I was driving Don crazy so he finally got me my beach/sunset fix!
We went to Yachats and walked down to the river from the south parking area.
Don brought his rake to experiment with crop circles.
…only cooler…
Of course he had to do a fish.
It was a little cooler than yesterday.
But another beautiful day, nonetheless.
I like how the horizon distorts the shape of the sun.
We had to drop in on the Agate Festival in Yachats today. There’s more tomorrow so check out the notice if you’re in town:
http://www.coastagates.org/rock-gem-shows/3rd-ever-yachats-agate-festival-january-2014/
There were SO many beautiful agates and things made from agates. We got lots of ideas!
We didn’t buy anything. I asked “how much for the little turtle earrings?” When she said, “$75”, I told her “I’d better not touch those.”
We took advantage of the June-like weather to enjoy the crashing ocean waves. Okay, it’s really NOT like June on the Oregon Coast because this is colder and sunnier.
But this is as good as a summer day in January. What a lovely day!
I got a surprise beach walk this afternoon! (Bad day for whale-watching in Seal Rock today.)
Just north of Seal Rock is a little wayside that we call Strawberry. The only sign indicating a name is (as of a year ago) a street sign called Curtis Ave. It got the “Strawberry” name because the kids could always find wild strawberries around the parking lot.
We found these little treasures in the tidepools nestled in between the rocks in the top photo.
The Giant Green Anemones are noticeable first. But, if you see a tint of pink, look closer to find the Aggregating Anemones.
You can even see some of the pink when they are closed.
They are so delicate and lacy looking.
When I first looked at the beach I wasn’t sure we’d even see a tidepool.
I sure am glad we took the time to walk and look closer! We were rewarded with beautiful color to brighten up this gray day on the Oregon Coast.
Sutton Campground is in the coastal forest area at the north end of the sand dunes that Florence is so well-known for.
I’m not sure if it’s in the 2nd or 3rd growth period of the huge trees that Oregon is also well-known for. But I am always intrigued by the layers of growth here in Oregon. Not only does moss grow on trees, but ferns grow out of the moss. Here you can see that 2 trees are growing on the dead tree that fell (probably) decades ago.
Sea Lion Caves rolled back the prices for their Founder’s Day celebration yesterday (Apr 27). And what a beautiful day to be on the Oregon Coast!
Tokatee Klootchman State Natural Site is a small parking area along Hwy 101 of the Central Oregon Coast. It’s about 16 miles north of Florence. We watched whales feeding here last summer.
Access a narrow path to the beach by walking around the fence to the left of the sign. Always lock your valuables in your trunk.
If you are a horror movie fan, you may recognize a house used in an 80’s horror flick.
Back up the Alsea Hwy, just out of Waldport, the geese are starting to pair up and make their nests on the bay side of the Eckman Lake causeway.
Well, that’s not a very spectacular headline.
I mean, sands shift all the time. Wind blows it. Surf moves it. Rain causes river levels to change which can cause the river’s path to change.
But it still amazes me how fast it can happen.
There has been a major change in direction at Big Creek over the last week.
Ok, since there are so many creeks by the same name, this is the Big Creek between Beachside State Park and Tillicum Beach Campground on the Oregon coast.
We noticed the change when we crossed the bridge. You used to see it go almost straight out to the ocean from the bridge. Now it curves directly to the south and disappears. So I had to take a look from the beach today. Sure enough, it wraps around the curve of the land. If the rip-rap weren’t there, a property-owner would have lost real estate!
The ocean moved so much sand onto the beach that it caused the river to find a different pathway. So it moved south about 100 yards. The north side of the creek gained that much beach; in front of Arnold’s Beach Haven – Sandy Shores…to put in a plug for a friend.
Mind you there’s 8 miles of sandy beach between Waldport and Yachats and, to my knowledge, this is the only creek you’d have to ford to cover it all. Tillicum Beach Campground sits midway. So now if you need a longer walk from the campground, walk south.
High tide was 8.8 today and we’ve had slightly minus tides. But I think it’s the storms that do more to move the sand than the tides do?
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They almost look delicious, don’t they?
These agates were gathered from Tillicum Beach, in front of Tillicum Campground, between Waldport and Yachats, central Oregon coast.
We gathered them over a year before we started to polish them.
I love walks on the beach. There’s always something interesting to find.
And, if I don’t find something interesting, I make my own impressions.
Make it a great Valentine’s Day for someone…anyone!
