Northern Ramblings

Here's a sight to gladden the hearts of water managers and hydrologists throughout California. Lake Shasta...full! To the brim! Not sure when the last time was that this happened, but it has been a rare occurrence the past several years. This pic was taken Sunday May 24...there has been more rain...and snow...in the region since then.

I stayed at the Wolf Creek Inn in southern Oregon last weekend. It has been a hostelry almost continuously since 1883. Bygone luminaries such as president Benjamin Harrison and Clark Gable have stayed here. It continues to be a comfy place to crash, with a nice restaurant, in a quiet area 76 miles north of the CA border off I-5. Jack London also stayed here. In fact, he stayed in this very room for several weeks in 1911 with his wife Charmian while writing a short story and taking excursions in the surrounding countryside. Notice the water pitcher, portable washbasin, and chamber pot at the foot of the bed...standard accoutrements in a good hotel room in those days.

Here's a nice view of the Wolf Creek Inn. My room was in an annex just out of the picture to the left, built in 1925. There was a 1919 edition of London's novel "The Mutiny of the Elsinore" on the table next to the bed, and I read about 180 pages of it while I was there. I need to find the book to read the other 60 percent of it!

I visited several covered bridges while in Oregon, as usual. This one was near Myrtle Point.

This was our resident osprey at the rental house in Gold Beach...she hung out on a tree branch right near our driveway. It was nice to sit in the hot tub overlooking the Rogue river and watch the ospreys bring fish back in their talons for their young'uns. The house was in a great locale for birdwatching...we saw all sizes from hummingbirds to bald eagles!

More Southern Oregon Scenes

Rainy day today on the coast. Though it was cold and wet, the changing light makes for good photography. Here the rain is approaching the rocks in Boardman State Park.

I've seen this old hulk the last couple of times I've been in Gold Beach. Turns out it's the Mary D Hume, and has a history. It was built a few hundred feet from here in 1881 and served as an active ship for 97 years! It's done everything from tugboat service to Arctic whaling, surviving a 6 year voyage to northern Alaska in the early 20th century. It's been sitting at its present spot in town, slowly decaying, since 1978. It's a shame the boat couldn't have been restored...it's probably past salvage by now.

This is the lighthouse at Cape Blanco, at the westernmost point of Oregon. It's been in continuous service since 1870. Meteorologically, Cape Blanco is a notorious spot...the wind REALLY blows here. In fact, two days ago, on May 19, gusts reached 74 mph. While strong for this time of year, that qualifies as a routine winter storm. 100 mph gusts are not rare here. I toured the lighthouse and the docent told me that they cancel tours when the wind exceeds 50 mph. Yesterday when I visited, the wind was blowing at 10-15 mph which qualifies as a calm day at Cape Blanco. Nowadays, the light is automated and a good paved road leads to it. However, life was rougher in earlier times. There was no electricity until 1942; the first car didn't arrive til 1911. Before that, the keepers and their families had to ride ten miles into Port Orford on horseback, and they tilled gardens and raised livestock...sheltering the stuff as much as possible from the wind.

The lighthouse has a second order Fresnel lens, manufactured in France in 1936. This is a view through the lens to the light in the middle...the bulb that is not burning is a spare in case the main bulb burns out. The light is actually not that strong...1000 watts...but the precision glasswork in the lens magnifies the lighting so that the beam is visible 25 miles out to sea.

Near Port Orford, I came upon an urban agglomeration of starfish and anemones...blow the pic up for more detail.

Big storm on the coast today...typical for midwinter but unusual for May 19 in Gold Beach. We have a great spot to watch the tempest...a cozy home with all the modcons and a sweeping view of the Rogue estuary and the not-so-pacific Pacific in the background. Wind is howling, trees are dancing. The birds persevere...osprey are still out fishing...at least between gusts.

Southern Oregon Splendor

Samuel Boardman State Park stretches for ten miles along the southern Oregon coast between Gold Beach and Brookings. It was established through the efforts of the man of the same name, who was the superintendent of Oregon State Parks from 1929 to 1950. Upon his retirement, the park was named after him. It protects a stretch of coastline that is as spectacular as any I've seen, even Big Sur.


To me, this rock, adorned with gnarly trees, has the same delicate beauty as a scene from a Chinese silk screen. This particular day was very quiet. Overcast, dry, with only light wind. The atmosphere was tranquil and pensive.

The park has many turnouts off highway 101, including some picnic areas. This table is in jeopardy of being swallowed by the temperate jungle, watered by 80 to 100 inches of rain annually.

A trail winds through the park between the highway and the ocean. In some spots it goes right on the beach, but mostly it tracks through the coastal forest, hitting viewpoints like this one along the way.

A little closer to Gold Beach, the late afternoon light on a gray sand beach adds to the beauty.

Low Tide in Southern Oregon

I ventured to the sand just south of Gold Beach at low tide today, just before noon. You could roam among the towering rocks, some about a hundred feet high.


It was a minus tide and all the marine critters were exposed to the fresh air. Here some periwinkles are clinging to a rock.

Goose barnacles and mussels coexist above the low tide line.

The starfish and anemones live right near the minus tide line. They don't like to be exposed to the air for long. Other critters eat them. Once when I was a kid...about 50 years ago...we brought some starfish home to Portland and put them out on an outside ledge to dry out. A cat ate them! Best to leave them alone.

Large barnacles cling to the rocks...they and the mussels live above the starfish and can tolerate longer exposure to the fresh air.

Sea Ranch Sojourn

I spent my annual week at the Sea Ranch earlier this month. As usual, it was a pleasant time spent in a tranquil spot, close to nature. With our cool, wet, long spring this year, the countryside is still green and the flowers are abundant. Here coastal goldfields are blooming on the bluffs above the Pacific.

The weather during the week featured five days of sun and afternoon wind, and two days of alternating rain and sun. The varied clouds occasionally provided really nice light, as when I took this shot of the coastal rocks.

Parts of the Sea Ranch are still run as, uh, a ranch! Here sheep are happily grazing the lush green grass right in between the tracts of coastal homes.

Mellow scenes abound, with lush grass, weathered old fences, wind sculpted cypresses, and always, the sea.

Wind and waves fashion the landscape here. The ocean is to the right of this picture...duh!