) and had our first dose of a Moderna CovId 19 vaccine.  Thank you Clotsop County Health Department.

We then drove up to Warrenton to shop at Home Depot, Costco and WalMart all conveniently located on the same corner.

Jim picked up a replacement part for the bifold doors that cover the laundry.

Banged the track a little bit with this flashy orange hammer, replaced the broken part

And lickety-split the door is back to gliding smoothly on the track.

Some host/hostess gifts are best when installed.

Cheers to another great day here at the beach.

Thanks for the "Adventure Awaits" shot glasses John & Bev!

April 21, 2021

Today we hike the Cape Falcon Trail

The first thing we discover is that trillium comes in violet, lavendar and white.

Jim notices that the trail is going to have a lot of tree roots on it.

And by that I mean portions of the trail are all tree roots.

The skunk cabbage love the muddy parts of the trail, they may be the only ones.

Previous hikers have tossed all sorts of wood pieces in the mud to get across the wetter areas.

You also have the option of going wider then the trail to find a drier path.  Jim is here looking for his options for his next step.

So far we are dry and happy on this trail.

We couldn't help but notice how this rock wall was shoved up by tectonic shifting.

"The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. This movement is called plate motion, or tectonic shift."

"A quick 1/2 mile hike to the Kramer Memorial gives way to a brilliant overlook of Short Sand Beach."   We saw numerous surfers, most waiting to catch a ride, but amazingly I got a photo of one surfer up on his board.  You may have to zoom in to see him.

Bonus feature, a waterfall, always nice.

Here we are above Short Sand Beach looking south.

"Continue the rest of the way out to Cape Falcon, through the high-growing salal, where on a clear day you can see north all the way to Tillamook Head and south to Cape Lookout."

It's not so much that it is high growing as the trail is so narrow here that you brush against the plant on both sides of the trail.

"Salal (Gaulthoria shallon) is an evergreen plant with glossy, waxy foliage that remains beautiful year round. Fuzzy, white or pink bell-shaped flowers droop from the plant in spring, soon to be replaced by bluish-black berries."

Great timing, as we reach Cape Falcon the sun comes out.

The ocean below was crashing up against the rocks.

It is a pretty dramatic drop here into the ocean.

Looking south you can still see hills in the distance.

Here the surf just smashed up against the shore.

The few trees here look pretty beat up by the winds.

Sarah told me to be sure to go to the very end of the trail.  So I did and was rewarded by this great view.  Jim stayed back on higher ground as the trail went precariously down to the edge of the point.

On the return trip I liked this branchy tree and it's peek a boo look at the ocean.

A shot looking north on the coast.

Cape Falcon Trail was a winner.

We drove to Hug Point State Recreation Site and had lunch on the beach in this private booth.

It is low tide but no sea life around these rocks.

"Imagine traveling by stagecoach along the beach.  Before the highway was built, the beach was the only way to travel along this stretch of coast.  North of the parking area at low tide you may walk along the original stagecoach road, still harboring the wheel ruts carved into the rock.  Pioneers traveling around this headland had to hug the point carefully, even at low tide. Thus, the point and the park are both aptly named Hug Point."

Here is the original stage coach road.  Now that must have been quite a bumpy ride.

If you fall to right besides getting wet, there are rocks.  It was dangerous for the stagecoaches but really troublesome for cars if they got wet with an approaching tide, so upon the advent of cars a road above the coastline was created.

A gentle creek pours over these rocks at the beach for a triple waterfall.

Jim was watching something besides the waterfall.

He was watching the sand "calving" like a glacier.

You can see the fresh dry chunk of the sand wall in the creek.

I was more fascinated by the rock walls here at Hug Point.

Here is a rounded well created by the surf and decorated with seaweed.

There are numerous caves at the bases of the rock walls here.

I am not sure why, I just like these rock walls with all their intricacies and colors.

Back at home, Jim gets in some guitar playing, which I always enjoy.

I hope you are having a great day, we sure did.

April 22, 2021

Time for a little history today, starting with Lewis & Clark National Historical Park

"Here, at the end of their westward journey, the 33 members of The Corps of Discovery spent four rainy months preparing for their return to St Louis, Missouri. The men built huts to protect themselves and their supplies. They named it "Fort Clatsop" after the local Clatsop Indians."

Here is a replica of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806.

"Nothing remains of the original fort. This 2006 replica is based on William Clark's journal descriptions and floor plan. Historians and archaeologists are fairly confident the original fort was located within yards of this site."

The enlisted men slept in 3 separate cabins on the left side of the fort.

"Three sergeants and twenty-four men squeezed into three small enlisted men's quarters and the orderly room."

The middle room had 4 bunks, a fireplace and an actual tree stump, which looks like it makes a nice table.

Across the parade ground Lewis & Clark shared a room with 2 beds, fireplace, table and chairs.

Next door was the storage room.

Because of all the rain in Oregon in the winter a sentry house stood to keep the guard on duty dry.

Hopefully, they were a little shorter than Jim and a little bigger than me.

Out behind the fort, a little closer to the Spring they got water from, was an outside kitchen.

"There are several rain-fed springs in the Fort Clatsop area. The one at the end of this path probably was the party's main water source. The 33 members of the Corps of Discovery certainly experienced no trouble finding an abundance of fresh water since they had to contend with nearly daily winter rains."

The camp was on the Netul River which is now called the Lewis & Clark River.

A story noted at Lewis & Clark National Historic Site is also noted on a Historic marker between Seaside and Cannon Beach.  I myself have not feasted on whale blubber but I guess I am happy that the Corps of Discovery enjoyed it.

Apparently going over budget is not a new thing.  Lewis's estimate of expenses was $2,500.

"The actual cost in 1803 dollars ran well above Lewis' earlier estimate of $2,500. Including salaries, land grants, equipment, supplies, and trade goods, the total was closer to $38,722."

All in all it was still money well spent.

We headed further north to Astoria, Oregon.

Here we are at the Columbia River waiting for a table at Buoy Beer Company.

Here is a harbor seal warming himself under the restaurant lights, under there glass floor, that was unexpected.

Jim opted for "2021 LOVE, LOST AT SEA BARLEYWINE

A piquant and distinctive malt profile achieved with a dense grist of British pale, British Crystal, Chocolate and special roast malts. Aged in OOLA Distilling bourbon barrels for 10 months." which he enjoyed.  I had a Loganberry Cider which was also very nice.

The Buoy Beer Company has a great view of the Columbia River. Lunch was good so stop by if you are in Astoria, I recommend the fresh Albacore tuna melt.

Here is 8th Avenue, yes it does look like Streets of San Francisco.

We drove down the hill on the way into town and now we are going to walk up to do a walking tour of historic homes.  Let me share a few with you.

Captain John Babbidge (steamboat operator)

1880 home, I love the double bay windows on both floors.

1867 Charles Stevens house, pioneer of the Oregon Trail

This 1903 fixer upper was left to ruins by the descendants of George Flavel a river pilot.

It sold in 2015 for $221,901 with plans to refurbish it, so far it doesn't look great.

The signage on this one indicates it was once a firehouse.

These three are of the simpler ones.

1890 Martin Foard home is pretty fabulous.

1890 George Washington Sanborn home but this is my favorite one.

We headed down 14th  street back to the Columbia River.

Where we spotted this Coast Guard Cutter.

Serious business as you can tell from the picnic table and weight set on the bow.

And that ends our historic day today.

April 23, 2021 

Jim and I took a walk out on Cannon Beach today.

This Herring gull has mottled coloring not seen on the more common Western gulls here.

It was high tide so we could not explore the sea stack tunnel.

Jim didn't mind, he was happy enough to sit on the shore.

It's a cloudy day around Haystack Rock.

There are plenty of birds out flying around Haystack, but they are all gulls, no puffin sighting today.

The weather is gray and chilly today so we opted for an afternoon matinee here at the house.  We watched Stowaway.  Let me save you some time, it is not a good movie.  Watch the Martian if you are looking for a good movie.

April 24, 2021

It is a rainy day in Oregon, actually it's the first day I have had rain while in Oregon, I guess I was due.

Terrible Tilly Lighthouse is off in the distance.  It has been off since 1934. 

"Tillamook Rock Light is a deactivated lighthouse on the Oregon Coast of the United States. It is located approximately 1.2 miles offshore from Tillamook Head, and 20 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River, situated on less than an acre of basalt rock in the Pacific Ocean."

"Construction took over 500 days and just weeks before completion in January of 1881, the sailing barque Lupatia wrecked in heavy fog killing all 16 of her crew members. The only survivor of the wreck was the crew’s dog." 

"For decades, Tilly and her keepers withstood the ravages of the sea, but October of 1934 brought the worst storm on record, inundating the entire Pacific Northwest for four days. Tilly’s lantern room and Fresnel lens were smashed by boulders hurled by the storm. It was never replaced."

But these brave adventurers drove from Portland today to see us.

Dan, Raymond, Jack and Liz

As well as these brave adventurers.

Calvin, Christine, and Evelyn. 

What would make them come out to the coast?

Why they came to see us, and we are sure glad they did.

We had a great time visiting.

Raymond discovered he loved Wonton chips.

Liz, Dan, and Jack discovered the deliciousness of  Crab Rangoon Dip.

Some chicken chowder helped some warm-up on a chilly day.

Everyone enjoyed the cookies too.

Who doesn't love a cookie?

We sent a cookie and some soup to Abe who got some chores done today and had some rare alone time in these crazy CoVid times. See you in September Abe.

Seeing family will always make it a great day.