Cannon Beach, Oregon October 15-18, 2024

Cannon Beach, October 17, 2024

Today Lee was greeted with visitors when she got up.  Our elk herd had decided that our street and the dunes were a great place for a meal.  We even saw a place where the grasses showed where at least one had bedded down for the night.  I’m still just amazed at how tame they are!  Later in the day we also saw 4 black rabbits sitting placidly on a parking strip in town.  Cannon Beach has the most unbelievably domesticated wildlife that I’ve ever seen!

Speaking of wildlife, one thing that both Lee and I have commented on was the lack of shorebirds.  No seagulls or anything else have been in evidence.  Last night Lee had read that our beach, Chapman Beach, and the rocks and point next to use, known as Bird Rocks, were home to a large colony of Common Murres.  With another look at the big rock this morning, we finally saw them!  Dense colony is right!

In the afternoon we finally found all the shorebirds.  They were all at the junction of Chapman Beach and Ecola Creek.  And they were all grouped together!  All in one place.  I know horses – I don’t know birds.  And I have no idea as to why they were grouped like this except for possibly food sources.  Anyway, it was nice to finally see them!

This morning, on our first walk out to the bluff, we could see Bird Rocks and the Ecola park above us.  We decided to start there.  The entrance to Ecola State Park was right near our house, and we started the drive up.  The road was paved, but it was twisty and full of hair pin turns.  It was a cross between Chuckanut Drive in Western Washington State, and Maui’s ‘Road to Hana’.  It was beautiful and somewhat treacherous.  Thank heavens it was paved and well maintained, although narrow!  It seemed a very long way before we reached the overlook point.

The overlook was actually the next point beyond ours, but the views were stunning.  Even Tillamook Lighthouse was on view.  There were many hiking trails, and lots of people out enjoying the incredible weather.  It rained hard last night, just like the night before.  But again today, the weather was mild and sunny.  Really unusual for mid-October.

After enjoying the park for a while, we continued on the road to Indian Beach.  Again, another stunning vista.  For the first time we saw some surfers.  I have a picture of them – if you look very close! It’s a little like ‘Where’s Waldo’, only it’s find the 2 surfers.

We finished out the day by exploring the town of Cannon Beach.  The gardens are still spectacular, and I took way too many pictures of flowers.  But each was prettier than the last.  Fall is very much in evidence in the many pumpkins we saw decorating the shops. The shops are tucked in maze-like behind the main street.  The artists represented were varied and all interesting. It was really fun exploring. Here are a couple of pictures. Many more follow at the end.

We head home tomorrow.  But this has been a fun and much needed break, and I’d forgotten how much I loved the coast.  Each beach is different, and each view has something different to offer.  The park system is wonderful, and I’m grateful that it’s available to all.  We are incredibly lucky to have something like this so accessible.