Appearing in the Forest

Memaloose Spirits, Ghosts, the Undead
Nehalem Bay, Tillamook, Cape Lookout
Oregon, U.S. Highway 101

Memaloose Ghosts

By Michael Peter Garofalo

Yes, I've heard the Memaloose Ghosts
    in the Sitka swamps all talking,
and I've also left quickly in fear fast walking.
I've dreamt of skulls and skeletons,
graveyards of broken canoes,
Islands of the Dead,
   creepy Clatsop Chinook stories in my head.

In the Nehalem rain,
    with a deep dark dripping forest all around,
A Memaloose Ghost whispered to me
    in these hallowed grounds:

"The tide comes in, the tide goes out;
that's essential, Yes,
to What It's All About.
Your tide flows out, old man;
So it's now best to smile and shout, Yes,
and stroll bravely out."

"Saghili pee keekwillie chuck;
elip lekleh yes ahha,
Iktah Mitlite Konaway
Wake Sia Kopa.
Mika chuck chako
pee klatawa, oleman;
Alta elip klose ahha
tenas hehe pee hyas wawa
pee klata kopa lapea
skookum tum tum
klaghanie ahha."

- Words of the Memaloose Ghost in Her Chinook Jargon; translated above.

At the Edges of the West: U.S. Highway 101 and 1.
Memories of Pacific Coast Places
By Michael P. Garofalo

The poem above "Memaloose Ghosts," is one of dozens of my poems found on my webpage:

At the Edges of the West

https://www.egreenway.com/mpgss/shortpoemsmpg9sea2.htm

Travels on US Highway 101 and 1

Memories of Pacific Coast Places
West Coast Snapshots & Snippets
Delightful Coastal Spur Roads

Docu-Poem, Haiku, Short Poems, Photos,
Quatrians, Graphics, Concrete Poems

By Michael P. Garofalo

Vancouver, Washington

Yurt Camping on the Northwest USA Coast

 

Yurt Camping on the Northwest USA Coast:
Information, Tips, Locations, Photographs, Adventures, Camping

Four Days in Grayland:
Guides, Information, Tips, Cities, Camping in the Northwest USA Coast

Memories of Pacific Coast Places
Travels on US Highway 101 and 1
Docu-Poem by Michael P. Garofalo

Yurt Camping Locations on the Northwest USA Coast:

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington
Bay View State Park, Washington
Dosewallips State Park, Washington
Twin Harbors State Park, Washington
Grayland Beach State Park, Washington
Bay Center KOA, Washington
Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon
Nehalem Bay State Park, Oregon
Cape Lookout State Park, Oregon
Beverly Beach State Park, Oregon
South Beach State Park, Oregon
Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon
Bullards Beach State Park, Bandon, Oregon

Yurts at Nehalem Bay State Park:

Manzanita, Oregon

Repost from January 22, 2022:

Today, I remained in the small town of Manzanita all day.  I ate at local restaurants and shopped a little.  I read quite a lot today--sheltered from the steady rain.  

Plenty of forest trails, sand dunes, and seashore to wander and walk about in your rainproof gear.  

Fog, drizzling, misting, low clouds, cold, light rain ... and quite windy at times.  

I enjoyed sitting in my Ford Escape and taking in the dramatic seaside view from the road at Neahkahnie Beach.  Moderate surf today.  

I visited Horse Camp Cove many times today.  However, a prison crew were removing shrubs and it was a bit noisy today.  Driftwood was again piled high along the high tide mark in this little cove area.  

I had some ASUS laptop problems this morning, and no charged batteries for the Rebel T7 and no charger.  Thus, some of my Photography projects will wait till later.  

Images from the Internet:

Nehalem Bay and Manzanita Local Information            

 Nehalem Bay State Park     Images    Google Map

Nehalem Bay State Park Wikipedia

Manzanita City   Population 400.  Motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images    

Explore Manzanita

Manzanita Visitor Center

Manzanita   Restaurants    "You can enjoy a farm-to-table experience at several local restaurants;A Mighty Thai, Big Wave Cafe, Bread & Ocean, and Neahkahnie Bistro just to name a few. Each serves seasonal, regional items year-round.  The area also features more conventional food offerings, including pizza, Mexican cuisine, casual fine dining, pies, pastries, contemporary and old-fashioned candy, ice cream and seafood."

Travel Options

Have a Great Time at the Beach

Neahkahnie Mountain   Hiking trails to peak.

Neahkahnie Mountain  "This peak is an inspiring place, where the Tillamook tribe believed their most powerful god resided. In fact, the name Neahkahnie comes from their words Ne ("place of") and Ekahnie {Ekone] ("supreme deity")."  

Four Days in Grayland   By Michael P. Garofalo.   Camping and travel adventures in the Pacific Northwest. 

Nehalem Valley Historical Society Museum in Manzanita

Nehalem City   Population 400.   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images 

Nehalem Restaurants

Nehalem River     116 miles long.  Images

Nehalem Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center in Wheeler 

Oswald West State Park Wikipedia

Oswald West State Park

Lower Columbia River: Astoria to Portland, Ilwaco to Vancouver

Long Beach Peninsula  

Wheeler   Population 400.     Images   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.

I have camped in a Yurt at Nehalem Bay State Park five times in the last two decades. 

Yurt Camping in the Coastal Northwest     By Michael P. Garofalo

Nehalem Spit Trail

Fishing, crabbing, walking beach dunes and shore, kite flying, river side exploring, mountain trails hiking, kayaking. 

Nehalem Bay State Park

Today, I am driving from Vancouver to Manzanita, Oregon.  I will be Yurt camping for four days at Nehalem Bay State Park. I have camped here many times. I will post photos and comments when I return on next Thursday afternoon.  I expect rain, wind, fog, and cool weather.  Likely to see very few campers in this fine park.

Here is my post from January 2022 from Nehalem Bay:

This park is quite large with a long sandy beach, sand dunes, shore pine forest, bay views, and many hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails and roads.  The park is over 4 miles long.  

There are 310 campsites in this Park.  There were only 10 trailers/RV campers, no tent campers, and 3 yurt campers.  Thus, the Park was 95% empty of any campers this cold rainy winter day.  I enjoy the privacy, the quiet, the solitude.  

Fog, drizzling, misting, low clouds, cold, light rain ... 

Today, I plan to drive through Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi.  I will stop at many places in these areas.  

I walked around Barview Jetty County Park near Garibaldi.  Crews were working on the north jetty entrance to Tillamook Bay.  

I visited Manhattan Beach Wayside Oregon State Park.  

I walked on a wood boardwalk through a swamp old growth cedar forest near Rockaway Beach, and along the beach and bay.  

I ate at the Big Wave restaurant in Manzanita twice: halibut fish tacos for lunch, and pan-fried razor clams for dinner... both were excellent!    

Plenty of restaurants, gift shops, services, library, market, and cafes in Manzanita and Rockaway Beach were open.  Nice homes in Manzanita.  

What to Do at Night?

Sunrise at 8 am and sunset at 5 pm.  15 hours of Darkness.  [Photography at night?]

Reading books, cellphone Kindle, and writing on my ASUS laptop.  Reading comfortably at night in my yurt:

The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans.  By Cynthia Barnett.  W.W. Norton, 2021, 432 pages.  VSCL. 

Nehalem Bay and Manzanita Local Information            

 Nehalem Bay State Park     Images    Google Map

Nehalem Bay State Park Wikipedia

Manzanita City   Population 400.  Motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images    

Explore Manzanita

Manzanita Visitor Center

Manzanita   Restaurants    "You can enjoy a farm-to-table experience at several local restaurants;A Mighty Thai, Big Wave Cafe, Bread & Ocean, and Neahkahnie Bistro just to name a few. Each serves seasonal, regional items year-round.  The area also features more conventional food offerings, including pizza, Mexican cuisine, casual fine dining, pies, pastries, contemporary and old-fashioned candy, ice cream and seafood."

Travel Options

Have a Great Time at the Beach

Neahkahnie Mountain   Hiking trails to peak.

Neahkahnie Mountain  "This peak is an inspiring place, where the Tillamook tribe believed their most powerful god resided. In fact, the name Neahkahnie comes from their words Ne ("place of") and Ekahnie {Ekone] ("supreme deity")."  

Four Days in Grayland   By Michael P. Garofalo.   Camping and travel adventures in the Pacific Northwest. 

Nehalem Valley Historical Society Museum in Manzanita

Nehalem City   Population 400.   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images 

Nehalem Restaurants

Nehalem River     116 miles long.  Images

Nehalem Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center in Wheeler 

Oswald West State Park Wikipedia

Oswald West State Park

Lower Columbia River: Astoria to Portland, Ilwaco to Vancouver

Long Beach Peninsula  

Wheeler   Population 400.     Images   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.

I have camped in a Yurt at Nehalem Bay State Park five times in the last two decades. 

Yurt Camping in the Coastal Northwest     By Michael P. Garofalo

Nehalem Spit Trail

Fishing, crabbing, walking beach dunes and shore, kite flying, river side exploring, mountain trails hiking, kayaking. 

Rockaway Beach   Population 1,400.      Images    Google Map

Rockaway Beach Travel  

Rockaway Beach Restaurants

Rockaway Beach Old Growth Cedar Preserve   Raised boardwalk trail, 1.1 mile, into old growth cedar forest.  Bog and forest. 

Rockaway Big Tree Boardwalk  Includes the largest cedar tree in Oregon. 

All Trails

Lake Lytle Images

Lake Lytle Pier

Bar View Jetty Beach Walk  

Rockaway Beach Travel    Travel II

Motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.

The following photographs were obtained from the Internet:

Rockaway Beach

Lake Lytle, Rockaway Beach

Manzanita Beach

Boardwalk in Old Growth Cedar Forest

Cliffs above Manzanita, Highway 101

Nehalem Bay

Nehalem Bay, Oregon

I woke up today in my yurt in Nehalem Bay State Park.  This park is quite large with a long sandy beach, sand dunes, shore pine forest, bay views, and many hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails and roads.  The park is over 4 miles long.  

There are 310 campsites in this Park.  There were only 10 trailers/RV campers, no tent campers, and 3 yurt campers.  Thus, the Park was 95% empty of any campers this cold rainy winter day.  I enjoy the privacy, the quiet, the solitude.  

Fog, drizzling, misting, low clouds, cold, light rain ... 

Today, I plan to drive through Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi.  I will stop at many places in these areas.  

I walked around Barview Jetty County Park near Garibaldi.  Crews were working on the north jetty entrance to Tillamook Bay.  

I visited Manhattan Beach Wayside Oregon State Park.  

I walked on a wood boardwalk through a swamp old growth cedar forest near Rockaway Beach, and along the beach and bay.  

I ate at the Big Wave restaurant in Manzanita twice: halibut fish tacos for lunch, and pan-fried razor clams for dinner... both were excellent!    

Plenty of restaurants, gift shops, services, library, market, and cafes in Manzanita and Rockaway Beach were open.  Nice homes in Manzanita.  

What to Do at Night?

Sunrise at 8 am and sunset at 5 pm.  15 hours of Darkness.  [Photography at night?]

Reading books, cellphone Kindle, and writing on my ASUS laptop.  Reading comfortably at night in my yurt:

The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans.  By Cynthia Barnett.  W.W. Norton, 2021, 432 pages.  VSCL. 

Nehalem Bay and Manzanita Local Information            

 Nehalem Bay State Park     Images    Google Map

Nehalem Bay State Park Wikipedia

Manzanita City   Population 400.  Motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images    

Explore Manzanita

Manzanita Visitor Center

Manzanita   Restaurants    "You can enjoy a farm-to-table experience at several local restaurants;A Mighty Thai, Big Wave Cafe, Bread & Ocean, and Neahkahnie Bistro just to name a few. Each serves seasonal, regional items year-round.  The area also features more conventional food offerings, including pizza, Mexican cuisine, casual fine dining, pies, pastries, contemporary and old-fashioned candy, ice cream and seafood."

Travel Options

Have a Great Time at the Beach

Neahkahnie Mountain   Hiking trails to peak.

Neahkahnie Mountain  "This peak is an inspiring place, where the Tillamook tribe believed their most powerful god resided. In fact, the name Neahkahnie comes from their words Ne ("place of") and Ekahnie {Ekone] ("supreme deity")."  

Four Days in Grayland   By Michael P. Garofalo.   Camping and travel adventures in the Pacific Northwest. 

Nehalem Valley Historical Society Museum in Manzanita

Nehalem City   Population 400.   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.  Images 

Nehalem Restaurants

Nehalem River     116 miles long.  Images

Nehalem Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center in Wheeler 

Oswald West State Park Wikipedia

Oswald West State Park

Lower Columbia River: Astoria to Portland, Ilwaco to Vancouver

Long Beach Peninsula  

Wheeler   Population 400.     Images   Cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.

I have camped in a Yurt at Nehalem Bay State Park five times in the last two decades. 

Yurt Camping in the Coastal Northwest     By Michael P. Garofalo

Nehalem Spit Trail

Fishing, crabbing, walking beach dunes and shore, kite flying, river side exploring, mountain trails hiking, kayaking. 

Rockaway Beach   Population 1,400.      Images    Google Map

Rockaway Beach Travel  

Rockaway Beach Restaurants

Rockaway Beach Old Growth Cedar Preserve   Raised boardwalk trail, 1.1 mile, into old growth cedar forest.  Bog and forest. 

Rockaway Big Tree Boardwalk  Includes the largest cedar tree in Oregon. 

All Trails

Lake Lytle Images

Lake Lytle Pier

Bar View Jetty Beach Walk  

Rockaway Beach Travel    Travel II

Motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, gas, supplies.

The following photographs were obtained from the Internet:

Rockaway Beach

Lake Lytle, Rockaway Beach

Manzanita Beach

Boardwalk in Old Growth Cedar Forest

Cliffs above Manzanita, Highway 101

Nehalem Bay

Nehalm Bay State Park, Oregon

A Repost from February, 2020:

I really enjoyed the expansive scenery at Neahkahnie (Manzanita) beach in Northwest Oregon.  I parked on the roadside near a pine covered slope on Ocean Road.  I was about 40' above the surf.  It was a clear day in the 40's F, with wind and sprinkles.  A few people were walking the wide flat sandy beach or roadway.  The sheer cliffs of the south-west face of Neahkahnie Mountain go straight down into the crashing surf.  I enjoyed watching a stunt kite flyer show his fine skills.

At the end of the day, I walked alone in the sand dunes on the west side of Nehalem Bay State Park (NBSP) .  The sand dunes are both high and wide and 5 miles long.  The wind and cold were daunting if you were not dressed properly.  It was getting dark.  The endless Pacific Ocean waves came pounding in to the sandy shore - thundering and roaring day and night.  Tide after tide, for eons, now, seemingly "forever."  The billions of bunch grasses bent away from the gusting wind. 

I was comfortable and dry in my clean yurt.  It has lights and electricity.  NBSP is well maintained.  This beautiful park was 95% empty.  A one night camping fee of $31, and a reserved yurt fee of $55.00.  I'd choose yurt #A11 for a family camp-out.  It got down to a chilly 35F at night, so nobody was tent camping, and only about 10 RVs in the whole campground.  Empty, Cold, Drizzling, Windy, Raining, Damp - Winter Camping in Coastal Oregon.  Come prepared! 

The town of Manzanita has everything Karen and I would need for a two-night motel getaway.  If you want shopping, drive 21 miles north to Cannon Beach.  We have stayed together here twice at NBSP in a yurt in the summer.

Today, I drove home: Cannon Beach, 101, Seaside, Astoria, 30, Ranier, Longview, I5, Kalama, Vancouver.  Highway 30, an excellent major highway, is relatively flat and straight and very fast for my tastes.  I pulled over and let cars pass many times.  I could return the way I came (Portland, route 26, and route 53 to Nehalem).  Or, drive 70 miles south on 101 to Lincoln City and back to Salem.  Or, take 101 north to Astoria.  All are beautiful drives if you take your time.  Pull over, stop a lot, stretch your legs, sip a favorite beverage, step outside your car, walk, enjoy the views.

Beautiful scenery: pine covered mountains, logged and planted tracts, port and tourist towns, fishing, coastal weathered homes, enchanting rivers and bays, farmsteads, isolation, lovely country roads, spectacular homes and estates, Highway 101 history and lore, cliffs, wind and rain, the thundering of the surf.  Coastal Oregon - my favorite.

Today, I was home, unpacked, and resting at 2 pm.  Art class at 6 pm. 

Nehalem Bay State Park, Oregon

Today, I plan to drive by myself 103 miles west to Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon.  I will stay in a yurt shelter ($55) because the temperature will be at a high of 44 and low of 34.  Surf is reported to be from 8-11 feet.  I will return on Tuesday afternoon.

The large Nehalem Bay SP campground is on a spit of land where the Nehalem River empties into the Pacific.  I will eat and browse in the nearby small town of  "Manzanita."  The mountain that forms the north side of the beachhead in this area is Neahkahnie Mountain.  In nearby Oswald West State Park there are hiking trails that lead to the top of Neahkahnie (1,680 feet).  The beaches at Manzanita and along the spit are wide and white/grey.  There are sand dunes, grasses, shrubs and trails along the spit.

Highway 101 is THE Road around here (Map); and, Necaninum Highway (53) goes northeast to meet Sunset Highway (26) and east into Portland, Oregon.

There are many wide pullouts, spectacular viewpoints, on Highway 101 about 5 miles north of Manzanita.  The Highway 101 view north from the west side Neahkahnie Mountain, when not cloudy, is eye popping.