Cannon Beach, Oregon
I spent most of last week at The Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, Oregon. From Seattle, it's about a 4 hour drive south. Reservations must be made well in advance, so we didn't know what kind of weather we would encounter. As it turned out, an "atmospheric river" blessed us with more rain and wind than we expected. Although walks on the beach were limited, it was still a fascinating time to be on the ocean's edge.
The Stephanie Inn is located very close to Haystack Rock. Haystack is a 235 ft-tall (72 m) sea stack. It is the third-tallest such intertidal structure in the world. A popular tourist destination on the Oregon Coast, the monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide. The Haystack Rock tide pools are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, sea anemone, crabs, chitons, limpets, and sea slugs. The rock is also a nesting site for many sea birds, including terns and puffins.
My walks on the beach leave me with so many questions and concerns about how our human activities are affecting our environment. The image below illustrates my concerns. Every wave brings a new deposit of flotsam and jetsam to the beach.
Flotsam and jetsam are terms that describe two types of marine debris associated with vessels. Flotsam is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck or accident. Jetsam describes debris that was deliberately thrown overboard by a crew of a ship in distress, most often to lighten the ship's load. The word flotsam derives from the French word flotter, to float. Jetsam is a shortened word for jettison.
In the image above, notice all the little bits of plastic. On one walk, I collected a handful of these bits of debris, brought them inside, cleaned them up, and staged them for the picture below. I've often heard that beach walkers like to keep an eye out for a bottle with a message in it. At first, I was amused to find the mini liquor bottle, even though, no message was inside. In truth, it's a sad comment on human behavior. Amongst all the bits on the sand there are also some from nature like the tiny plant parts and driftwood.
My favorite visitor was the gull below. Is it a HE or a SHE? 😊 When you try to look it up, you'll find this: It can be difficult to tell the difference between male and female seagulls. In most species, they have similar physical characteristics and plumage. Keep reading and you'll find details that lead me to believe it is a SHE. If you think otherwise, please let me know why you think so!
See more critters at Saturday's Critters. |
How about some roasted marshmallows while watching the waves roll in? Yes, the Inn provides a couple of sticks and marshmallows.
Hello John,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of Oregon's beautiful coastline, including the famous Canon Beach. It seems a lot of people love the famouse Haystack Rock. A walk on the beach is one of my simple pleasures. It is great to see the sea stack up close during the low tide. Very sad to see the debris, I wish people would be more careful were they deposit their trash. Save the oceans and sea critters. Love the Gull images, I can not tell the male/female difference. The firepit looks nice, great views. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.
Thanks for the definitions of flotsam and jetsam. I knew the expression but I did not know the distinction between the two words!
ReplyDeleteThe fire pit with an ocean view is definitely worth the trip.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Haystack Rock before, in movies. Such a beautiful area. Our beaches can have such awful messes. Such a sad sight!
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is that there are too many of us humans, and we never seemed to learn how to play nice with others. :-)
ReplyDeleteHaystack Rock - perfectly named.
ReplyDeleteI'd sure love to walk along that coast line.
It's surprising there is so much junk in the sea . On the other hand when we throw so many things away , what do we expect.
ReplyDeleteJohn--As always, wonderful photos! But what makes your blog special is the included commentary. I always enjoy the details you write about, little and big, and your thoughts about things. I especially liked learning more about Haystack rock and flotsam and jetsam. Did you see any cougars on Haystack rock when you were there?
ReplyDeletewow your stay in Oregon sounds wonderful dear John !
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing the link about atmospheric rivers ,i was totally unaware of this so thanks again !
winters cold restricts the movement no doubt but you are still managing to enjoy the days that makes me happy :)
the haystack rock seems quite high ,72 mile high from sea level ? ?
if yes then it is wonder indeed and worth watching .thanks for sharing about this s well .
your hotel room has awesome beach view and fire provides warmth to looking eyes even as demands the cold view
beautiful bird ! gender does not matter :)
blessings!
We are polluting the ocean at an incredible rate, and show no real resolve to stop doing it. We will surely be the architects of our own demise.
ReplyDeleteHello John :=)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you were able to stay a few days at the Stephanie Inn in Canon Beach Oregon, which has wonderful sea views. How decadent to eat toasted marsh mellows whilst watching the waves rolling in, :=) I love this naughty but nice idea! The sea stack is huge, and at low tide i would love to explore those tide pools.The debris however saddens me.
All the best
Sonjia.
All the best
Thanks for the definitions of flotsam and jetsam.
ReplyDeleteLove your glorious photos as always, John.
Happy Thursday!
It can be very nice to have a few days away.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your photographs and like the look of Haystack Rock.
We are polluting our oceans, it is so sad to see the debris.
All the best Jan
PS I like your closing thought :)
I can't imagine a more beautiful setting for roasting marshmallows!! Thanks so much for your kind words on my blog, and thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting place to visit! One of the places on my bucket list is to see the lighthouses..I don't know where exactly, but nevertheless I'm gonna find them! I love that rock, very cool.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have never been along the Oregon Coast, I am familiar with Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. A few times over the past few years, I wondered about visiting that area. I oogled over the sights and googled about going there but never made it happen. Maybe one day! I enjoy collecting beach glass when I get the opportunity to walk along a beach, I guess beach glass could be either flotsam or jetsam, both words are new to me! Your get-away sounds delightful and to experience that view while roasting marshmallows looks like true bliss!
ReplyDelete...I have been to Cannon Beach a number of tim and Haystack was the first monolith that I had seen. Thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeleteHello John,
ReplyDeleteI do love the Oregon coastline and beaches. Canon Beach was a favorite of mine. walking on the beach is one of my simple pleasures. Great captures of the gulls. When we were there the Gulls seemed to be nesting all around the Haystack Rock. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
I am so disappointed with humanity. Makes me ashamed to belong to the human race. We seemed so privileged, that we don't even clean up after ourselves. We expect others to do it, but there are not enough others to counteract laziness. Toasted marshmallows have an allure about themselves that draw you to desire them :) It looks like you had a lovely vacation with a bit of drmatic weather. I watched a storm on the ocean once through the windows of a restaurant and it was quite dramatic. I loved it. I know you have a love of the seas, and I'm glad you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteDear John,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to wish you a beautiful Holiday season filled with love.
Take care and enjoy.
Yvonne
I like that last quote. When I walk on the paved trails, I meet people riding bikes and I always wave and smile. Most everyone speaks and smiles back...it makes my walk so much nicer. This was a beautiful place to spend time. I've seen Haystack Rock in photos before! How wonderful to see it in person! Merry Christmas my friend!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful spot to walk, sit and think, read a book; or perhaps I'll take my knitting with me. Enjoyed your pictures and your informative post. Amazing how much stuff you found, and I agree it's sad. People are lazy I think in part. You know the number of carts you find in a parking lot vs people walking them to the designated area, or better yet take them back into the store and get a few extra steps. It's a pet peeve of mine. Whenever I shop, I grab two carts to take inside with me, use one and return it inside. The people who drop something on the beach and don't pick it up to throw out once they get back home or to their hotel room etc...lazy. Likewise if you're drinking a beverage, carry the empty bottle back with you. During a visit several months back to Hilton Head in South Carolina I spotted a tree looking thing with buckets attached encouraging people to take a bucket as they walked the beach and bring back to properly re-cycle or toss out what you find, and leave the bucket for another person. Spotted you on a mutual friends blog and thought I'd pop in for a visit. It's always fun to meet new bloggers.
ReplyDeleteTraveling Suitcase
I've been to Cannon Beach and of course I do know the famous Haystack Rock - it is quite impressive and I did enjoy walking along the beach there. It was a foggy day, so typical for the Oregon Beach. I wasn't too impressed with Cannon Beach otherwise, it's a bit too touristy for me. But I do love the Oregon Coast - we love to stay in Bandon which is more to the South. We visited Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, and I loved the view from there both to Haystack Rock and to the Tillamook Lighthouse. Since it was a foggy day it was very atmospheric - I really like that kind of mood and that's why I like your photos here so much. "Real" Oregon!
ReplyDeleteIf money is no issue, I'd definitely choose a home close to a magnificent view like this and have a firepit outside. How wonderful it must be for yo to be there. Happy holidays, John! I appreciate you.
ReplyDeletePasaba a desearte una feliz navidad para ti y tu familia.
ReplyDeleteThat is the sort of beach I'd love to walk along with my camera.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a captivating getaway at The Stephanie Inn! Despite the unexpected weather, the allure of the ocean's edge is always mesmerizing. Your experience adds an adventurous twist to the beauty of Cannon Beach, Oregon. Thanks for sharing your journey! Visit https://www.melodyjacob.com. Wishing you a joyful Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a season filled with joy, laughter, and the embrace of loved ones. May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace, happiness, and cherished moments that sparkle throughout the year. Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year, John!
ReplyDeleteHallo, John, beatiful place, I like sea very much. The seagull in the photo is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!