DAY 41 - PORT ORFORD & SOUTH

PORT ORFORD, OREGON US 101 MAIN STREET LOOKING WEST

MANY OREGON SMALL TOWNS HAVE ELEGANT PUBLIC LIBRARIES...A GOOD SIGN OF LOOKING INTO THE PAST TO HELP THE FUTURE.

PORT ORFORD BAY, LOOKING SOUTH...US 101 GOES AROUND THAT DISTANT CAPE.

CLICK CLICK...NOTICE THE MANY ROCKS OUT IN THE OCEAN...THE CAPE USED TO REACH OUT - AND BEYOND THOSE ROCKS...HAS TAKEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO ERODE SO MUCH AWAY.

OREGON CLAY. DIFFERENCE COLOR FROM WASHINGTON STATE CLAY, BUT OF SIMILAR ILK. A GOOD EARCHQUAKE AND THIS SOIL LIQUIFIES.

THE RECENT EARTHQUATE IN CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND, WHERE I VISITED RECENTLY, LIQUIFIED A GOOD PORTION OF THE LAND UNDER THE CITY, WHICH IS LARGELY BUILT ON "MORAINE"...LOSE SOIL DEPOSITED BY GLACIER OR RIVER FLOWS CARRYING LOOSLY PACKED SOIL INTO "ESTUARIES"- LIKE OUR PACIFIC NORTHWEST CLAYS, THESE SOILS TEND TO LIQUIFY WHEN EARTHQUAKES SET UP VIBRATIONS DURING THE SHAKING.

SOMEWHERE I READ...BEST TO BUILD ON ROCK...STAY AWAY FROM THE SAND.

OREGON DOT (DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION) OFTEN SPRAYS CONCRETE ONTO UNSTABLE HILLSIDES, TRYING TO STOP THEM FROM FALLING DOWN ONTO THE ROADWAY. IN SOME PLACES, THE CONCRETE COATING ABOVE IS CRACKING AND CRUMBLING ANYWAY...BUT IS OFTEN TIMES EFFECTIVE...

CHUCKANUT BAY ROAD SOUTH OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON, HAS LOTS OF SPRAYED-ON CONCRETE HOLDING BACK UNSTABLE SOIL.

NOTICE HOW ROCKY THE BEACH IS...SINCE WE PASSED CAPE BLANCO, THE SAND DUNES STOPPED. UP NORTH, THAT SAND COVERED ALL THE ROCKS, LEAVING WIDE SANDY BEACHES...BELOW CAPE BLANCO, NO MORE COLUMBIA RIVER SAND; I.E., ROCKY BEACHES.

IN THE DISTANCE IS A STORM CELL CLOSING ON THE SHORELINE.

ALSO, NOTICE THE ROCKS FAR FROM LAND...THESE ARE THE REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT SHORELINE...NOW ERODED AWAY.

HUMBUG MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN HIDDEN IN LOW HANGING CLOUDS...I HAVE NOT SEEN THE TOP. IT IS SO STEEP ON THE WATER SIDE, US 101 GOES AROUND BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN.

HUMBUG MOUNTAIN JOINS THE SEA...ALREADY, THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF POUNDING FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN WAVES HAS ERODED AWAY A GOOD BIT OF THE MOUNTAIN...SOME ROCKS ARE MANY MILES OUT TO SEA...AN INDICATION OF MASSIVE EROSION OVER THE YEARS.

PORT ORFORD BAY...LOOKING NORTH FROM US 101

REMAINS OF ANCIENT CAPES...FAR OUT TO SEA.

THE VERTICAL DARK LINES ARE "RAIN" FALLING FROM THOSE CLOUDS. A FEW MINUTES LATER, I WAS BEING POUNDED. THESE "SQUAWLS" LAST ONLY 10 MINUTES OR SO AND MOVE ON...ONLY TO BE REPLACED WITH A HALF HOUR WITH ANOTHER.

THIS IS A COLD WEATHER FRONT RAPIDLY APPROACHING ME...A FEW MINUTES AFTER TAKING THIS PHOTOGRAPH, I WAS POUNDED BY HAIL FROM THAT FRONT.

JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SCENE FROM THE OREGON COAST

LOOKING SOUTH FROM US 101...ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF PORT ORFORD, OREGON

A DISTANT WEATHER FRONT...THE PREVAILING WIND IS FROM THE RIGHT OF THIS PHOTOGRAPH, SO THIS WEATHER FRONT HAS ALREADY PASSED WHERE I NOW STAND

OPHIR, OREGON SCHOOL. MET "DAN", CARETAKER OF THIS FACILITY. IN 1998, IT WAS CLOSED AS A SCHOOL FOREVER. UP TO THAT TIME, IT SERVED K THRU 12 YEARS AND ACCORDING TO DAN, HAD THE HIGHEST SCHOLASTIC RECORD OF THE ENTIRE STATE OF OREGON...

TODAY, IT IS EMPTY. IT HAD 12 SCHOOL ROMES...ONE FOR EACH GRADE. A "THRIFT SHOP" IS TRYING TO MAKE IT AT THE MOMENT USING ALL VOLUNTEER HELP. DAN SAYS THERE IS "NO" WORK AT ALL IN OPHIR. MANY ARE TRYING TO SELL THEIR HOMES. HE SURVIVES DOING ODD JOBS FOR HIS MANY FRIENDS, BUT WITH PRICE OF GASOLINE APPROACHING $4.00 PER GALLON, HIS ODD JOBS ARE DWINDLING.

THINGS ARE NOT OPTOMISTIC FOR OPHIR, OREGON.

MARSH FROM THE CAUSEWAY OF US 101, LOOKING WEST TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

US 101 BY-PASSING OPHIR, OREGON. I WALKED THE "OLD" COAST HIGHWAY THIS AFTERNOON FOR 3 OR 4 MILES...NICE HOMES...MOSTLY FARM LAND AND VACATION HOMES...GOT CHASED BY A COUPLE DOGS. CALMLY TOLD THEM TO MIND THER MANNERS AND GO HOME...THE LOOKED AT ME, TURNED AROUND, AND WITH A FEW MORE "WOOFS", WALKED BACK HOME.

A "VIEW" HOME ON THE "OLD" OREGON COAST ROAD AT OPHIR, ORGON. PACIFIC OCEAN IS TO THE LEFT...MOUNTAINS TO THE RIGHT.

BUT, ANYONE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT FROM THE WAY THE TREES ARE SHAPED.

PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK THE PHOTOGRAPHS...

Started Yesterday parked at the RV Park in Port Orford, Oregon. Before sunrise, walked BACK North on US 101 for the two miles I came up short two days ago, and return to SPIA...did not stop, but continued through town and an additional 2 hours South. Returning, a really BIG Rig - monster pickup and horse trailer combination stopped for me...it was RAINING very hard and Mary felt sorry for me out there...thank you Mary. Mary is from GOLD BEACH, OREGON, wher I will walk tomorrow.

And...I owe Ray Johnson an apology. Ray offered me a ride a couple days ago and I failed to mention his name...we had a pleasant chat when he dropped me off at SPIA...Take Care, Ray.

Since Mary gave me back over an hour (because I didn't have to walk back to SPIA), decided to use that time to clean up SPIA and wash all the Bed Duvets. Nice to snuggle with nice smelling covers.

Said goodbye and thanks to the RV Folks. Drove SPIA out to near HUMBUG MOUNTAIN and parked. Walked out another 5 miles when Scott stopped and offered me a ride...he likes speed and we zipped past SPIA...not at all flustered, he made a "U" and delivered me within 5 feet of SPIA...thanks, Scott, and safe driving...

Drove around Humbug Mountain...as it is vertical into the sea, no road goes there...instead, US 101 goes inland around the mountain. Parked on the other side...walked back a mile or so and return...kept going South another 4 miles and walked back.

Moved SPIA to my old Favorite, PREHISTORIC GARDENS. Kiki wanted $10.00 to look around...I didn't have $10.00, but did chat with Kiki for a while. She said she would not open tomorrow because of the snow storm and suggested I head for GOLD BEACH, OREGON.

Decided to take Kiki's advice and drove South another 4 miles, finding a great spot in the abandoned parking lot of a "closed" school in the village of OPHIR, OREGON...there is no business open...just abandoned buildings. Walked South of US 101 for 3 miles and back on the OLD US 101 to SPIA.

I give all this narrative now, as there is not enough Verizon Signal to upload pics...takes nearly 5 minutes for one...usually takes 30 - 45 seconds. Will upload the rest later in the day - provided Kiki's snowstorm does not strand us here.

FINALLY, AT 0546 HOURS, RECEIVED ENUF SIGNAL TO PUT UP ONE PHOTO...MEET REX...A FRIEND OF MINE SINCE ...OH, ABOUT 1953. REX AND FRIENDS ARE LOCATED AT "PREHISTORIC GARDENS" ON US 101 NEAR OPHIR, OREGON, WHERE SPIA IS JUST AWAKING FROM A LONG RAINY NIGHT...BUT "NO SNOW"


SINCE THE VERIZON SIGNAL IS SO WEAK, WILL POST NOW AND FINISH WHEN WE MOVE TO A BETTER LOCATION...PERHAPS GOLD BEACH, OREGON.


AT 6:30, WILL WALK BACK TO REX, ABOUT 4 MILES NORTH AND RETURN TO SPIA...ALREADY WALKED OUT 6 MILES SOUTH YESTERDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE DECIDING TO STAY HERE...A NUMBER OF FOLKS PREDICTED WE WOULD BE "SNOWED IN" BY THIS MORNING, SO WE PICKED OUR SPOT TO STAY THE NIGHT CAREFULLY.