Day 7: Yachats to Seaside; a day on the Oregon coast

July 5th, 2014

A cool fog, as expected, woke us up. Seagulls were gawking and laughing and providing background noise I'm familiar with, having lived several years in Pacific Grove, CA. We were up and out before most people were awake, and even before the sun was able to climb out from behind the marine layer. The town was already alive. Campers who were camped out in the inlet overnight were just waking up. There were plenty of empty liquor bottles on the beach, which, gladly, the campers themselves cleaned up. Diehard beach combers, wrapped in warm jackets or blankets, were already walking the sand for edibles. It was just as serene in the morning here as it was the night before, before the fireworks.

A short beach trail in town led to the direct coast, with the typical lava rocks protruding from the ground. Here the waves crashed mercilessly, and a 2011 plaque warned to be careful: two young men from Eugene were knocked off these rocks and drowned in the cold waters that February, while their three friends watched helplessly. The plaque continues with the gruesome fact that both men were dead within three minutes. What a haunting memory for the three surviving friends. I did not proceed any closer on these treacherous rocks.

I opted not to stay much longer in Yachats. I had to use my windshield wipers to clear the view from the morning mist. The town was definitely a great place to spend the night, with its natural beauty all around it. I drove south a few miles to explore Cape Perpetua, a scenic area I stopped in briefly the night before. I wanted to hike the Giant Spruce Trail into the narrow lush canyon. The trail was one one mile one way, and if done early enough would still be peaceful without screaming children. There were a few longer, more strenuous trails I could have taken, but after that long McKenzie trail yesterday even I needed a day of recovery; a two-mile morning hike before more driving was ideal.

The short trail to the Giant Spruce was covered in lush ferns and colorful wildflowers and many other large spruce. The Giant Spruce on this trail is the largest Sitka Spruce on the Pacific Coast. It began growing on the remains of a downed spruce, and took its nutrients from the dead tree. One can see protruding roots hug what once was that dead tree. A small drainage provides water for this spruce, and the immediate area is a nice place to relax in the cool canyon air.

The Sitka spruce only grows in small tracts along the northern coast. Allegedly Captain Thomas Cook had first seen these during his voyage back in the 1770s. While I had Sadie on her leash, she did get to walk freely with the leash dragging behind her. We didn't have any one else join us until on our return hike.

Last night's celebrations seemed to have been fatal to one dog and a deer, lying dead on the highway just outside Yachats. Later on a large bird joined the casualty list.

This was a beautiful drive, as the coastline became rockier and more scenic, with a plenitude of scenic vistas and pull-overs and many trail heads to get down to the ocean. I was in no hurry and yet I had too many options. I wanted the usual scenery and trails to delight in. Sadie, on the other hand, preferred to stay in the safety of the van. With all the windows open and a water bowl at her disposal, she was safe. This is where the cool ocean breeze came in handy. There was also the dog lover in me who wanted her out and about in the forest. This was her road trip, too.

At any rate, all day today I was at full trottle. The coast off Oregon is a designated "marine garden" so no sea life can be taken unless it's razor clams or finfish, according to signs at all beaches. Lava beds created the jagged coastline here, and these same lava formations also have powerful chasms that bring in treacherous waves. One very impressive chasm is Devil's Churn, not far away south of Yachats. I hiked down to this ominous creation, careful of every step as one false move and I'd be drowning in the cold waters and getting knocked against the sharp rocks. The sound coming from this chasm does sound like the devil moaning.

There are other trails near Devil's Churn that I explored quickly, short cliff trails shaded by tall pines, ferns and dense shrubs. The Cove Trail near Devil's Churn was also worth seeing, as it dips down to the coast before going uphill again, up and around a small inlet covered by old snags. Water fowl made this place their home, and I watched a couple of turkey vultures on a nearby tree stump.

Sadie showed no exuberance at getting out. Perhaps the long hike yesterday really did wear her out, so I let her be. An even more exciting attraction was another peninsula providing great vistas, the Yaquina Head recreation area, a narrow peninsula that protudes a mile into the ocean. Seal Rock is visible (another sea lion hang-out) This is also another very popular rest area (for a fee) with a large parking lot. Nearby boulders away from the ocean provide ideal nesting places for osprey, falcons and swifts.

One falcon fledgling was nearby on a rock, providing several photographers the perfect model bird. I hiked to the lighthouse, observed gulls and other wildlife, gazed at anemones, and followed what others were saying was a blue whale near the shore, all right there off Yaquina Head. Even one of the young rangers was delighted to tell me of all the nesting birds in the area. I powerhiked all the trails so that Sadie didn't have to wait long for me. Low Tide was at 12:10pm and I got there at 1:35pm to calm waters and blue sky. What a perfect time to watch all this glory unfold in front of me.

Lincoln City was a town I wanted to see and spend time in, perhaps even overnight in, because write-ups for this place were all so positive. But when I got to town it was one bigass fustercluck, with congestion and traffic lanes closed due to construction. Post-holiday travelers didn't help much, either. So, sensing northbound slo-mo, I pulled into the Rusty Truck Brewing Company for dinner. This was a nice treat as teh beer was good and my burger was decent, all while Sadie napped in the van with wide open windows, all under heavy shade. It was a win-win situation but I never did get to see the historical part of Lincoln City. Traffic was better once I got back on US101, and I ended up driving as far as I could in day light. US101 through Oregon is a beautiful drive, and the coast never ends being breathtakingly beautiful. I took coastal side trips as much as I could, just to see huge lava rocks jettison from the ocean surface.

Our last hike for today was another unplanned little gem: the Cape Trail, which would have required two hours to enjoy to get down to the ocean. We didn't start until 6:30pm and I didn't want to be caught in this thick spruce forest by myself. The trees were tall and gave off a thick shade. The ocean was visible far below, as the trail zig-zagged down to the water. We didn't go all the way. When we hit a break in the treeline and could see the cape, we rested a bit and then turned around. This was another missed opportunity for recreation, something to note for another time. All of Oregon that I have seen so far merits a return visit.

These slightly out-of-the-way adventures have been my favorites so far, the less-used trails that provide a more calming experience. Sadie did fine on her evening walk, but she was noticeably slower than yesterday. I went with her pace.

We were now losing sunlight fast, but managed to see Three Cape Rock in the setting sun, a mystical lava protrusion (what else?!) off the coast from a small hillside town. People were lingering here, with beach fires and wet dogs. Being here almost felt like violating their privacy. The coast of Oregon has been wonderful to take in, as the land changes off between rocky coast line or low-meadow farmland.

I now had to seriously think of a camping place. US101 was now getting dark and I was violating my own rule of not driving after dark. The road meanders up and around hills and curves and deer were coming out to graze right off the road. The few pull-offs I saw all prohibited overnight camping. I finally relented and pulled over in Cannon Beach, where cars were parked on either side of the road.






MORE TO COME