Cannon Beach

[bobcat]

I was well on my way to getting my gear together for a ski outing when my wife collared me and told me we were going to the beach. We headed down the strand to Haystack Rock and poked around the tide pools. The tide was out, but not all the way, so once again I was foiled in my quest for some of those really colorful sea slugs that languish at the low tide line.

We headed in to Hemlock Street and had lunch. After that, Tina walked back to the shopping malls of Cannon and I continued down the beach to Silver Point, where I sloshed about its barnacled base and came upon a flock of harlequin ducks floating in and out with the surges. Well, that was adequate compensation for the lack of sea slugs. I ambled past Jockey Cap and hit Humbug Point to wade through a two-foot wash past Lion Rock and reach Arcadia Beach.

Cannon Beach has some nice bluffs that neatly illustrate the sedimentary layers put down on this uplifted ocean floor. At Arcadia Beach, the bluffs are all twisted and contorted, testament to some kind of violent tectonic process. At Hug Point, I trotted around the headland on the road bed that was carved out of the soft sedimentary strata in the 1920s to provide access to Arch Cape. Black turnstones were poking at the barnacles and surf scoters were bobbing in the breakers. However, time had crept up on me, so I returned for the scheduled assignation with my wife on Arcadia Beach. It was a gloriously sunny day everywhere and the beach was busy at all the access points with plenty of solitude in-between.

[Splintercat]

Thanks, Bobcat! I love that stretch of coast, tourists and all. I know exactly where that especially twisted display of sedimentary rocks is located - I marvel at it every time we walk Arcadia Beach. It's just far enough away from the Arcadia Wayside that you generally don't have much company down there, either -- nice area!

Tom

[Peder]

Great TR and a good reminder for me to revisit that stretch of coast. I love your animal IDs; I had not heard of a Black Turnstone till this morning! Thank you.

[hlee]

Super jealous of your Harlequin Ducks!

[Sean Thomas]

Incredible pictures, Bobcat. The one of the old road is awesome.

[romann]

Beautiful photos, especially the Needles and the rocks at Arcadia Beach. I had to google sea slugs, didn't know about these creatures before.

[Guy]

Great pics Bobcat, & you always have some local history to add too. I've been to Hug point but didn't know about that old road I'll be sure to look for it next time.

[bobcat]

Thanks all for the comments. It's a very "touristy" destination (There's a good reason for that, of course), but looking around you can find a few gems and critters that most visitors miss. Here's a full-on of Arcadia's contorted layers - like sheets after a particularly vigorous spin dry!