At Rays Food Place we started looking around, then realized we first needed to have a fuel canister! We asked Susan for it. She led us first to the big green coleman propane tanks, as vendors usually do, then to Sterno. Neither of those is the isobutane canister we need for our stove. “The Mercantile will have it!” Susan assured us. “You may leave your packs in our staff room, then come back to shop.” That helped! Yes, the Mercantile had it. We were back in 20 minutes to shop.
Oregon Coast Trail: Seal Rocks
August 27, 2019
This day had similarities to yesterday, with a few variations in the details of food and campsite services. We had beautiful beach walking, some awesome rocks, not so much roadwalking, and early evening arrival at South Beach State Park Hiker-Biker site.
My notes for the day:
7:20 away from camp at South Beach
8:40 stop to cook breakfast on beach; Potatoes onions garlic cheese
10:36 shoes off. In close view of Seal Rocks cliffs. I’ve been trying all variations of beachwalking: sandals, barefoot, shows and socks. All have pros and cons. The sandals work if I wrap my toes in gauze tape. Barefoot feels great – for a while, then my feet are tired. Shoes are most supportive – and get my shoes wet.
Oregon Coast Trail: Bridge
August 26, 2019
My notes for today tell the story of this pleasantly short day, a good follow-up to yesterday’s long walk!
10:44 After hot breakfast and showers, we’re leaving the Beverly Beach Campground escorted by Jack, a 7-yr old who rode by me on his bike several times while I waited for John to finish his shower. On his second trip past me, Jack proudly announced that he had been given permission to ride around the campground on his own. I celebrate those of us with the courage to meet strangers. I depend on them regularly!
Oregon Coast Trail: Whale of a Day
August 25, 2019
On which we walked big miles, made a big leap in our thruhiking style, and saw some really big creatures!
Adding a few more words or phrases to the words above, like in one of those grammar games, we walked something like sixteen miles, starting our day at 5 a.m. at Devil’s Lake State Park and ending at 7:30 p.m. at Beverly Beach State Park. We made a big leap in our thruhiking style by catching the Lincoln County bus to skip four miles of walking on US 101 between Taft and Gleneden, making our day’s trip miles jump to 20. And, for our first time on this trip and over several hours of our day, from Boiler Bay south to Cape Foulweather, we saw whales – Gray Whales! Mostly, we saw the spouts of water sprayed from whales, and sometimes the backs of whales, to the tune of about 20 sightings in four to six spots along the coast. We just caught a glimpse of one whale between two houses as we walked down residential Coast Street in the southern streets of Depoe Bay. It was a whale of a day!
Oregon Coast Trail: Stamina
August 24, 2019
I awoke with gratitude for being in the quiet green spaciousness of the Cascade Head rainforest. Our choice to stop our forced march to the Sea Echo Motel in Lincoln City and sleep in this forest was a good one! This is what we needed! The stop also broke up our road walk on US 101 into two days instead of one very long, arduous one! With my spirit renewed by a night in the woods, I could bolster my courage and tolerance and walk on the road again. We still had 3.7 miles to go to Lincoln City, where we could shop at Safeway and return to the beach for a short walk to Devil’s Lake State Park Campground. We got away from our camp at a leisurely 8:40 a.m. We still had an hour’s walk in the forest. This time, I paid attention to its beauty!
Oregon Coast Trail: Whales!
August 25, 2019
Whew! What a long and full day!
5:03 leaving camp after strawberries and xxixiiixixiï-recycling poachers
6:30 asked a fisherman
6:35 @ mo’s
6:47 @ bus stop
7:25 bus arrives waits til 7:30
7:45 @gleneden wayside cooking kale and oatmeal in gazebo (electric is off)
8:45 to the beach at gleneden
9:23harbor seals near shore. High frothy surf
9:45 leave beach. Talk to residents
10:00 chesters gocery store in
10:45 back on beach. Very close! Willow street
11:00 fogarty “point”
11:15 on 101
11:26 stumped on the beach.
Found it!
12:06 boiler bay whales!
12:39 finished talking with sebastian
Lunch cookies and cheese
1:06 leave boiler bay
1:30 at pirate coffee. Spicy wench
1:52 walking on to Beach Street
Depot Bay is nice with lots of public space along the coast in town. Nice Private residences with ocean viewing on coast street
3:05 leaving depoe bay at town boundary sign Still on trail next to 101
3:47 -4:07whale cove viewing platform. Whales here too!
Whale Cove Inn
5:15 foulweather point (poo emergency!)
6:13 devil’s punchbowl
6:30 beach
7:30 at camp in Beverly Beach at park. Receptacles for charging. Welcome center open 8-8
Oregon Coast Trail: Roadwalking
August 22/23, 2019
“I’m going to call this Horrible Hill!” says John as we pace up the hill on the shoulder of US101. He must not be using Regina’s Meet the Mountains Technique, I thought. It wasn’t the elevation change bothering him, though, it was the threat of zooming trucks veering over the white line on the narrow shoulder. I agree, roadwalking is not fun, and this stretch bothers me too. It’s 2 p.m. on a Friday between the beach towns of Neskowin and Lincoln City. We were on a 4-mile stretch of the trail where there’s no trail. The official route follows the U.S. highway.
Oregon Coast Trail: Rain Day
August 21, 2019
7:56 Zach drops us off by boat on the Netarts Spit. We walk the beach, wondering when the forecasted rain would start. It’s overcast and raining oh so slightly. As we walk, the only ones on the beach today, my mind wanders to the rhythm of my feet.
This is our eighth day of hiking and I have noticed some inconveniences – I’m tired from our long days of walking, ready for a rest day; my sandals aren’t working so great because they rub a couple of toes raw. I do have gauze tape which helps; Its windy and starting to rain making walking a little uncomfortable.
Oregon Coast Trail: Water Shuttles
August 21, 2019
“$40 cash would make that happen” I heard the voice on the phone say. John was arranging a shuttle across Netarts Bay with Zach at Big Spruce RV. This would be our third water shuttle in three days on our walk of the Oregon Coast Trail. It was 1 o’clock in the afternoon and Netarts was about 8 miles away. Not bad. We could make it. What John and Zach had arranged was a site for the night at his RV park and a shuttle across the bay in the morning, about a quarter of a mile ride. That was great because having a known place to camp plus the shuttle were two essential services we needed!
Oregon Coast Trail: Highest Coastal Summit
August 18, 2019
We slept in til 7:45 in our softground forest site. I could hear traffic on Highway 101 below, but the forest was quiet and lush. Our food bag, hanging four feet off the ground on a line between two trees was intact. We don’t now what critters might get our food, maybe mice, but still didn’t want to keep food inniur tent.
Time for oatmeal, cooked with a chopped apple in it.
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Tara brach radical acceptance
Thirsty boots
11 a.m. falcon point/30 min break
12-1:19 from south viewpoint to bench near sign to parking (short sand beach?) Lots of hikers in the trail to falcon point and surfers in the beach!
2:01 starting up N Mtn
3:15 devil’s cauldron (sketch)
5:15 neahKahNie summit
6:30 gravel road
7:17 turn off 101 toward beach
9:14 @ hiker biker siteafter shopping at fresh foods and walking down