Seaside Oregon

The entire North Coast of Oregon is a showcase of natural beauty that is difficult or impossible to equal in the United States. Seaside is a small city that attracts a lot of visitors and during the vacation season it is transformed from a sluggish community of a few thousand local inhabitants to a congested haven for those seeking the chance to get away and have contact with the natural world or to just get away from it all. There are races and volley ball tournaments and many other events that draw people to the area.

Tillamook Head is a dominant feature in the area. It is impossible to miss. The link explains a lot about it.

This is a short video of the beach at Seaside and Tillamook head.
The huge rock formation jutting into the ocean is the result of repeated catastrophic volcanic activity and subsequent lava flows that occurred over many years, beginning, by some estimates as long ago as 16 million years and 300 miles upstream near Idaho. The city and the state have provided a wonderful medium for enjoying these natural features by allowing unlimited access to the beach for recreation.

(Click on photos to enlarge them.)

The major attraction of Seaside is the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding natural features as well as planned events. One of them is the relay race from Mount Hood to the sea at Seaside. It is officially named the "Hood to Coast Relay" A team from 2006 is featured here. This is a race comprising almost 200 miles. It fills the highways and people come and enjoy themselves.

On the beach you'll find many things to delight you...

like this western Sandpiper,

as well as other neat things
the ocean produces.

Seagulls reflecting in the tidal water
give you the opportunity
to see the beauty in the commonplace.

I have no idea what these curious looking birds are named.

None the less I enjoyed them
just the same. Not having a name to label them with did not detract
from my pleasure.

The Pacific is constantly in motion just like the universe it exists in;
it is constantly heaving its contents up on the shore.
I was struck by the beauty of the ordinary, the bits and pieces on the sand.
Nothing stays the same. Everything is becoming something else.




Kelp.

Pieces broken on the shore.

This poor little guy has lost his hands.

Drift wood.

Sand dollars.

Sunlight images.






And there are those who come for the razor clams.


These are a sought after delicacy. If you like fresh off the boat or right out of the ocean sea food, the Oregon North Coast is the place to come. Restaurants will post the time the fish came in that day.
I recommend Doogers There are several locations and each offers a relaxing and satisfying place to eat.

The locals do not generally use the 'clam gun' as it can damage the clams. They use a shovel. But the 'clam guns' are sold in local stores and they do work. You can see a 'clam gun' in use in the photograph below.



This young lady with the University of Oregon sweatshirt holds a small specimen. Someone out further is looking for more.

Then there are those who just come for fun.

Kite flying (video)

Kite flying is a common pastime on the beach. Theres always a breeze and theres always the sound of the surf and water at your feet.

And volley Ball.

The Promenade is a unique feature in Oregon. It stretches almost 2 miles (approximately 8000 feet) along the beach front. It offers on one side the ocean and on the other side the rental properties for visitors. It is charming to say the least.















I stayed for 20 days on 9th Avenue within eyesight and earshot of the ocean and the 'Prom' was a few steps from my door.

This is the 'turn around' at the end of Broadway. The Mount Hood relay finishes up here. The statue is in memory of the Lewis and Clark expedition which ended here at that time, but is continued on in the spirit that sent them on their journey. They are depicted looking west as if to say: "There's more and we want it." That was my thought, anyhow, after seeing how things have worked out since their visit.

But the 'Prom'
is a lot of fun.
I'm sure the ocean will
enchant you
in the same way it
has captured my mind.

And then theres the locals. They enjoy it too.



At the end of the day it's a place to go and empty your mind.


















Enjoy the sunsets.

Think about it all and you might just decide to disappear into the mist (video) and stay there forever.


Text photographs and video Copyright 2008 David H. Roche. External links to things not created by me are the property of those who created them.

Dinner at Green Shutters (Lovers, an interlude on a summer afternoon)

(Click on Photo for detail)

Dinner in the patio,
the afternoon sun creates a maze on the grass

leaving me lost in the spackle of sunlight and shadows
lost in fish fries and coffee.

Soft breezes in the shade,
a chipmunk plays in the cavities of a stone wall,
disappearing and reappearing at a location further down.

The waitress, just out of high school in shorts
with tanned legs, sweet rounded hips and breasts swelling
beneath her tee shirt has been taught
the technique of flirting for tips without understanding what it means.

A couple my age,
he, gray haired, hers dyed, sip wine at another table.
He rises with a camera and kneels,
while she, in a white pleated skirt, adjusts herself as he takes the picture.

Memories to be kept.
They are lovely and enjoying each other.

Now they’re gone
and two young boys sit down and begin to flirt with the waitress.

Photograph and text Copyright 2008 David H. Roche