Over Memorial Weekend, we stayed in Yachats at the family house. We spent a large majority of the weekend working on yard chores, but we did take a good break Sunday for a little forest research.
Cape Perpetua is situated a few miles south of Yachats along Hwy 101. There are numerous trails and a great visitor center open year round. We chose a short trail out to the Giant Sitka Spruce. We encountered numerous dogs and people but Moby coped extremely well. I think there were so many other distractions, he wasn’t concerned with what was passing by. Below are a couple of shots of the Giant Spruce.
This particular tree happens to be around 550 years old. It started life growing on top of another dead tree (nurse log). It had reached a height of 225 feet when, in 1962, a huge windstorm blew off about 35 feet. It still remains an impressive tree!
The one thing I can say about our forests is that every square inch is covered by something. Fungi to mosses to woody shrubs to trees. Life is in constant renewal.
More trees growing over stumps or logs. Eventually they might even reach the same size and girth as the Heritage tree. Wood Sorrel, ferns, moss, liverworts, lichens, huckleberry, salmon berry, thimble berry, salal…. the list goes on and on for plants. Below are images of the wild Lily of the Valley, Wood Sorrel, and Deer Fern.
After negotiating the trails, we headed north to Newport for lunch out on the dock. Dave had to replace a cable on an oceanographic instruments moored off a boat in the Yaquina estuary (part of his job). Moby had a series of learning experiences: ropes tied to the dock are not out to kill him, jumping on/off a boat that shifts position is a serious challenge! (All I could think of was “Mind the Gap” one hears in the London Tube) He managed all that plus waiting patiently with me while Dave purchased crab. The shop was situated along the waterfront in old town where scores of people walked by. Pretty stressful for him, but he did an excellent job. We’ll have to practice that more on a different trip.
Now I get to sit back and try to figure out what to glean from the forest trip. So many ideas….
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 
Oh I enjoyed your Sunday adventures. Looking at your pictures reminded me how much I miss the west coast especially the thick rich forests. There is nothing quite like them, the soft ground, the rich air and the thick foliage. And to end your day on a boat! Moby looks so happy! Yes “mind the gap”!
Did you grow up in California or just live on the west coast for a while?
What a great weekend, and Moby seems pleased to have shared it. Love the shots of wild plants as well. For some reason I thought the house at Yachats had sold, glad it is there to enjoy. Does Dave take a Geiger counter along, back here we hear about stuff from Fukushima, I hope not, it is so beautiful there. I too miss the West Coast, at least that part of it, from San Francisco north. Thanks for sharing the joy of it all.
Things are making their way across the ocean, but nothing large. There was a fish that made the journey, but not radioactive.
Yes, we are keeping the coast house as both a family place and rental (eventually). It had been 6 months since I was last there. Way too long a break.
Glad you enjoyed the photos. You’re always welcome if you want to make a trip out. 🙂
Thanks, I should do that, need to bring Lisa. 🙂
Wow what an amazing place. Thanks for sharing x
🙂
That is a stunning tree – isn’t nature wonderful? The whole area looks so lush and rich. And Moby does look happy! Good he survived the stressors.
He’s such a noodle-head of a dog. I wish I could get to the bottom of all his mental issues… maybe someday!
Too big of a job, then you’d have to start on the rest of us.
What an amazing place, thanks for taking us along. Wild lily of the Valley was a exciting discovery for me, plus all the other great plants. Moby must have had a great day and all good learning perhaps. I had a Weimarana x once and though gorgeous was such a goof head you were never sure what he was going to do. Karen
I’m always blown away by the amount of plant diversity in the coastal rainforest. So many things to consider and now I need to start pulling together my main thoughts for the final piece. It’s still rather loosely defined in my brain.