Morning Beach Walk

(Continuing the recap of my Southern Oregon Coast trip in late April....)

After a fine afternoon and evening exploring the beaches of lovely Bandon, Oregon, I awoke early the next morning, ready for more.

Flowers on the bluff

Sadly it was the last day of my Southern Oregon coast trip, and I was facing a long 5-hour drive home.  But I had one final morning and aimed to make the best of it.

Table Rock dotted with seabirds

I drove back to the beaches near Coquille Point, and parked at the terminus of a dead-end street.  A paved walking path connected here and led down to the beach.  From up on the bluff, I got a great view of flat-topped Table Rock, dotted with seabirds.

Close encounter of the feathery kind

As I wound my way down the switchbacking path, I came face to face with a bird sitting in the tall grass.  The little guy held still long enough for a couple of photos.

Scenic place to sit

Flowers were blooming along the side of the bluff.  Morning light illuminated them nicely.  I passed a well-placed bench.  What a great vantage to sit and watch the crashing waves!

Tidepool view

I hadn't paid attention to the tide tables, so was delighted to discover I'd arrived at low tide.  Instantly, I headed towards the rocks nearest the water.  Usually inundated, low tide had left their bases high and dry.

Open anemone

The receding water had exposed all kinds of interesting sea creatures.  Like these funny green, spiky anemone.

Seastar

And seastars!  In bright orange and purple.

Seastar doing the splits

Some sort of disease had been killing off seastars along the West coast for the past few years, so I was happy to spot several clinging to the rock's undersides.  Hopefully this means they are making a comeback.

Lots of life hidden under the rocks!

When anemones are exposed to air, their spiky tops disappear and the entire body morphs into a long, green slimy tube.  They look like creatures from outer space!

Birds flying everywhere

At that early hour, I was pleased to find there weren't many people on the beach.  I did run into a lady with her dog, and we kept meeting at the same tidepools.  We'd point out interesting starfish and other finds to each other.

A seal!

After a few meetings, I again caught up to the lady.  She pointed out a seal sitting on a nearby rock.  Jazzed by such a find, I whipped out my camera and zoomed in as close as I could.  But I only managed two shots before her dog also made the discovery.  Off-leash, her dog ran towards the seal at top speed, barking loudly.  Of course, this spooked the seal who quickly slipped into the water and was gone.

Dramatic ocean views

I couldn't believe the lady didn't have the sense to restrain her dog!  That was the end of being friendly to her.  Shocked and disappointed, I distanced myself.  Looking back I probably should've said something.  I'm pretty sure allowing your dog to harass wildlife is against the law.

More tidepool life

I spent the next hour wandering around the tidepools, looking for more colorful creatures (and hoping the seal would return.  He didn't).

Lone seastar on the rocks

This section of coastline was so beautiful.  The offshore rocks created some impressive scenery.

Loved these sea stacks

The low tide enabled me to get much closer to the rocks that I ordinarily would.

Starfish buddies

After a couple of hours, the world began waking up, and more people began to appear on the beach. Solitude gone, I began having to wait for people to move out of my frame.

Lots of stuff to see

That, coupled with a growling stomach and chilly hands and feet (it was cold and windy out there!) made me decide it was time for breakfast at my favorite bakery, the Bandon Baking Company.  They make the best white chocolate chip cranberry cookies!  I ordered a breakfast burrito and a half dozen of those cookies (which were nearly gone by the time I arrived home).

One final view

Another wonderful long weekend on the Oregon coast!  I explored new territory and revisited a few old favorites.  Time to bid this area goodbye -  until next spring (if not sooner......)