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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Opting Outside

This year REI started a campaign in which they closed their store on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) and gave all their employees the day off with pay.  They also urged others to 'opt outside' instead of shopping. The State of Oregon also decided to waive all parking fees at any State Park for the day.

Friday morning the temperature in Corvallis was below freezing at 20˚F (-6.6˚C). While that was not encouraging for motorcycling, we did opt to get outside anyway.  We chose to take the Fiat and drive to the coast where the high temperatures were forecast to be at least 50˚F (10˚C).

Our destination was Lincoln City.  A group gets together a few times a year and hides glass floats on the beaches - they call them "glass art drops".  There were 100 glass floats to be hidden for Thanksgiving.

(Corvallis , OR to Lincoln City, OR via Hwy 99w and Hwy 22)
We took the route in the screenshot above and arrive in Lincoln City about 1 pm.  We stopped at the Jasmine Thai restaurant for lunch.  It wasn't great, but at least they have vegan options when you ask them to omit the egg.

After lunch we tried looking for beach access that wasn't too busy.  No such luck and we weren't willing to brave the crowds to search for the floats.  We drove a little south on Highway 101 and stopped at a State Park in Gleneden Beach where we watched the ocean and took a few pictures. I was surprised at how loud the waves were when breaking.

(Pacific Ocean at Gleneden, OR)

(Looking southwest at Gleneden, OR)
After a few minutes we went a little further south and Troubadour turned down a side road towards the beach.  We parked and watched two surfers paddle in the water.

(A surfer, just south of Gleneden, OR - photo taken through tinted windshield)
Further south we drove until we arrived at Fogarty Creek State Park.  A place we've never stopped in all the times we've driven Hwy 101.  There weren't too many cars in the parking lot, which was promising.  After parking it is a short walk along the creek and under Hwy 101 to the beach. Luckily the tide was on its way out.

(Looking southwest at Fogarty Creek State Park)

(Looking North at Fogarty Creek State Park)

(Starfish in the tide pool)

(Troubadour showing off his find - he put it back in the water just after the picture)

(A second starfish was also spotted by Troubadour)

(My Oakleys were no match for the bright sunshine - and yes I cut off my long hair back in January)

(Troubadour went for a climb)

(I zoomed out for scale - this is the same rock formation as in the first pic I took at this beach)

(Sun starting to go down)
As the sun began its descent, we started retreating inland and to the north to get back into the sunshine.  We seem to have found the 'golden hour', as Dom would call it.

(Troubadour spooking a seagull)

(the ebb and flow of the tide)

(Shadow play)

(Notice the concrete support pillars and that the fence on the left is just hanging)

(Starting to see some nice reflections on the water)

(Troubadour takes a break)

(Interesting caves eroded into the cliffside)

(Looking north- we eventually sat on the medium rock in the foreground to watch the sunset)

(Trees surviving in the wind and salt spray)

(The Pacific Ocean at Fogarty Creek State Park)

(Trobairitz and Troubadour)

(Seagull carrying around a starfish)

(The colors really starting to show)



(Thinking of Bobskoot - we had to take a shoe picture)

(When zoomed in the colors are brighter with the Canon)

(Troubadour by the sea)

(Troubadour had the idea to take a picture through my polarized Oakley lenses)

(Getting lower.......)



(Going......)

(Going.......)

(Gone!)

(Almost back at the parking lot)
As we were walking back to the parking lot we marveled that the sun we had just watch set on Friday at 4:30 - 5:00 pm was the same sun that folks in New Zealand were seeing at 12:30 - 1:00 pm on Saturday. Now that is amazing.

Back in the parking lot we saw the bridge below and the signs for the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT). The OCT is a hiking route along the Pacific Coast in Oregon approximately 425 miles in length. MAP

(Wooden bridge with Oregon Coast Trail sign)

(Close up of the bridge/sign)
We headed south into Newport so that we could stop at Starbucks for hot chai tea soy lattes.  A nice way to end the day.  Traffic was surprisingly light on the way home via Highway 20.  We arrived home about 6:30 pm and the temperatures had once again dipped down below freezing.

(Our route from Lincoln City home to Corvallis via Newport)
The rest of the weekend saw overnight lows in the 20s and high temperatures in the low 40's. We did not get outside much.  Saturday we went to coffee and ran a few errands and Sunday we bummed around the house and went and fetched groceries.

I am happy to report our temperatures have finally returned to normal for this time of year (lows in the 40's).  Good timing since the rains have returned.

- Au Revoir

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." - Edward Sandford Martin
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42 comments:

  1. Beautiful sunset photos! Isn't it nice to have the ocean to the west? (For the nice sunsets!)

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    1. Thanks Richard, and yes we are very lucky to have the ocean to the west. When we head to the beach we always like to stay until sunset for that reason. We don't see the beauty of the sunsets in the valley very often.

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  2. Wonderful photos Brandy and quite moving. Late autumn always makes me a bit introspective as things slow down. Your comment about the same sun in NZ triggered thoughts about Neil Diamond's lyrics
    "And each one there, has one thing shared:
    They have sweated beneath the same sun,
    Looked up in wonder at the same moon,
    And wept when it was all done.
    For being done too soon."

    Goes with the photos beautifully!

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    1. Thank you Geoff. We love Neil Diamond, but neither of us had heard that song, so thank you.

      People of the world need to remember we all live under the same sun and moon.

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  3. A sweep of open sand, cliffs and waves. I have been feeling nostalgia for the west coast since my wife got back from that part of the world. But I have not left Florida in so long I think a journey anywhere, even to 20 degrees, might get my pulse racing. Looking at pictures- next best thing. And good pictures too.

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the photos. Luckily the weather has warmed up and the rains have returned. It is a soggy 47 degrees this morning (a wonderful low temperature). Come on over.

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  4. Absolutely gorgeous!! I can't imagine a more beautiful and fitting Black Friday than the one you two shared along the calm seacoast. REI's announcement was a surprise though not really. We're all lucky that you guys followed through.

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    1. Thank you Doug. We might have rather been on two wheels, but it turned out to be a pretty nice day anyway. Sitting with hubby and watching the sunset, can't complain about that.

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  5. Having always lived near the west coast I think it would be weird to see the sunrise over the ocean, but the Conchscooter never seems to mind and he has beautiful pictures. Must be time for you to vacation on the west coast.

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  6. Beautiful photos - there's nothing like a sunset over the sea.

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    1. Thank you. Can't complain about living an hour from the ocean. I bet you have seen your share of sunsets over the water as well.

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    2. I'm less than 20 miles from the coast but sunsets like your photos are rare because of cloud cover.

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    3. It sounds like we have fairly close to the same climate. The last time we were at the coast a cloud bank came in about 3 pm and it turned cold. No sunset that day.

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    4. Your pictures have inspired me to try to photograph a sunset over the sea from Irvine or Ayr. I'll have to be patient and watch the weather forecast because clear conditions are rare at this time of year.

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    5. Cool. Looking forward to seeing the results.

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  7. That park is a gem! Gorgeous! And love the sunset photos. It's been years since I've seen a live starfish. How cool!

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    1. It is a little hidden gem. We've never noticed it before. Come back to Oregon and we'll take you tide pooling for starfish and all kinds of anemones.

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  8. How wonderful... especially the sunset (with feet). You pics help me coping with my longing for ocean. Thanks, Brandy, you made my day.

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    1. If you have to be landlocked at least you have beautiful forest around you. Glad we could brighten your day.

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  9. Nice beach scenery pics....for a split-second there, on that first pic of you with the short hair, I thought it was a picture of SonjaM! ;)

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    1. Thanks Dom. Sonja and I have notice we could pass for sisters. We feel like soul sisters when we get together, so it is good we look alike too.

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  10. Such beautiful pics......:-). I really enjoyed this!

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  11. Trobairitz, it appears that you and Troubadour chose wisely. In fact, I think that y'all earned extra Opt Outside Points for avoiding the busy beach. (I've heard that Opt Outside Points are redeemable for goods and services at participating REI stores.)

    All of your photos are lovely, of course, but I think that your (Troubadour by the sea) pic is especially nice: It's a fine balance, and a human silhouette always adds a little something special to an image.

    Your observation about the sun can make one feel a bit sad for it: That poor, old, flaming ball of gasses and whatnot never gets no time off... Good for us, I guess.

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    1. Points for opting out? I didn't know that, we were just trying to avoid as many people as possible.

      The picture of Troubadour's silhouette was my favorite as well.

      No, the sun never gets a day off. Good thing it is a ball of energy.

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    2. With Santa Claus coming to town, and since he knows if I've been good or bad, I better fess up...

      I might have sorta kinda made up that whole Opt Outside Points thing. I'm sorry if I misled anyone.

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    3. I figured you did. What fun we could have with points though. I think you are safe with Santa.

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  12. Beautiful photos Brandy, you did well with taking the one's into the sun. None of mine ever turn out when I do that.
    It sure is chilly in your neck of the woods.

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    1. Thank you Steve. I took over 200 pictures, trust me, they didn't all turn out. Luckily the little Canon camera does a pretty good job of it.

      We've not warmed up to 46˚F (7.7˚C) as a morning low and it is deluging out there now. Not bad for fall, doesn't turn winter until about December 21st.

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  13. That is indeed a perfect day. Thank you for sharing the beauty. And the glass art drops sound like so much fun. How very West Coast. Charming.

    Winter in Oregon can feel like being wrapped in a wet sheet while standing in a meat locker.

    Your new hair style is great and very attractive for you.

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    1. Thanks Martha for the kind words.

      Oregon climate has definitely changed over the years, even just the 15 years we've been here. More cold spells in the winter and drier hotter weather in the summer. Sure we get scads of rain, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as it used to be. Maybe we have just become acclimated.

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    2. If that keeps up (plus more of your revolutionary and sensible laws) I just might be coming back.

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  14. What a great outing and lots of wonderful images as well.

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    1. Thanks Theo. Not the caliber of photos that you take, but not bad for a little point and shoot.

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  15. Very nice. A beautiful day well enjoyed! Thank you for sharing! :)

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  16. Wonderful pictures Brandy. One however jumped out of my screen and ran round the room for a while before settling back done in place. The one with your short hair! I love it. So different from what I was used to seeing. Got the card BTW, many thanks. :-)

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    1. In a few weeks it will be a year since I cut my hair. While it is liberating and very low maintenance, it is still odd at times not to have it there.

      Glad you received the card. You never know with the post office.

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  17. A nice day....but WOW...that orange ball thing in the (BLUE) sky....I'm jealous! (We've had Lots of CLOUDY days here lately..) :)

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    1. We didn't know it at the time, but we were in for some heavy rains. It rained for 3 weeks straight starting Dec 1st. Good thing we went to the beach on Thanksgiving.

      Hopefully you'll see the sun in the new year.

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  18. What perfectly lovely pictures. The Seagull with the starfish is fantastic, and I like the reference to Bobscoot, even if not the famous Pink Clogs.
    Happy New Year you two.

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