The Scenes We Saw, Day One

You’re always on my mind on these trips. I see wonderful and spectacular things and whip out my camera to capture them for you.

Then I come home, pick out a selection of photos showing off some of the highlights, intend to post them after maybe just a few minutes’ doze, and wake up nearly ten hours later. Something tells me that all that physical exertion after months of virtually no exercise may not have been conducive to consciousness. And I still have to clean out my inbox. And fix phones today. Argh.

At least I can provide you a nice set of photos to peruse.

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry trees are already blooming in Oregon. These were at a rest stop on I5. They put me in the proper frame of mind for traveling on: serene beauty.

Breaking Waves at Yaquina Head

Yaquina Head is where the Columbia River Basalts made their southernmost invasion of the coast. You’re looking at remnants of basalt that had a hard life to begin with: the place is full of basalt breccia that demonstrates the flows hit water and went esplodey. And in the foreground is the basalt cobble beach, which is the kind of awesome that cures your basalt boredom.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

And there’s the head and the lighthouse. Basalt may get boring round here because it’s ubiquitous, but it’s really hard to look at such stark beauty and merely yawn.

Beverly Beach

Further south, the basalt runs out, and you end up with coastal cliffs made out of things like the Astoria Formation, sandstones and mudstones that are sometimes so chock-full o’ fossils even a nimrod like me can see them and say, “Ooo, look! Fossils!” Granted they aren’t ancient, or generally particularly exciting, but they’re the first fossils aside from a worm cast I’ve found in the field, and so I love them.

Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area

If you look carefully, in this photo, you’ll find an angular unconformity. It might even have made Hutton squeal with glee, although his was better. This is more Astoria Formation stuff, I believe, and the whole park is wild.

The Kiss

It was here I got the best-ever picture of a seagull. He looks like he’s kissing his reflection. Awesome.

Sunset Over Devils Punch Bowl

And there goes the sun, with the Punch Bowl in the foreground. Tide was out, so I couldn’t see the Devil mixing his punch, but I’ll bet he spikes it. Wait till I show you that feature and talk about the geology round there – if you’ve got a hat, you’ll be chewing the brim of it in ecstasy.

And, mind you, this was only Day One. And that was half a day.

I haz more outtakes, but they’ll have to wait for tomorrow, as my employer has the strange idea I should return to work after a vacation in order to draw a paycheck. This gives you time to prepare. Gargle some saltwater, as the squeeing will intensify with tomorrow’s pictures.

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The Scenes We Saw, Day One
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2 thoughts on “The Scenes We Saw, Day One

  1. 1

    Beautiful photos! Glad we exchanged files. Found I didn’t get too many photos at Silver Falls- cold, tired, sore, and worried about getting camera wet. Next time, I guess. Minor quibble: Yaquina Head is next to southernmost CRB at coast- Seal Rock, where we stopped briefly the next day is ~15 mi farther south.

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