Salt N' Pepper Revisited

A few days ago on one of the only sunny days on the southern Oregon coast the family and I embarked on a visit to Salt and Pepper beach south of Port Orford on 101.  My mom, sister and brother-in-law hadn't been yet and they needed to see such an outstanding place.

 The day couldn't have been more perfect for a December coastal day.  Trailblazing down the hillside, slipping down the mud and tripping our way through blackberry vines quickly warmed us up.  With the sun shining it felt like a perfect sunny day.

 I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is the most spectacular beach I've seen.  As you walk down the final grassy hill and look down upon the beach you can't help but feel part of a mystical place.  There are no buildings, electric lines, roads; there are no sounds other than the boom of the waves crashing on the rocks. It's as out of this world as I've been while staying right here in Oregon.

When I'm on Salt and Pepper beach a feeling of peace washes over me.  Maybe it's my brain waves syncing up with the tide.  Maybe it's the memories I have as a child splashing through the waves.  The sun rays peaking through the clouds and the glow of the blue/gray ocean balance and calm me. I want to do yoga, sleep and run when I come to this place.

It has been such a good week down in Port Orford with my family.  We haven't been all together for several years and this time has been memorable.  I wish we could all stay here for at least another week, and yet real life awaits.  My sister and bro-in-law will fly out shortly, I'll be heading to Portland and my brother off to where ever the wind takes him.  It's sad parting ways, I only hope we'll all be together sooner than it took last time.

How Lovely Are Your Branches

A week ago I hopped on the train from Seattle.  My sister and brother-in-law got on a plane and my brother took his car. We managed to coordinate our arrivals within a half hour of each other in Portland.  Shockingly there were no delays.  We then proceeded to make the 5 hour drive south to Port Orford where we have spent the week lounging and making the most of family time.

A couple days ago we woke up to a gloriously sunny day and knew it was the perfect day to find our christmas tree.  Throughout my childhood we spent hours and hours driving the logging roads in search of the "perfect" tree; of course, this rarely happened and we could never agree on a tree.  Usually the search would end in desperation as the sun dropped and the rain fell and we were left with a scrawny Charlie Brown tree. Honestly, the tree doesn't really matter; it's the adventure and tradition that means the most.

We all packed into the truck and began the drive up China Mountain.  Not ten minutes passed when my brother spotted a nice tree on the side of the road.  We inspected it and knew it was perfect.  Luckily, my conscience was eased when we noticed it had a disfigured trunk and was growing a steep hill not suitable for survival.

Utku got down to the business of sawing it down with our less than sharp blade.  With such a small trunk, the tree came down quickly.

 The speed in which we found and cut down the tree was unheard of so we spent the remainder of the afternoon seeing the sights and going to the beach.  It's times like this when I so happy to be an Oregonian.

Later that night my sister and brother put up the tree and we all decorated it.  Not the greatest picture, but believe me it is one of my favorite christmas trees yet, made even better with the smug satisfaction of finding the perfect one deep in the wilderness. 

So Spectacular You Can See The Earth’s Curvature

It is as close to the end of the Earth you can get.  A place so enormous, so profound you can see the curve of the Earth, the swell of the see and the horizon  stretching as far as the eye can see.

The trail around the Coast Guard Hill Heads in Port Orford is the most beautiful couple miles I’ve had the privilege of seeing in all my 27 years.  Every visitor to our house, everyone of my visits home (and there have been many), every holiday, a hike on the Heads is in order. 

I am not a religious person, but these cliffs looming over the powerful Pacific ocean are a spiritual experience.  I guess I just worship at the church of the great outdoors. 

I went to the Heads on two separate occasions.  The first with my brother and the second with my mom and brother.  Both were different and both spectacular.  And in case you were wondering, these pictures are not edited.  Oh the beauty of my home state!

Let It Shine/Cape Blanco Lighthouse

The Cape Blanco lighthouse was built in 1870 with a light run off of lard from the nearby pig farm.  It has endured 179 mph winds during the famous Columbus Day storm in the 60's and countless rainy days.  I can't even imagine what it was like to be one of the old lighthouse keepers staying up through the night to make sure the light stayed burning and hearing the howling winds that feel that much more eerie with the surrounding waves.  

My brother and I drove out there on a fairly mild day.  My dad Jack gives tours in the lighthouse and it's become a bit of a tradition to drive out and visit him when I'm back in Port Orford.  My dad is very suited for the job being a history buff and a talker.  He brings Annie dog out who fits in perfectly with the surroundings.

You climb up flights of narrow spiral stairs and are rewarded with a spectacular view of the furthest western point in the lower 48.  

The lens is intriguing, a gigantic series of magnifying glasses that rotates 24 hours a day, rain or shine.  The lens was shipped over from France 140 years ago.  The detail is intriguing and has almost no marks except for the a few spots that were marked by vandals in the early 1990's.

Such a beautiful spot, Cape Blanco is one of those places that I will never tire seeing.  There are no two days alike out on the rocky coast.

Bonus: Seeing little porcupines wandering happily, a beautiful campground right down the path, an amazing beach to walk on and a bounty of mushrooms in the fall.

Hole In The Rock

A few days ago my brother J and I went exploring on the beach again.  We drove down 101 south of Port Orford about 10 miles, abruptly pulled over on the side of the rode where you will see the below view.  Hole in the rock

 I've driven by this site more times than I can count.  I used to waitress in Gold Beach and got to see these types of views for 30 minutes.  By far the most beautiful commute I've had, sure beats the A train from Harlem.

 Although I lived in Port Orford for 19 years, there are so many spots that I haven't explored mostly due to a severe case of teenage angst that did not include hiking.  I think I had hiked down to hole in the rock once about 20 years ago and wow, did I forget the view.

 Unfortunately, my camera battery was dying so I was only able to snap a few shots.  This was the type of beach that pictures don't do justice.  The rock is huge and imposing, the surrounding ocean powerful and churning.  The beach stretching on and on.  Standing by the hole in the rock you are met with the crashing waves and your feet begin to tingle as you anticipate the churning water pulling you out to sea.

 I'm not sure how that huge hole got there, but to me it seems pretty obvious.  The aliens that landed on Humbug Mt when the summit was enclosed in fog used hole in the rock as their home. Duh.

 Whatever the story, hole in the rock has just become my new go-to hike for visitors to Port Orford.

 In other news, a few days ago it snowed. In Port Orford.  And then pigs flew. Let's just say it's rare to see snow falling down at the beach.  It was fun while it lasted that hour.

Salt And Pepper Beach

It was a rainy, dark day but that didn't stop us.

In Port Orford, you have to force yourself to go out and brave the elements.  It's easy to get sucked into all day marathons of Millionaire Matchmaker with the chilly air and flood like environment outside.  

Well Wojc, my brother J and I needed to get out so we headed south on 101 a few miles and pulled over to the side of the road, walked down the highway until we found a suitable deer trail to follow and headed down.

Steep terrain, mud, creeks, rain, blackberry bushes, and tall grass couldn't stop us.  We plowed forward in search of a secluded beach.  The colors were spectacular; dark glowing rain clouds, vibrant blue ocean and green foliage.

The view of the isolated cove was out of this world.  Giant rocks, grassy fields and crashing waves gave the impression of a different world, a planet totally isolated and unaffected by development. We spent the time exploring tide pools and rocks and marveling at the black and white pebbly beach that give it its name of Salt and Pepper.

We really lucked out with the rain clouds holding off just till the end of the hike back up to the car.  The beach was one of the best I've seen, a place that you imagine only seeing in your dreams.

Lucky for Wojc, during our beach combing he found an old glass float that is an extremely rare find.  I wasn't so luck and only scored some orange plastic ones.