Netarts Spit, tsunami debris edition 6/18

[pdxgene]

Wow, what a day at the coast. Clouds already almost completely gone when we got there 'bout 9ish and barely a breeze the entire day. Netarts Spit is one of the lonliest stretches of beach on the northern coast even though it leaves from what could be one of the largest and most often filled parking lots. The one at Cape Lookout State Park. With a bit of wandering Joan and I covered 'bout 11miles and after the first mile or so saw only one couple on bikes and a couple kayakers out in Netarts Bay. The tide was so low it looked like we could walk almost to Three Arch Rocks themselves but it was coming in when we hit the end of the spit and sandbars are not the best place to be on an incoming tide...

Starting out heading off down the spit and looking back at Cape Lookout shrinking in the distance..


Low tide was somewhere around 1130 so it was heading out the entire outward part of our hike exposing endless sandbars..


At first this looked like some kind of World Cup performance art..


But only if Taiwan...


Was playing Japan. You know, with all the stuff that washed into the ocean, how come an atm never pops out on the beach


Moon over the Pacific...


Three Arch Rocks..


Long look back at Cape Lookout from near the end of Netarts Spit..


Three Arch Rocks from the end of Netarts Spit..


Purple beach flowers.. To be I.D.'d later..


Three Arch Rocks..


Some of the driftwood at the end of the spit..


And one of the many sand dollars on the beach. No pics but it was carnage for tons of horseshoe crabs. And a feast for the gulls..


Nothing but miles of empty beach ahead as we wandered back..


Bald eagle.. how close could I get before he took off?


Closer....


Nice cloud background now too..


And off he goes..


Nearing the parking lot the incoming tide is now covering most all the previously exposed sandbars..


And a jelly to finish off the day..


Album here... http://picasaweb.google.com/pdxgene/NetartsSpit3
The weather doesn't get much better than days like this out there. Not sure why no one goes there but that's fine too..

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Beautiful pictures, looks like a great day. That's a part of the Oregon Coast I haven't explored yet, thanks for the TR.

[pdxgene]

Thanx!
I didn't even notice it but with her zoom lens Joan could see that the eagle has a bird in its talons.

[Roy]

Beautiful report Gene Its funny how quite that stretch of beach is but most people don't venture very far. In 1976 I found a couple of glass floats with the net still on them on that stretch and found two more a couple of years later just south of there at Tierra Del Mar.

[Peder]

You just go to the best places on the best days. Thank you for omitting the food and beverage pictures, or I would be even more jealous!

[mattisnotfrench]

Mmmm...I'm jealous. I love Netarts Spit - I cannot figure out why nobody goes there. I'm glad to see it's as nice on a sunny day as it is on a rainy day - every time I've been there it's rained on me.

[pdxgene]

It was amazingly nice out there yesterday... Off to see if Mt Hood continues that run today..

[wolfmoney]

Wow, amazing day captured!
I lived on the coast for 7 years and it was a rare experience to get not only lovely weather, but also amazing low tides, bald eagles and interesting paraphernalia along the coastline like that.
Looks like it was a fabulous trip, indeed! Thank you for sharing!

[Waffle Stomper]

Looks like a mighty fine day.