Flow

Ebb

Tide was heading out during our visit to Rockaway Beach on Sunday.  I love the tortoise shell formations that pool in the sand as the tide recedes at this beach.  I need to plan a trip back here in slightly different weather, and at lower tide when the crevices are more clearly formed.  If the weather holds, maybe we can come back for a visit in the next few weeks...it's such a relaxing getaway!

Twin Rocks

We're having some beautiful sunny weather for this time of year, so yesterday we decided to take advantage of this with a trip to Rockaway Beach in Oregon.  This is one of my favorite beaches because of the tide pool formations.  It's between Cannon Beach and Tillamook, which are both a lot easier to access, but sometimes I think it's worth the extra drive to get to Rockaway.  I'll post a tide pool photo tomorrow, but I thought I would start today with the iconic "twin rocks" visible from Rockaway Beach.  I'm not really sure why they call them twin rocks, since one has a big hole in it and the other doesn't. But they are definitely a pair, and a distinguishing feature of this beach. 

Coastline Dreamscape

Rockaway Beach at low tide during the thickest fog of the morning.
Very dreamy...
In a low contrast sort of way.

Low Tide

I've missed a few opportunities in the past month for a low tide sunrise photo, but thought conditions would be right for a beach visit this morning.  I started out under a clear sky, following the setting blood moon until I approached the coast; then the moon disappeared behind a thick marine layer.  Sigh.  Still it's always beautiful at the beach, and Clover and I had a great time strolling around here.  I've got several photos to share from this trip; a few from the coast and a few from a sunny river hike just a little ways inland.  One of the things I liked about Rockaway Beach was the ribbon-like tide pools that formed at low tide, so that's why I came back here this morning.  In this photo, the tide had just shifted, and was starting to make its way back up the beach toward the tide pools.

Sand, Sky, and Surf

One of my favorite things about the ocean beaches in the Pacific Northwest is how a layer of water sits on the sand as the tide pulls out and reflects the surroundings so perfectly!  At Rockaway Beach, Oregon on Monday it was all clouds and sky at the water's edge.

Link to Weekend Reflections 

Tide Pools

The tide was coming in Monday afternoon at Rockaway Beach, Oregon, slowly connecting all the tide pools that were covering most of the beach.  We mainly saw minnows in these tide pools, but we also saw a few purple starfish which was sort of surprising because these were such little pools.  And I'm not sure exactly how they form, but if you stand on the sand in a low area between the tide pools it acts sort of like quicksand, moving quickly under your feet as you sink into the muck.  The nearby sand is much firmer so you just stand right on top of it.  I'm not really sure what accounts for that difference though. 

Hello, Summer!

We welcomed the unofficial start of summer yesterday with an afternoon trip to Rockaway Beach, Oregon.  I wasn't sure what the weather would be like at the coast, but we had beautiful sunshine and a cool breeze, perfect beach-combing weather!