Cascade Head losing batte with sea
The Nature Conservancy Trail hugs the eroding dirt cliffs of Cascade Head, giving you wonderful and dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean, eating away at the headland. Only the stronger basalt rock withstands the waves and it too eventually gives way to the form of sea stacks and later...sea bed.
Winter weather forecast looked good for the Oregon Coast so off we went. We used Lincoln City as our "base camp". Monday (2.6.12) it was 60 degrees on the coast with bright blue skies and sunshine. What joy to walk the beach. I hiked the beach at Road End. I saw several people searching the gravels and sands of the beach. Later I found out that with the low tides, they were taking the opportunity to search for agates, especially the local "Newport blue/blacks".
I took a few "surf photos" on the beach hike Monday, and later stopped by a local rock shop to ask about the agates and sought after rocks of the area. For pocket change I bought two small unpolished, un tumbled (except by sea) of the Newport Blue/Black agates. I also bought some pretty polished versions for good luck talisman for my wife.
Tuesday morning (2.7.12) the clouds came in, but not rain in the morning hours. My wife and I took a wonderful day hike from the Salmon River estuary, north of Lincoln City, Oregon to the "Upper Viewpoint" of the Nature Conservancy Trail. It was a short hike, gaining 1,200 feet, but oh my the views! We really enjoyed the hike. I was wanting to hike the Harts Cove trail, but the access road is closed six month of the year to protect the habitat of the Oregon Silverspot butterfly.
The Cascade Head hike takes you through some quite unique biospheres. Aside from the spectacular views south across the Salmon River estuary (you can see the headlands of the Roads End beach, which I had hiked the day before and Devils' Lake) - - there are two wildflowers that grow on Cascade Head in the Spring (a good reason to return for us for another hike then):
1. Cascade Head catchfly [Silene douglassi var. oraria]. Sound like the name of a bird but it is a wildflower found in few other places in the world. 99% grow on Cascade Head.
2. Hairy stemmed checkermallow [Sidalcea hirtipis]. More common than the catchfly but nonetheless, rare.
As mentioned the Oregon Silverspot butterfly makes its home on Cascade Head. This butterfly is found in only five other places in the world. The host plant for these butterflies is the Blue Violet [Viola adunca]. It is the only plant the Silverspot caterpillar will feed on, so like milkweed for the Monarch butterfly, they butterfly and plant are tied together closely. No blue violets, then no Oregon Silverspots.
The adult butterfly retreat to the edging forest in the area to avoid the high winds and predation. But they return to the Blue Violet in the meadows to lay their eggs and this is where their caterpillar must make their way in life.
I hope to return to take the same hike in late April or early May and photograph some of the wildflowers, as well as take more landscape photographs of the stunning views from the trail and the Upper Viewpoint.
Not many Flickr worthy photographs, but I hope you enjoy the ones I have posted. FYI: RAIN returned to the Oregon Coast on Wednesday morning, so we headed on home.
Comments and faves
israel as i see it (4 months ago | reply)
Awesome framing and PoV, gorgeous blue colors of the sea, beautiful!
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
IAISI -- Thank you. This is my favorite photograph from our hike, but perhaps that is because I can still smell the sea air and hear the rocks being rolled up and back down the rocky beach. Wonderful coast is Oregon's. OMT
Janice L (4 months ago | reply)
A yes, an ever changing landscape.
meadowmom (4 months ago | reply)
Nice to look down at the swells coming in, perhaps from far far away. And the driftwood of the winter beach.
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Janice - my vote, for what it is worth, is that Oregon has the best coast (and quality accessability) over Washington and California. You are lucky - resident, hiker, photographer, to be so near. OMT
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Laurie - - Next best thing to a gazing at a small late night camp fire. Thanks. OMT
Janice L (4 months ago | reply)
nordique added this photo to their favorites. (4 months ago)
PHOTOROTA (4 months ago | reply)
Amazing shot, very well done!
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Thank you much Abid. Any signs of Springtime in Pakistan yet? We are still waiting here. OMT
ColourPixie (4 months ago | reply)
Incredible view, such a fascinating coastal image. Beautiful!
ColourPixie added this photo to their favorites. (4 months ago)
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
CP - - "hi". Hope you are doing well and thanks for stopping by my photographs (and leaving a nice comment). OMT
OldDogNewTrick added this photo to his favorites. (4 months ago)
OldDogNewTrick (4 months ago | reply)
Lovely view.
I was fortunate to drive through this area once with my young family during a holiday on the way down to San Francisco many years ago. Would love to see it again.
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Bernie - - How well I remember our family road trips, both when my brother and I were young, heading from Kansas to Chalk Creek Canyon in Colorado to when my wife and I loaded our three kids and all of our traveling gear and headed out on a road trip. Great memories. Thanks for sharing yours. OMT
curtisirish (4 months ago | reply)
The seaward side of that headland looks like a good place to slip and end up as shark bait.
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Curtis - - Yep. I think many more folks around the world are hurt or killed by falls than they are by great whites. Enjoying you historic McKenzie Pass photos on your Flickr site. Thanks. OMT
PHOTOROTA (4 months ago | reply)
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Abid - - Won't be long. I think a lof of folks on Flickr are waiting with camera for the wildflowers to appear and spring to arrive. I am. OMT
k9luv (4 months ago | reply)
What a unique piece of landscape! Beautiful!
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Sherry - - that it is (when it isn't fogged in or not drizzling day in day out). About as far as you can travel from your place in the lower 48. Just went through your Colorado photos and loved the "wolf" photos. What magnificent animals. Thanks for stopping by. OMT
∃Scape (3 months ago | reply)
great capture
oldmantravels (3 months ago | reply)
Pascal from France - - Thank you. OMT
k9luv (3 months ago | reply)
Thanks for peeking! It was a trip to remember!
oldmantravels (3 months ago | reply)
Smile. I bet it was Sherry, now always be thinking about the NEXT road trip and never forget the memories of the PAST adventures. LIfe is good. OMT