SOUTHERN OREGON: DAY 2, LONE RANCH BEACH AND FACE ROCK

 September 4, 2020

We had been so swept off our feet by the Oregon beaches that we decided to spend a few more hours at Lone Ranch Beach before going north. 

A quote from the author D. H. Lawrence perfectly describes our morning meanderings: "That's the place to get to--nowhere. One wants to wander away from the world's somewheres into our own nowhere."  

There is something about having the sounds of human life wiped out by the sounds of waves and gulls.  We had plenty of time to just wander up and down the beach with no real agenda except to see what was around us.

To start, I'm not sure I've ever seen a concentration of mussels quite this dense.

I love the patterns in sand made by living things--seaweed for the first photo, but what do you think made the pattern in the second photo? Maybe a snail? Perhaps a twisted strand of seaweed? 

There were patterns everywhere I looked. This looks like a shattered windshield--a very muddy one.

Just like the land, the sea produces a diverse host of colorful plants.

Bob the Explorer and Bob the Photographer in his element:

Now I know where Dale Chihuly got some of his inspiration for his magnificent glass sculptures. Doesn't this sea anemone look like his work?

This sea star reminds me of an exhausted mother who has just flung herself on her bed for a nap.

Whoa. Way to break the mood. What is this . . . THING doing here?

Someone felt the need to landscape the beach, but I am not sure why when nature's landscaping is so perfect.

Bob's yellow shirt matched the wildflowers. Somehow, however, he just didn't blend in.

What is Bob focusing his lens on, out there in the chilly water? Whatever it is, it is staring back at him:

An extraterrestrial sea creature? 

Aww, just some cute harbor seals who had no inclination to come any closer to us.

Well, all that meandering had made us hungry. We got back on Highway 101 and headed north to Port Orford, where we wandered into a place called The Crazy Norwegian's Fish & Chips.

Raw oysters are an acquired taste, and I have definitely acquired it. These were fat and juicy and buttery, the kind that slip smoothly over your tongue and down your throat. We also shared an order of crab cakes and some fried oysters.

Yep. This wandering thing is definitely the way to go.

Later in the day, we went to Face Rock Beach. There were some impressive access points to get down to the beach, and some beautiful flowers along the way.

We saw a few more people there enjoying their own wandering excursions.

But you couldn't call the beach crowded by any stretch of the imagination.

This is the rock that gives this beach its name. Can you see the face?

Some of the sea stacks had peek-a-boo holes created by years of erosion.

We aren't huge "Beach People," but then, we never have solitary wanderings like this on the beaches in our native Southern California.

As we were walking back towards the car, we noticed someone parasailing from the top of a nearby hill. It was fun to watch the landing.

It was a pretty wonderful day. I could use a few more wandering days like this one.