Tag Archives: Oregon Coast

Jan11

An afternoon and evening on Cannon Beach

Posted on January 11, 2024 by perfectusvarrus

Saturday, 11-Nov-2023

After a day hiking out in the Snow on Mt. Hood, I felt the need to switch it up, and embrace one of the many excellent attributes of Oregon. I felt the need to go to the beach.

The morning found me brunching at a new spot in town, which has the best BLTs I’ve had in years, sipping a latte and getting myself ready for the adventure. I wasn’t running; instead, I was aiming for a later start than normal with a goal of finishing my walk after dark had fallen on the beach.

Not quite sure why I had this goal, but… you know what, we embrace the gut feelings that we’ve got, and sometimes we find some excellent adventures along the ride.

This time was one of those times.

I got to Cannon around… 2:00, maybe? With approximately three hours left before sunset. I mean, less… but three hours of light, at least. My goal was to use all that light up walking outbound – then, I’d turn around once the sun was down, trekking my way back in the dark.

The plan went smoothly. The tide was out (not a surprise, that was why I went on Saturday, vs. Friday or Sunday), so I had an endless beach surrounding me to walk on. The sand was well-packed, the views were beautiful, and I even flew the drone a bit to get some pictures of myself.

The sun dipped down, then fully sank below the horizon, and I turned back to town and warmth.

The hike back was glorious. I’ve spoken about hiking after dark before, how your whole world condenses and focuses down to a small pool of warm light, shining from a headlamp into the darkness… this was absolutely one of those times. The endless beach surrounding me, the light fog rising up from the warm sand into the cold night air, the immense distance between surf and full shore… I legitimately couldn’t tell where the sand ended and the sky began.

My world wasn’t just focused into the thin ray of my headlamp… it devolved and unfocused into a well of grey. The sand, the horizon, the sky… I couldn’t tell the difference. I had to check my GPS every so often to make sure I was still moving, still heading toward my destination… still on Earth, even.

It gave me space to think, to disconnect, and to let my thoughts wander.

I could have strayed further toward the surf, or to the shoreline, to get a handrail for my senses… but I chose not to. I was enjoying this sense of limbo, of slowly walking through the infinite plains of purgatory. It lasted long enough for me – The lights of town started shining through the fog just as my mind was starting to miss the stimulation of the world.

It was lovely.

Feb7

Taking a walk by the water

Posted on February 7, 2023 by perfectusvarrus

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Indian Head Beach, 25-Dec-2022

Man… It’s been ages since I’ve gone hiking around the coast. I think I avoid the ocean during the summer, thanks to the crowds, and so find myself out in the rain and fog of the winter more often than not. It’s nice – For one reason or another, I tend to associate the ocean with where I grew up…

New England doesn’t have white-sand beaches, or the gentle surf of the Gulf. The ocean in Massachusetts is harsh, and my vision of the sea is more anchored (hah!) in the vision of a salty fishing captain, with their yellow jacket and big wooden toggles, fighting to haul a lobster trap in through the lashing rain.

Today fit that vision nicely.

It was cold, it was rainy, and it was frustrating. My phone was exploding with end-of-year sales emails, well-wishing texts, and dating apps reminding me that I should be spending more time on them… ideally with a paid subscription don’t-you-know.

I quickly settled on my gift to myself. A gift, I’ll point out, that I’ve extended through to 2023… the gift of silence.

My phone set to do not disturb, I forged through the rain and fog and onto the trails.

Indian Head is beautiful – the trail winding through the thick forest of tall trees, finding itself on various beautiful overlooks gazing out over the Pacific ocean and the harsh shoreline below. I walked, I gazed, and I enjoyed the rain spray on my face and ocean smells in my nose.

The trail forged inland, and I followed to a small campsite with neat (and slightly ominous) cabins. The trail forged toward the shore, and I followed to a beautiful overlook where I relaxed and watched the waves smash into the rocks far below.

I turned around, and explored the beach near the parking lot. The light faded, the sky got dark, and I drove home.

It. Was. Lovely.

Indian Head is beautiful – the trail winding through the thick forest of tall trees, finding itself on various beautiful overlooks gazing out over the Pacific ocean and the harsh shoreline below. I walked, I gazed, and I enjoyed the rain spray on my face and ocean smells in my nose.

The trail forged inland, and I followed to a small campsite with neat (and slightly ominous) cabins. The trail forged toward the shore, and I followed to a beautiful overlook where I relaxed and watched the waves smash into the rocks far below.

I turned around, and explored the beach near the parking lot. The light faded, the sky got dark, and I drove home.

It. Was. Lovely.

Jan26

A beach hike to kick off the New Year!

Posted on January 26, 2022 by perfectusvarrus

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Monday, 03-Jan-2022

Since New Years Eve fell on a Friday, I had Monday off work!

I know, right? Not a bad start to the New Year… And doubly-so, since the upcoming Friday was a day off too… so three day work week! Absolutely great start to the year!

Okay, enough bragging. I had Monday off.

I figured… Well, I was feeling a bit lazy, and didn’t quite want to deal with the adventure of icy / snowy roads and tire chains. So Mt. Hood was out. And if going East, into the mountains, wasn’t really feeling like a good option… why not a return visit to the beach, hmm?

Well, it turns out that one reason I could cite is the tides – a reason that I learned when I looked down from the staircase at Cannon Beach, straight into the foaming Pacific Ocean. Turns out, I’d timed it just right so that I’d arrived exactly at high tide… strangely, not something that I think I’ve ever seen at Cannon before.

I’m an intrepid adventurer though! No “high tide”, or “lack of beach”, silliness is going to stop me! I forged my way around, hiking over dunes and through the beach grass, making my way down the beach and into a singularly glorious landscape or churning waves and dispersed sunlight.

I walked for ages – I didn’t really track how far, or how long, I was wandering. I stopped in a nice copse of trees for lunch, and rested when I felt tired. I’d brought snacks, water, and warm layers… And since I’d started at high tide, I knew there wasn’t a risk of getting trapped anywhere since the only direction the surf was going was away from me.

It was lovely. Relaxing, quiet, and exactly as calm as I was hoping for on my last day before re-starting the trudge of work.

On my walk, I even found a few ocean-based treasures!

Jaw-dropping views not included, I found:
– A really cute little beach toy, washed up on shore
– A child’s bike helmet, now home to a colony of brightly colored mussels
– A huge hunk of whale blubber!

Yeah, you read that last one right. Whale blubber! It wobbled!

A few days previous, a whale carcass had washed up ashore a few miles down the coast… I hadn’t really thought about it, but that’s the best explanation I could think up for what I found. It’s big, wobbly, and tons of seagulls were feasting on it…

As the sun dipped low, I made my way back to the car and toward the drive home. Beautiful snow-covered trees kept watch as a drove, and a glorious dinner of artichoke, steak, and tortellini awaited me back home…