Tidepools and Stuff

 April 23 - 28

Our days off, Tues, Wed, Thurs, were mostly filled with fixing a shower leak and leveling the composting toilet, working on issues with my computer's OS, and working on a replacement for Matthew's phone which chose to become a brick. The technology/communication issues have been maddening. Throw in laundry, grocery shopping, and reorganizing the RV so it worked better for both of us, and it was a pretty necessary but boring time off. 

Returning to work on Friday wasn't a chore as we have been enjoying learning new things, interacting with visitors, and taking in the beautiful scenery and wildlife. We spend most of our 5 hour shift outside where the visitors are, pointing things our and answering questions, but also have shifts inside the interpretive center where we greet folks and orient them to the site.

Gooseneck barnacle shells - broken off their rock 

Harbor seals lazing

Giant green anenomes

Cormorants on Seal Rock

A mossy chiton shell

The underside of a gumboot chiton

We are getting our steps in - this was my record so far

Going up and down these 134 stairs to Cobble Beach and the tidepools are getting us in shape 

Quarry Cove - years ago they attempted to make an accessible tidepool here but Mother Nature had her own plans and filled it all in with sand

The memorial to lost fisherfolk

The view from Cobble Beach

Giant Green Anemones

Purple Sea Urchins

A lemon nudibranch washed up by the tide - I put it into the tidepool so it would live

Alligator Rock

Stegosaurus Rock

Looking north from the far end of Cobble Beach

The benefit of getting off work in the early afternoon is having lots of time to explore, especially as it is getting light so much later. We made a run south to get traction/ice cleats for my shoes - the tidepools can be really slippery. We stopped at Seal Rock State Recreation Area to take in the sites.

The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, just south of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, is undergoing renovations.

View of the Yaquina Bay Bridge with Newport's harbor behind

Memorial to local fisherfolks lost at sea

Monday was a super low tide

Quarry Cove

The view of the tidepool exposure on the walk down

Lion's Head Rock almost totally exposed

A Giant Green Anemone consuming a purple sea urchin

A Red Sea Urchin - and their size in relation to the purple ones

Ocher Sea Stars

Lemon Nudibranch

Red sea urchin

The large oblong "rocks" are actually gumboot chitons - which is why watching your step is so important

A pacific blood star hiding

I was so excited to spot the elusive Opalescent Nudibranch, which I first thought was an insect nymph 

A close up of the Opalescent Nudibranch, floating on its back

A red ribbon worm

Finished my shift with a hike up Comm Hill to check out the Quest box - the stamp and notepad were moved out of it's bigger box to accommodate the nest of mice that had moved in - I loved their nest! 

Earth Day the Coastal Oregon Way

 April 22 - Lincoln City Earth Day Celebration

Working on the RV continues as we adapt it to fit our needs. But we took a break in the afternoon to drive north to Lincoln City to participate in making a peace sign on the beach. The photographer's angle wasn't good, but it really was a peace sign.

Matthew and I are in the back in front of the person in the orange jacket peaking out around Matthew

We hung around the beach after, watching the gulls frolicking in the freshwater stream that cut through the beach and the ones that were reluctant to move for cars in the parking lot (they had covered the entire lane until a car insisted it was going that way.

We found the Congregational Church of Lincoln City which was hosting a free spaghetti supper before a peace concert and sing-along by community members who jam together regularly. It was very reminescent of gatherings at the church we attend in Kansas City, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, and it was wonderful to be singing aloud with others again.

This woman sang a song I was unfamiliar with but it touched me so much. As an atheist, I usually balk at the word prayer, but this I can get behind. The music and lyrics to a Plowshare Prayer are by Spencer LaJoye. 

We finished the evening by imbibing in some tasty beer at the beautifully located Pelican Brewery

A wonderful Earth Day all around!

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area Volunteer Training and More

 April 18 - 21

While Matthew has been working these past 3-ish weeks, I began training on Friday. The first day was paperwork, finding uniform gear, orientation to the facility and resources, and training at the Interpretive Center's front desk. Everyone is so very nice, which makes everything easier. 

Saturday I  was training with Andrew at the tidepools. Lighthouse tours are given when staff is available, and the tour only enters the lower building and level of the lighthouse because the stairs need to be reinforced after over 150 years of use. Since we were on the early shift and not many people were around, Andrew took Matthew and I up into the lighthouse tower. a perk of volunteering. This continues to be a working navigational aid and is lit 24/7, although it is automatic now and no longer staffed.  

Glass inserts to allow light into the lower levels

Yaquina Head houses a first order Fresnel Lens

Looking down at Cobble Beach and the tidepools

Lighthouse tour complete we made our way down to Cobble Beach and the tidepools. I saw some of the largest seastars ever, as well as many giant green anemones, aggregating anemones, and tons of purple sea urchins. While beautiful, the large number of urchins signal a disruption in the ecology. Sea otters eat urchins, but the otters were hunted to extinction in this area, resulting in the proliferation of urchins, which then decimated the kelp beds that the otters and other critters lived in. No kelp beds means no otters have moved back, no otters back means more urchins, and so on. 

A red urchin

Gumboot chitons fascinate me because I have never seen one before, despite exploring many tidepools in my life. They look like a meatloaf or rust rock and have plates under their fleshy exterior like pill/sow/roly-poly bugs.

We are scheduled at various sites/tasks usually in 2-hour blocks, and I spent the rest of Sat, Sun and Mon alternating between the the tidepools and the IC desk.

Limpets

Driftwood on cobbles

Matthew was on Roving - essentially wandering around areas where visitors are to engage and answer questions. He climbed Salal Hill and got some beautiful photos.

Overlooking the Interpretive Center, Communication Hill, and Agate Beach

Moolack Beach and Cape Foulweather, named by Captain James Cook, whose explorations we saw documented in Alaska and in Newfoundland. What an amazing person.