Seal Rock

We spent the day heading south, ambling down the coast, stopping at Seal Rock and Waldport, checking out all the mom and pop shops and galleries along the way. 

We managed to pick up some beautiful photographic prints, a small, light blue glass buoy likely washed ashore from a Japanese fishing trawler and some postcards to send home to my Dad.

The truck was all steamed up as it was cold and little drizzly. We stopped in a small car park surrounded by pine and spruce trees and headed down some steep and slippery steps to reach the beach at Seal Rock, a State Recreation Site. We could taste the salt in the air.

The site was made up of a basalt ledge with an array of sea stacks, reefs and knobbly rocks formed 15 million years ago as a result of lava flowing from volcanoes across the Pacific Northwest.  The basalt was eroded over time by waves, wind and rain creating the most peculiarly shaped rocks.

The centerpiece was Seal Rock, a dramatic basalt behemoth shaped a little like a seal, sitting offshore, where we could see pelicans, cormorants and gulls sheltering from the pitter patter of the rain. 

The beach was strewn with wet logs, hauled in by the tide. A few sandpipers lazily pecked  at the shoreline. To the south we could see the tide pools built on the basalt sill. Due to the weather, we were the only ones on the beach. Once we concluded there were no seals or sea lions lying around or any blue jellies, we let Ollie off her leash and she had a good run, sniffing out exciting tidbits to nibble on. Once she found a worthy stick, she was in heaven as she and Henry played games together.

We walked down the beach to the tide pools and I could spot urchins and stars, but as the tide had already turned and was coming in at quite a pace, we didn't step on to the ledge to explore any further. We ambled back to the truck and moved on to Waldport.

The Alsea tribe were the first known inhabitants of Waldport and gave their name, or vice versa, to the river and the bay located in the heart of the town.  Early European settlers came from Germany in the late 19th century, officially naming the town Waldport after 'Wald" meaning trees in German, and "Port" due to its proximity to the ocean.

The day was a little dreary and grey and Waldport seemed to be the same. It was certainly brightened by some beautiful murals on the sides of the building on the main strip. We parked by the bridge next to the visitor's center. From our vantage point we could see the cliffs overlooking the bay and watched some pelicans land in perfect formation.

We didn't stay long in Waldport as we were getting hungry. We returned to the truck and headed back to the trailer for an early dinner and to escape the rain.