ROCK THE CRADLE

Our beautiful Pacific Coast along the edge of Oregon presents itself in new ways each day.  We sometimes are blinded by the sun as we take in the mountain's profiles tumbling into the sea. More likely, we are feasting our eyes on glorious shore waves rumbling to meet those same mountains.

My favorite is the times the water mingles with the land making it difficult to tell where one stops and the other one starts.  Fog is the medium.  Fog is the "fabric softener" of the mountain scenes.  Fog, like cotton balls, rolls in to fill the canyon gaps. Makes me think the mountains are snuggling up with a downey blanket.  Just think of it.  Pull the fog up to your chin North America.  Listen to the music of the Pacific Ocean.  Rock on!

CATHEDRAL OF THE SEA LIONS

How many of you have visited the Oregon Sea Lion Caves?  It is located on the Oregon Coast just 11 miles north of Florence.  There is ample parking and a visitor center with all the usual touristy coast related items for purchase.  You have to buy a ticket (check the website for prices) then take a beautiful cliff walk to the elevator.  Once in the elevator the descent is rapid.  When you step out you are in the cave.

The fragrance in the cave hits you about as hard as the sounds.  Sea Lions live here.  They actually LIVE here.  They have their babies, raise their young, sleep, play and lounge around in the pounding surf inside the huge cavern accessed by the Pacific from two openings.  So, absolutely, there is a fragrance of sea life unlike any you will encounter elsewhere.  But, that's as much a part of the experience as the sound.  Personally, I felt like I had walked into a monastery durning evensong.  Those puppies can sing.  There is such a cacophony of song you wonder how a puppy hears her mother.  But, she does.

If you are lucky enough to go when few other people are there, just stand, close your eyes and listen.  The pounding surf, the cries of the pups, the answering calls of the parents all meld together to create a song emanating from that cave that makes it unforgettable.

So, during these winter days when camping is out of the question (for wimps like me) take a trip over to visit the singing Sea Lions in their very own cathedral.  You may even want to join in the harmony.

SURF'S UP!

Tomorrow will kick off February.  Recent weather indicates that we are well into Spring at this point in the year.  But, reality is, it's February which generally brings our stormiest weather.  Note this post's pix.  That was taken at Shore Acres State Park in Coos County last February.  Maybe we will get a repeat performance this year.  Hope, hope!  Standing there on the cliff face, you can actually feel the Earth move under your feet (sounds like a familiar song) as the waves bounce sky high.  If you are in a position to visit during high tide and booming surf, don't miss it.

February is also the "kick off" for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl this Sunday.  Super-Bowl Sunday!  What a treat!  A holiday with no preparation, guilt, expectations...except for your favorite team of course.  It's like a "freebe" where holidays are concerned.  You can jump and shout, run about, and maybe claim victory.  Either way, the TV Ads are fun, the game is usually fun, and it all comes to us without strings attached.  So I say let's enjoy the heck out of it.

It's still winter and we are not out of the winter weather woods yet.   The spring bulbs are poking their heads out of the ground, fully expecting to meet with frosty resistance before budding and giving us their sunny blooms. So, February, bring it on!  We are waiting with empty water cisterns, empty ponds, minimal snow pack, and hearts full of love for February rain.

WHERE'S THE RAIN?

For those of us who live on the western side of the Cascade Mountains here in Oregon, we historically experience a blast of winter rain.  It washes our lives crispy clean.  It provides fresh water in puddles that reflect naked trees.  It cleanses our gutters and ditches.  That refreshing rain gives us a reason to break out the "wellies" and umbrellas.  Most of us love it, love to gripe about it, love to splash in it.

But this year it has gone missing.  Really, missing! We have had about a third of the rain we normally get during this rainy season.  What it means is not only dirty birds, but parched farm lands come summer.  There is no snow pack to water this bread basket called the Willamette Valley.  So, the weather service is calling for some sprinkles this week.  Revel in each drop!

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

When I look at this pix I think of Robert Frost with his Road Less Traveled.  Then again, there was the song our grade school choir teacher persisted with:  You take the high road, I'll take the low road, I'll get to Scotland afore ye.

So whether you are taking the road less traveled or opting for a high/low road while traveling in the Coast Range be aware that historically the forest service has numbered roads with large plastic yellow signs with the road number inked large and nailed high onto a tree trunk. These markers alerted "dingle riders" as to their location in any given place.  Since most places, ridge after ridge, canyon after canyon look like the one just passed, it has been a tremendous assist.  For some odd reason, some of these road number markers have gone missing.  As you can see, or rather, not see, there is no road marker here in my pix.

Sadly, it can leave some folks wandering about, trying to find their way.  While most seasoned back-woods travelers can find their way, there will be those who count on the road numbers to lead them out. I hope whoever is responsible for removing these numbers will reconsider that particular form of vandalism.

On another note, it is a lovely place.  High on a ridge overlooking canyons in the Coast Range, numerous species of plants and animals call this place home.  The fragrance of the air as it rises up the canyon is fresh, crisp and filled with hints of lower streams and riparian vegetation.

A talk with a plate tectonic geologist recently informed me of the origins of the Coast Range.  Simply put (if there is such a thing in plate tectonics) where the Juan de Fuca Plate drops beneath the North American Plate the debris shaved off pushes up to create the Coast Range.  Well! It also creates the Cascadia Subduction Zone subject to remarkable earthquake events.  We all have our disasters waiting to occur, be they flooding, wild fires, volcanos, etc.  At least we live in a beautiful place while we wait.

And on a housekeeping note:  I think I have the subscription feature to this blog software ironed out.  Please resubscribe if you have time.  This has made my hair white.  I will cease to wear a hat, thereby reflecting the sun's rays back and giving the globe a cooling assist.  With the decrease of ice blankets around the globe, I suggest all of us "whitties" consider doing our bit for climate change.  Leave your hat at home. Let that white hair deflect the sun's heat, keep cool.