2BP: Pacific City to Newport

February 28, 2016

Sunday.

My mother had been recovering nicely and would continue to do so.  The list of potential visitors for the day was overflowing.  Pongo had been stuck in a crate for the better part of two days with four more days of crate time looming for the work week.  I was getting itchy feet.

Grand Ronde, OR

Oregon Route 130

I was thinking of going to Mount Hood.  Pongo enjoys snow and we'd never been there.  The weather knocked it off my list, though.  It was raining all over Oregon, meaning it would be snowing at higher elevations.  I like going to the snow but driving while it's snowing is not something I enjoy.  So, we headed to the coast instead.  The nice part of this plan is that I know how long it takes to get from just about any point on the Oregon coast to Salem.  I'd be able to ensure we'd get back in time for me to spend a few hours in the hospital with my mother.

Little Nestucca River, OR

On my last trip to Oregon during Thanksgiving, my dad and I tried to drive down the coast from Tillamook to Newport.  We only made it to Pacific City.  Pongo and I agreed to try to complete that trip.

Nestucca River, Pacific City, OR

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR

The Pacific City beach is one of the more spectacular beaches on the Oregon coast.  There are three haystacks know as Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast.  One is near Coos Bay, another is at Cannon Beach and the last--my personal favorite--is at Pacific City.  There's a connection to my mother here.  She's an author.  In her first book, Haystack Rock was a central symbol.  I'm not sure which Haystack Rock it was.  I'll have to ask her when I call her tomorrow.

Pacific City, OR

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

According to Wikipedia, the Haystack Rock in Pacific City is also known as Chief Kiwanda Rock.  Huh.  I had no idea.  Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is adjacent to the Pacific City beach.  It has cliffs and tide pools and a big dune that kids love to climb.  My brother tells me we used to like to climb the dune and run down it when we were kids.  I have no recollection of that.  There's nothing unusual about that.  He's got a sharp memory.  Mine's a bit dull.  Funny, those facts work both for and against both of us.

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Pacific City, CA

Two people died falling from those Cape Kiwanda cliffs last month.  Sad.  Yosemite has the same problem with its cliffs.

Stay away from cliffs.

That's my public service announcement for the day.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Canada Goose

Our next stop was at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  It's a beautiful refuge along Highway 101.  I've seen a few bald eagles there.  No eagles on this trip, unfortunately.  We saw a lot of dusky Canada geese, though.  Canada geese aren't the most exciting birds to spot, but I still enjoying seeing them in the wild.  I like how geese are distributed along the West coast with Canada geese in the North and now and Ross' geese in California.  We get a few Canada geese in California as well.

Siletz Bay, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Otter Crest, OR

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

I don't suspect most people n Oregon have considered how Otter Crest got its name.  Sea otters used to be plentiful along the Oregon coast.  They are all gone now.  They were hunted to extirpation.  The last Oregon sea otter died over one hundred years ago.  They may be making a comeback.  A lone otter was spotted in Depoe Bay (a few miles from Otter Crest) in 2009, but as of yet a permanent population has yet to return,  We can only hope.

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, OR

California Sea Lion

When we reached Newport, Pongo and I headed down to the waterfront.  I didn't really have a plan.  I was thinking about grabbing some chowder at Mo's, but the sun was out so I didn't want to leave Pongo in the car.  as we drove we heard the barking of sea lions so I found a place to park and we got out to take a look. Holy cow!  What a show these beasts put on!

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Pongo used to be frightened by the noise sea lions make.  He begged to go back into the car on one of our first trips when we encountered a large number offshore in the Seventeen Mile Drive in California.  He's come a long way.  On this trip he poked his head through the fence railings to get a better look.  They were close and they were loud but he just grinned and wagged his tail.

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Out on the South Jetty in Newport we saw a wide variety of birds including a number of harlequin ducks.  Boy, they are beautiful.

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Beverly Beach State Park

We headed back to Salem after the stop at the jetty.  We had plenty of time to get back and for Pongo to have dinner before I went to the hospital.  I sat with my mother and showed her the pictures from the day.  She seemed to enjoy them.  She says she enjoys my photography.  I'm never sure if she really means it or if she just says that because she's my mom.  One of the things I am sure of, though, is she understand my need to be alone.  She's the same way, although she handles people better than I do.

Beverly Beach State Park, OR

Thanksgiving 2013: Pacific City

Pacific City

November 29, 2013

A lot of people look forward to shopping on Black Friday.  Me, not so much.  I've done that, though I've never lined up in front of a store window at four in the morning.  It can be a good opportunity to knock off some Christmas shopping and presents can be left behind in Salem for the family.  There's not a whole lot to do in Salem, after all.  We've looked for alternatives the last couple of years.  Last year we went to Multnomah Falls and hiked to the top in the rain.  This year, we headed out to the ocean.

Wallace Marine Park, Salem, OR

I headed out to the river early in the morning.  I figured it would be pretty moody, and I figured right.  The cold air had some bite to it, but the mist on the water was pretty.  I like how it looks in black and white.  There were a few birds in the water, but for the most part the river seemed quiet and empty.

Wallace Marine Park, Salem, OR

I spent a lot of time at Wallace Marine Park when I was a kid.  We went water skiing a lot in the summer months, and this was where Dad would put the boat in.  We'd ride our bikes down to the park sometimes.  There were trails we could ride through the trees, but sometimes they were too overgrown.  Now there's a big softball complex there.

Dad's camera is not a toy!

We headed out to Pacific City in the late morning.  My brother tells me we used to go there a lot when we were kids.  I only had the vaguest of memories of the place.  There's a big sand dune to climb and a Haystack Rock out in the ocean.  There's another Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, and I think there's a third one somewhere in Oregon, but I'm not sure about that.

Pacific City, OR

We ate lunch at the brew pub on the beach.  That's  pretty sweet set up.  There are a bunch of houses built right on the beach.  I wonder how they keep the sand out.  You can drive right onto the beach and park there if you dare.  Somebody tried that in a Prius.  It didn't work out.  I'll give you my thoughts on Prius drivers some other day.

This was the first time some of us had ever been to the ocean.  It seemed to go over well.  It was too cold to go swimming (not that that would have been a particularly good idea given Oregon's penchant for riptides), but just right for exploring.

Pacific City, OR

Most of the group headed up the big dune after lunch.  I went over to the tide pools to check out how the locals live.  Monterey has some fine tide pools to explore, but they don't seem to be quite as rich as the Oregon variety.  Sea stars. Anemones.  Sculpins.  Mussels.  Barnacles.  There was a lot going on in the pools and on the rocks.

Pacific City, OR

After the tide pools, I climbed up the cliff side of the dunes to check out the view from up there.  There were some pretty sweet views.  The cliff is all fenced off, but people don't seem to pay much attention to that.

Pacific City, OR

There was a fire going when I got down from the dune.  You can't go to the beach in Oregon without having a bonfire, right?  Well, I'm not sure this qualified as a bonfire, but it was a fire, nonetheless.  Some guy drove up in a pickup and donated a bunch of wood to the cause.  That was pretty sweet.  People are so nice in Oregon.  I just wish they'd learn to drive in the right lane when they're going slow.  I hate waiting for the guy to lumber over to pump my gas, too.  That's annoying.  The gas guys are always nice, though.

I wish I'd had some marshmallows.

Pacific City, OR

The water was full of surfers.  It seemed way too cold for that.  They didn't seem to mind.  Even as it was getting dark, the water was full of wave riders.  Hats off to 'em.  They looked like they were having fun.

Pacific City, OR

That's pretty much it.  We left as the sun was setting.  The girls chased a rabbit through the grass before we headed out.  They insisted it was somebody's pet.  Made sense.  It was black.  I haven't seen too many wild black rabbits in my day.

Overall, it was a nice, mellow day.  It sure beat shopping, at least in my book.  Of course, that means I've still got a lot of work to do for the holidays.  I've always had a gift for procrastination, though.

Pacific City, OR