Natural Bridges

After my never-to-be-forgotten baptism in the Pacific Ocean at Ophir Beach, we resumed our trip along the Oregon coast between Gold Beach and Brooking exploring the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, stopping at all the stunning view points and marveling at the ruggedness of the coastline and the iconic sea stacks and lone islands, the eroded remnants of jutting headlands and geologic uprisings; Buena Vista, Cape Sebastien, Meyer's Creek, Pistol River, Whaleshead, Lone Ranch and of course Natural Bridges Viewpoint.

There are nearly 2000 sea stacks and small islands to be found in Oregon creating a magical, almost mysterious visual panorama. They are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and are protected as they provide a critical habitat for thousands of birds and shore life, some rare and endangered. The rocky ledges are favored by seagulls, guillemots and cormorants which we could see at almost every stop. We also saw brown pelicans flying by in a V-formation, looking very much like prehistoric pterodactyls. The stacks are also home to  bald eagles and peregrine falcons who find fish and food aplenty in the pines and in the ocean. We are excited to see tufted puffins further up the coast. I keep my binoculars in the truck and take time to try and spot the birds.

After a few stops, we drove on to the Natural Bridges. We stopped and made the short hike over to the viewpoint to see the natural sea bridges, carved by eroding waves. We did not make it down to the beach or the bridges as the trail was wet and muddy from the previous day's downpour. It was so slick and steep it would have been easy to slip down the face of the cliff. We did not want to risk it, even though it was a beautiful day, the conditions just didn't work out for us.

One of the best features of the Pacific Northwest is how the pine trees butt right up to the edge of the ocean creating the most picturesque views where land meets water. We saw the very best of that today.