Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Ahhhh... We Made It

Part two of our weekend at the coast.

As promised, the first two pictures are morning shots of the same shoreline and monolith as the sunset ones from the last post. Scroll down if you missed yesterdays post. I found it interesting how different the shots look even though they are taken from about the same vantage point.



This one to the right is "Haystack Rock" It's just under a mile off shore and is around three hundred feet tall. As you can imaging it is pretty impressive when you are standing in front of it. Some of the birds that use it as their sanctuary include : brown pelicans, migrating geese, cormorants, petrel and orange-footed puffin.

Supposedly the face of Chief Kiwanda can be seen on the south facing side (left side as you're viewing it). Personally I think it looks more like an ape with a pointy head. Who knows, maybe there's something here for all the evolutionist in the crowd.

On a side note, since I mentioned the word evolution, if we are supposed to be evolving from a less advanced civilization, can somebody please let me know how the hell we ended up with such a brain fart as our current president. Oh ya, some disillusioned people like me actually voted for the doofwad.

Alright, enough of that, back to the story at hand.

Day two was about as opposite from the first as one could get. Slept in until about eight in the morning. (I usually am up by 5:30, so eight really was a treat for me.) After coffee and breakfast we headed for the beach. It was one of those letter perfect days that you dream of. About 70-75 degrees with no wind at all. Just a gentle breeze whispering across the waves and sand. The sky was a beautiful clear blue too. No clouds, no fog, just blue in every direction. The icing on the cake was knowing that it was in the mid nineties back home. Ick!

We lathered up the boys and ourselves with sunscreen, pitched our beach umbrella in the sand and pulled up our chairs and the cooler. This is when Lisa and I looked at each other and said, "Ahhhh... We made it!" For the next few hours the boys had a great time testing their skills on the skim boards and boogy boards. They'd stay in the water until they were about half frozen and then come out and warm themselves on the beach like little lizards on a rock.

One really cool thing about this particular beach are the Dory boats that the local fisherman launch there. The first picture above shows a natural sandstone jetty that protects the boats from the surf as they make their way into the water. Watching them perform this acrobatic act is unbelievable. They drive down onto the beach and back the trailer up to the edge of the surf, release a pivot point on the trailer which tilts the back of the boat into the water, then they haul ass forward and park the truck up the beach a about a hundred or so feet away. At this point they jump out of the truck and run back to the boat and start pushing it into the surf, pointing the bow forward as they go. Generally there are at least two people doing this, but I have seen macho studs do this all by themselves. Once they get the boat floating they use long oars to get a little further out, and finally when they are deep enough they fire up the outboard motor and away they go.

Here's a picture of one that a couple I'm guessing who were in their sixties launched. It really is quite an art form.

When they come back in the whole process is reversed. They come ripping in at water skiing speeds and run the boat up onto the beach as far as they can. (The boats have a nearly flat bottom which enables them to do this). One person runs back to the truck and backs the trailer up to the boat and they wench it back up and on. A couple minutes later their off.

Well about this time it was time to get some lunch in us, so we headed back across the beach to the campsite and had a bite to eat.

We decided to take a trip up to Tillamook in the afternoon to take a look around. It is about 20 miles to the north and made for a nice short drive. There is the cheese making factory there, but we'd done that tour the year before and decided to skip it this time. We found a brochure that talked about a turn of the century steam train that takes a scenic ride up the tracks next to Nehalem Bay. We checked our watches and determined we might just make it to the "station" by four o'clock when the last ride of the day took off. We made it with about five minutes to spare and it was time for our next adventure.


Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story.

22 comments:

CrystalChick said...

You voted for HIM?????

Are you SURE????

Was your chad dimpled, hanging, or detached?

You really voted for him???

At the VERY least you owe me some gas money buddy.

Funny, but just last night I threw up... I mean put up some pictures on my blog of The Nightmare.

And will you be voting for him again in the upcoming election????


p.s. great vacay pics!!
Glad you had fun! Hub has off 3 days this coming holiday weekend and we will have NO kids home during that time.
Hmmmmmm......

Jay said...

The name of that boat is "Hustler" ... that's cool. I like that. I would probably sink one of those boats trying to get it out past the surf.

Jeff B said...

Crystalchick- Ya, I know. Apparently I was under the influence of stupidity when I cast my vote. If you're asking if I'm going to vote for "him" in the upcoming election, I'm assuming you mean McCain. If so, there's not a snowball's chance in hell I'd vote for that lunitic.

Jay- I was wondering if you'd pick up on that name. Those guys make it look easy, but like you, I think I'd be sinking rather than sailing.

Schmoop said...

Pardon the pun, but that second picture rocks!! Without trying to be so philosophical, it is strength and solitude all at once. Nice capture Jeff. Cheers!!

Jeff B said...

Matt- Why do i have the sudden urge to sing a Simon & Garfunkle tune right now?

Kimmie said...

Very nice photos...I agree, the rock does look like a pointy headed gorilla. ;-) The boat thing is neat. Thank You for sharing your vacation pic's with us. I look forward to your next post.
Kimmie

Mel said...

Puppies on the beach, surfers in the waters.....there's a little boat by that big rock!

*happy sigh*

What a wonderful place to just BE.

:-)

Dianne said...

I love when you describe you and Lisa settling in and saying "Ahhhh" - even I felt better lol

Looking forward to the steam train, I'm a bit of a train ho - I think they're so sexy.

and I forgive you for voting for asshat, now forgive yourself and look toward hope. ;)

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Thanks for the description on launching of the boats...very cool...

Not so cool is that you...well...YOU know what you did 4 years ago...

So, you are giving us all gas money I hear!

Jeff B said...

Kimmie- Once I saw that image I couldn't see anything else.

Mel- Next to disneyland, it was the happiest place on earth. Come to think of it, no long lines, smog or overpriced concessions...it was much better than Micky Mouse land.

Dianne- I feel much better being out of the closet about my Bush fopaw. I sure hope this country ends up in better hands this November.

Bond- Tell you what, you all send me beans and I'll send you gas. Why go for the money when you can get a direct source?

Ron said...

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L photos, Jeff!

Ok...the weather conditions sounded like pure HEAVEN to me. There should be a weather law, stating that it should NEVER get any higher than 75 degress!

As I was listening to you describe the proceedure of the Dory Boat fishermen...I was getting dizzy!

WOW!

Sound like you guys had an awesome and relaxing time on this vacation!

(isn't it great to sleep in late in the morning?)

Later, bud!

nitebyrd said...

Among several other depressing things I've heard in the last few days, one was that the fall of Roman civilization will only be surpassed by the fall of American civilization.

Your vacation, on the other hand, sounds delightful!

Akelamalu said...

It all sounds so idyllic!

buffalodick said...

We get Tillamook in Michigan- good stuff!

Jeff B said...

Ron- That place does exist. They call it San Deigo. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

Nitebyrd- Now that's a damn scarry thought!

Akelamalu- It really was. Very peaceful and relaxing.

Buffalo- They have an aged cheddar that is available at the factory. Not sure if they distribute that particular one out of state, but it is really good.

Rhea said...

You're making me so jealous. What a cool vacation!

Unknown said...

Of course you know that just the very mention of Double-U on your blog screwed up the whole read for most of us. I actually had to blackout that part of your post with my marker so I could read your post hrough and be able to stay focassed on what you were telling us about your vacation. Now I have Marker all over my monitor and it won't come off. After 4 years ....the same people put this jerk back in office.....Hello Did people think there would anything different the second time around?

I sure hope the majority doesn't put mini double-u in this time.

What takes permanant marker off???

Travis Cody said...

Idyllic is the word that comes to mind for this little vacation.

Now I'll forgive you for 4 years ago, but we must agree never to speak of it again. Pax?

Jeff B said...

Rhea- I think the boys will be talking about this one for years.

Jo- Bwahahahaha!

Oh that was too funny! Sorry I caused you so much pain.

Travis- Mum's the word.

To error is human, to vote for the shrub is just plain wrong.

katherine. said...

it does look like a wonderful place to share and be with your family. Craggly faced rock is very cool.

I have never seen Dory boats...launching or beaching in this manner...cool. Here if they run up on the beach, Harbor Patrol shows up pretty quick...usually alcohol was involved...smile.

(I voted for him too...well actually I voted AGAINST the other guy...no good choices...sigh....)

CreativeMish said...

I was at Haystack last summer. It amazed me how close the trucks get to the edge to drop off their boats. You would think the sand is too soft! Then watching the boats him the gas and up on the sand.. surprised me

Jeff B said...

Katherine- This year is shapping up as a vote for the least offensive one too.

Michelle- I love watching them launch and land those boats. Good cheap entertainment.