River Walks the Oregon Coast 2017

Continued from: Bright Wings That Never Tire, Part 1 On the short roadwalk between the RV resort and access to Agate Beach (south of  Yaquita Head) I passed a yard with three fiercely protective barking dogs. I knew I was provoking them by pausing there, but who could resist staying a moment to make a photo of the darling little fierce-guard-dogs-in-training just beyond them (photo 8)?    I found the lovely green path back down to the beach (photo 9) and crossed the very precarious logs across one of the freshwater streams spilling into the ocean.    Photo 10 was proudly taken looking back after I succeeded in crossing the stream. The logs had tipped, rocked, and rolled - and I had lost my balance once, and flailed, and almost fallen. I was quite pleased with myself for recovering (also for having providently placed both my iPhone and battery recharger in safer places in case I should fall).    I had discovered I was more comfortable walking with the s...

Dear Trail Friends, Despite the sound (but alas not the sight) of fireworks just south of us in nearby Newport (but with Yaquina Head in between, blocking visibility),  I slept deeply. I woke, as I usually do on the trail, around 4am and was packed up and walking by 5:15am. I found my way easily through the Beverly Beach campground  to the beach, and began my walk.  The plan at this point was to meet Chris at the Cafe Mundo in Newport (only about a 7 1/2 mile walk) and then eat a little lunch and drive to Agate Beach to meet the Flanagan family (my brother Bob's family). I would have made it a leisurely stroll and take long rest breaks and still arrive in plenty of time. Or so I thought.  I walked the 3.7 miles of Beverly Beach with ease and pleasure. Highlights included the usual interplay of dawn light and fog and ocean breeze. All this is usual, but there is also  something fresh and new every day. Photos 1 and 2 are a tribute to that fresh morning light and ...

Continued from: The Vast, Immortal Sea. July 4. Day 13. Part 1.  The walk beyond Rocky Creek was on Otter Crest Loop, a coast road much less travelled than 101, some of it one-way   and with a generous bike (and hike) lane.  I never expected a roadwalk to be so extravagantly beautiful and restful. Photo 8 attempts to collage a few of the beauties that appeared around every corner. It was nice in a way to walk on asphalt. No roots, rocks, mud, but still quiet and surrounded by beauty. I did miss being close to and breathing the ocean air. I don't think the collage gives a sense of how often I was gazing down on beautiful rocky shorelines through wildflowers. It was so relaxing and peaceful to walk slowly along and just be there.    Toward the end of that section of the walk I noticed a lot of trees with their trunks lushly covered with ivy. I thought of how schools like Harvard and Yale used to be referred to as the "ivy league" because (I believe) of all the ivy...

Dear Trail Friends I am sitting in my tent at the unusually lovely hiker biker camp at Beverly Beach State Park. I can hear ravens and songbirds but no fireworks yet. It's 7:40, still very light.  Photo 1 is a collage of the views from my tent's front and back doors/windows.    I slept late this morning and didn't begin my hike until almost 10am. I hiked at a leisurely pace and took two long rest stops. Tomorrow I will hike into Newport to meet Chris and we will drive together to Agate Beach to meet up with my brother Bob, sister-in-law Madeline and their three children Matthew (not a child, he's in college now), Gabriel (also no longer a child, a teenager) and Rebecca (not far behind them.) Madeline texted me a couple of days ago that they were doing a road trip in Oregon and maybe we could connect. I am thrilled that we can. After that visit,  Chris and I will head to Corvallis to spend the evening and overnight with our dear friends Chuck and Shelly Duffy.  I...

Continued from Warning Dangerous Bar. July 3. Day 12. Part 2.  Okay I am getting carried away. Not only did I eat a huge meal and a very rich chocolate desert (when I had already eaten a whole day's worth of trail food - though the truth is I have no regrets) but I am also already to part 3 of the day's blog and it is basically not yet 9 in the morning.  So we're going to have to speed-blog through the rest of the day. I hike back to where George dropped me off - walking on the level sand now not beachcombing and at a faster pace. Even with a stop for a rest the return hike takes 20 minutes less than the northbound one. As I head south, the sun, which came out very early - morning sun has been unusual and therefore precious on this hike - is getting higher. Everything sparkles. I am watching people as well as waves and tasting/breathing the wonderful ocean breeze.  I get to the end of the beach. I search for the trail up the guidebook describes. I find it.  I stop fo...

Continued from:   Warning Dangerous Bar. July 3. Day 12.  part 1.   As soon as I climbed into the truck with George and began to enjoy our conversation I gave up all responsibility for where we were going. We must have been five miles south of Gleneden Beach when I realized I was expecting him to know where the beach was, while he of course expected me to know where I was going. George offered to turn around and drive back to the beach I wanted, and when we got there he took a selfie of the two of us (photo 7 is a collage of my photo of George driving and his selfie of the two of us. You can tell, can't you, just by looking at him, the ways his eyes smile, that he loves life and other people. I sure get lucky in the people I meet on the trail.    Speaking of dangerous bars, I just got the gluten free chocolate truffle with caramel sauce (photo 8), and it's pretty clear to me that the way they make it gluten free is to make it entirely of chocolate.  Qu...

Dear Trail Friends So here I am in Depoe Bay at the bar (which allowed me to bypass the very long waiting list for a table, just as I did in Cannon Beach when I last treated myself to a restaurant dinner) at the Tidal Raves restaurant - sipping my Tsunami stout with lemon, and starting on an outstanding little salad with baby shrimp, curried almonds and cranberries.  Photo 1 is the view out the restaurant window (when I swivel my seat around), photo 2 is the salad.      I had quite a lovely day, starting at 5 am on the   beach just beyond the campground (and beyond the unspeakable 'D' river which by the way dunked not only my iPhone. It also dunked my Anker battery recharger, which I admit was dying anyway and due to be replaced, but I was horrified last night when it did bizarre things and could neither charge my iPhone nor be charged. By this way the afternoon it had partially recovered - it could be charged but still could not charge. I got the great idea tha...