August 23-Fun Near Florence

Setting off through thick clusters of Sitka Spruce at the beginning of the trailhead from the Oregon Dunes Day Use Area, I reflected on how remarkable it was that I could be surrounded by dense prickly-looking evergreen foliage and at the same time hear the distant murmur of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. This one-mile trek from the coastal conifer forest to the beach across the dunes was full of one delight after another.

Heading south on highway 101 from Florence for ten miles for a little beach exploration before turning around and heading back towards home, I turned right on Oregon Dunes Overlook Road and parked in the day use area before starting out through the trees.

Emerging from the tree line onto a large open rolling honey colored field of sand, I clomped through the soft shifting soil to a dense thicket of shore pines with dark reddish-brown bark, slender trunks, and branches twisted from growing in the wind creating a beautiful canopy around and above me.

As I got closer to the ocean the trees fell away, the sand became thicker, and the steady hum of the waves lapping up on the shore increased in volume. Prominent clumps of beach grass with long narrow blades and small yarrow plants with little white flowers decorated the pathway, beckoning me towards the sea.

As I stepped out onto the wet sand near the water’s edge, I could see hundreds of small little holes in the sand and just as many energetic tiny sand hoppers jumping out from these burrows feeding on tiny bits of decomposing organic matter.

The frothy waves of the ocean lapped up at my feet, and I reached down to touch the wet foam. With the roar of the ocean now at full volume, I could taste the salty air in my mouth, feel the dampness of the sand, and see seagulls bobbing on the waves. Twisted black and grey pieces of driftwood lay artfully at my feet, perfectly completing the rustic tableau before me.

Grateful to have experienced such a diverse and breathtaking piece of the Oregon coastline, I headed back to my car and home. Making my way north along the Pacific, I reveled in the vast, far-reaching vistas of the deep blue ocean stretching out to the horizon, feeling full of joy and ready to return to work for this school year. What a great day on the road.