Monday, July 18, 2011

Here comes the sun!









































































Monday, July 18, 2011: I SEE SUN!

What is that? Could it be? YES! I see a bit of sun! Off I go on my powerwalk. I see a sign indicating a shipwreck, so I head off onto the trail. It is a paved trail line with firs, wildflowers, and what is that? A buck jumps right in front of me and crosses the trail. His antlers were only a few inches above its ears, and he stopped when I kissed for him. Sure wish I had my camera. Back to the trail, spanish moss hung in many of the trees. Various berry brambles, morning glory vines, holly and other scrub guided me along. Eventually, I came to a road which led to the beach.

There the John Iredale wreck sits mired in the sand. The ship was built in 1890 and was used to carry grain to Australia. Rough seas nailed her in 1906 and stuck her in the sand. The good stuff was salvaged, and now a mostly buried skeletal hull is all that remains.

I decided to get back and get all the boys off their behinds and walking. There are so many beautiful trails here, it would be a shame to let them go unused. The boys were still in bed, while Spouse was reading on how to adjust Hannah so she wouldn't leak. GET UP! I got the boys up and moving, and Spouse got our bicycles down. Spouse and I rode the bikes, passing Dallas and Crew. They were running on the trail, which seemed shocking until they whined about mosquitos! We left them at the John Iredale, as we rode up to another jetty. Another buck (I think it was the same one, and it was stalking me...) almost knocked me off my bike. Spouse wished he caught that on the camera! The trail followed along meadows, marshes (aka mosquito breeding grounds) and streams. The foliage was beautiful. We probably could have spent several days exploring, but alas, it was time to move on.

We readied Hannah, then headed south on 101. The Oregon coast is stunning. It is rugged with tons of driftwood on the beaches. There are farms, there are woods, there are golf courses, there are quaint artsy towns. In one town, we saw a sign:

cemetery
recycle center

Hmmm... soylent green?

We meandered past estuaries, bays, rivers and sloughs. We finally anchored in the town of Depoe Bay, which is pretty much the center point on the Oregon coast. Our campground is right on the water, although our site is not on the water.

After we settled Hannah, I went to a little glass studio up the road. I could watch it for hours, but it was near closing. I came back to Hannah and headed to the beach to find some driftwood. Okay, the entire coast of Oregon is covered in driftwood, and we are on the only beach that is clean! Spouse is relieved... but I am hoping his relief is temporary...

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