I am a coastal person. A beach bunny. An ocean dweller.
Given a choice I am by the water, salt water preferred but I’ll take fresh water in a pinch. Which is why I jumped at a chance to hit the Oregon coast before the summer moves my family to the east coast. The Atlantic is lovely, but the Pacific is my home ocean and I wanted my kids to get a chance to appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest coastline before we left.
My sister had mentioned a pretty drive. Then my cousin suggested I visit. Really, the stars were aligned and I couldn’t say no.
When this is the view out the window… you don’t say no to a chance to escape.
It was raining the first morning we were in Oregon so we retreated to one of the many coastal aquariums. The Marine Science Center kept by OSU is fun and affordable. There’s a touch tank of marine animals there. We saw the same ones in the tide pools along the coast but didn’t touch them.
My policy for wild animals is to always treat them as if they are wild and dangerous, and always respect their space. The animals in the touch tanks at your local aquarium are taken care of by groups of aquariists and veterinarians who make sure they are healthy, well-fed, and protected. The wild animals don’t have access to the same healthcare plan and touching them could spread disease or stress them out to the point of being at-risk.
When the clouds broke we headed south to the Devil’s Churn and Thor’s Well. This is a fun bit of the coastline tucked into a national forest. The water coming from the mountains meets the incoming tide on a rocky shore and makes for big waves and very dangerous sailing. It’s well documented (and avoided) these days but the first sailors coming along the coast must have been disappointed to find so many inlets led to the jaws of hell instead of safe bays.
The fun part of the rocky coastline is that erosion and nature have created some very fun displays, like this spout that forms when the incoming waves rush through a small hole in the rocks.
Although you can’t see it well in this picture, this is Thor’s Well, one of several places along the coast where a sinkhole along the coast seems to swallow the ocean whole. It’s very dangerous to go near in high tide, and that’s why my picture was taken well out of reach of the greedy waves. Dead authors can’t finish books.
The wind was wild, the remnants of a storm that was pushing rain bands through the area. My kids thought I looked pretty silly. I have to say… they make a convincing point.
We ended the trip along a smaller, safer beach… with some driftwood that looked like a dragon if you caught it at the right angle.
What adventures are you chasing in April?