Gil's Oregon Trail- So. Beach State Park to Washburne State Park.

At South Beach S.P. I learned that Newport is kept functional as a port by 2 parallel jetties on either side of the entrance to the port. these catch the sand that the sea moves back and forth by shifting wave and wind patterns. These Jetties extend out it seems a 1/2 mile or more into the ocean. Because they catch the sand. the beach on both sides is building outwards. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile since the late 1800s. As a consequence of this one is able to see the stages of colonization of beach by grasses and other plants ( twinberries, tansy,beach-pea, sea pink, seashore lupine, sea rocket, Am dunegrass, Beach Strawberry. Followed by Shore Pine, Sitka Spruce).

I met a bunch of bikers doing the whole coast, from Canada to Mexico. Including a sailor, a marathoner, a Maine wilderness guide, etc. it's amazing how quick all the walls are broken down when you're all up against a bigger challenge. It helps that we don't have little metal wheeled pods to isolate ourselves in. Having only a campfire to gather round helped too. It's easier to talk in the dark,

That evening I went to a highly interesting ranger talk about beach trash. Seriously... I thought I knew it all
monster masses of floating debris swirling in the oceans, marine mammals snared or choked by plastic, our junk strewn all over the most beautiful places in the earth... but I never even thought of the stuff that's only buoyant for a little while that ends up filling the valleys of the ocean floor with garbage turning them into dumps the size of small countries, or stuff that gets buried in the sand of our beaches, or thought about how the toxics we toss end up concentrating more and more in sea predators or scavengers. He made me aware of the many volunteer groups working to do something about it. That's the next step. Check www.MarineDebris.noaa.gov

The next morning I set off on my own. I visited Beaver Creek or "Nackito". Explored by Alexander McLeod and Michel Laframboise of the Hudson's Bay Co. who traded with the Tillamook,Umpqua,Coos, and Coquille.  Lots of trails and kayaking opportunities in the wetlands here. Later I came upon Seal Rocks. This is a private sea life center that you can visit for a small entrance fee. the guides are very knowledgeable and the info displays are really well done. Bring cameras and binoculars. An elevator takes you 200+ feet down to cathedral-like caverns where the sea-lions shelter during the stormy months of fall and winter. At this time they were all out under the sun on the rocks. I saw scores, fifties, hundreds of sea-lions. At the same time migrating Gray Whales were feeding very close to the cliffs. Wow! and I haven't even mentioned the Pigeon Guillemots, Cormorants, Murres, and other sea birds. I learned that the male sea-lions strike out on their own for northern waters up towards Alaska for several months, while females stay closer to home. A male usually isn't strong or tough enough to hold territory ( "a piece of the rock") until he's 9 years old. This is the prerequisite for mating.

I camped the night at Washburne State Park, close to Heceta Head Lighthouse. Since I got there early I decided to hike to the Lighthouses. The trail is magical, forest and terrain are truly strange. It is long ( 4-5 miles with a lot of up and down at the end),The scenery is striking. It is very sheltered most of the way. I must tell you that you end up climbing up to the Head and then quite a way down to the Lighthouse.

I neglected to mention as I traveled I saw fantastic rock formations around Yachats. "Wave Geysers" like Devil's Churn and Cook's Horn. In Waldport saw an excellent info center which described the evolution of transportation along the coust and  the building of a network of bridges. A lot of road paving is going on all over Oregon in the summer. Bikers need to go up to where the flaggers stand and wait until all the cars go by first. They'll tell you when to go and then you need to peddle like mad, hoping that it's not an up-hill stretch. Sadly I came across a small bear that had been struck and killed... please drive carefully when you travel the Coast Highway.

No cell coverage at Washburne. Next time I come there's a trail I want to explore. it's called the Hobbit
Trail and may connect to Middle Earth. More later.