Pacific Beach State Park, Washington
Yurt Camping, Pacific Beach, WA, February 12-15, 2024, Mike Garofalo solo camper. Cancelled due to poor health of Mike Garofalo.
This week, January 6-9, 2025, I yurt camped at Cape Disappointment State Park. The forested Park is near the towns of Ilwaco, Seaview, and Long Beach, Washington.
I saw many seagulls at the Seaview, 38th Street, beach access road shoreline.
The photographs below, not mine, are available on the Internet:
Haiku - North Sacramento Valley
Exhibits at the Cyber Garden Gazebo: TextArt
Pulling Onions: 1,000 One Liners
Meetings with Master Chang San Feng
Fireplace Records Koan Collection
the scissors of my decisions
more to come ...
Repeat Post from February, 2022:
This is my second Yurt Camping trip this year to Cape Lookout State Park in Northwestern Coastal Oregon, about 15 miles west of Tillamook. Here is a post from my last trip on February 7, 2022.
I will add photos and comments about my current trip on October 10,2022, next Friday 10/14, after I return home to my computer and an Internet connection. Therefore, no blog posts until 10/14.
Report from October 10, 2022:
Nice paved campground areas for the solo practice of Chen Taijiquan.
Weather expected: Low of 47F, High of 65F, light winds, overcast in morning and sunny in afternoon, no rain predicted.
I have an injured right thumb and hand, kept in a large black support brace (soft cast). This slows my ability to move camping support items. No fractures per Xrays, and orthopedic physical therapy scheduled in two weeks. Lots of fumbling when handling things.
Driving route the same as in last February.
Now Reading:
"The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World." By Lincoln Paine. Vintage Books, 2013, 744 pages, extensive notes, bibliography, and index. VSCL.
"Waves and Beaches: The Powerful Dynamics of Sea and Coast." By Willard Bascom and Kim McCoy. Patagonia, 1964 and 2020, 401 pages, index. VSCL.
"Therapy of Desire: by Martha Nussbaum. Hellenistic Ethics: Aristotle, Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics.
Report from February 7, 2022:
I drove from Vancouver, through Portland, out west by Beaverton and Hillsboro, and out into the farmlands and vineyards near Banks, Oregon. From Banks, on Oregon Road 26, I drove the 50 miles through the coastal mountains and the Tillamook State Forest. The road has many small homes along its course west up along Gales Creek up to the 1,500 foot summit, and then down the rugged Wilson River Canyon to the Tillamook Valley. There are an astounding number white trunked deciduous trees (alders, poplars) along this impressive Wilson River Canyon.
It is 100 miles from my home in Vancouver to Cape Lookout State Park.
I drove 6 miles west out on Bayocean Road to where it dead ends because of rock slides. The road goes along the southwest side of Tillamook Bay. I did not drive out on the gravel Bayocean Dike Road all the way to the south jetty of Tillamook Bay. It was very foggy at this time. Dramatic!! Nobody out and about today ... deserted foggy Bay waters rising and falling twice a day.
The State Park campground is 6 miles from the village of Netarts, and 11 miles from downtown Tillamook.
In the last two decades, I have camped in a Yurt at Cape Lookout State Park twice before, and once in a tent. There are 210 campsites and 13 Yurts here. Check in at 4:00 pm, and checkout at 10 am. Most of the campground was closed, only Loop C was open. All the Yurts were used, and about 15 trailers/RVs were in the campground.
There are many hiking trails in the Park in the Sitka Spruce forest. Also, nice roads for bicycling and walking (especially since so few people were here). There are many miles of sandy beach and surf to walk along because the Park is on the long sand spit that creates the west side of shallow Netarts Bay. All the steep hills to the east of the Park are heavily forested.
There is considerable logging in the mountains surrounding the Tillamook Valley. As is true for all the Oregon and Washington coastal mountain ranges.
Since there will be lots of darkness and probably some rain, a winter coastal solo camper needs books to read, DVDs or CDs to use on a laptop, ebooks. There was decent smart cellphone T-Mobile access to the Internet.
I brought my Kindle ebook reader, my HP laptop computer with software such as my laptop Kindle ebook reader, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, and the Microsoft 365 Suite. Brought my Canon SX740 camera and cellphone.
In the next two weeks I will be reading the two following books.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For Dummies. By Rob Sylvan. VSCL, my book.Cape Lookout State Park Images Many options for walking and hiking in this part of the rugged Oregon coastline.
Four Days in Grayland By Michael P. Garofalo. Camping and travel adventures in the Pacific Northwest.
Yurt Camping in the Coastal Northwest By Michael P. Garofalo
Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint
Tillamook Coast Visitors Guide
Munson Creek Falls State Natural Site
Pacific City Population 1,000
Northwest Coastal Oregon Travel Guide: Astoria to Cape Lookout. By Mike Garofalo.
Netarts, Oregon Population 744 Images Unincorporated community. On Oregon 131, Trees to the Sea Highway. Off of US 101.
"Netarts is a small community situated at the mouth of Netarts Bay, just south of Oceanside. Found amid lush coastal rainforest, Netarts, in the language of the local Tillamook tribe, means “near the water.” On the shore of Netarts Bay, the town is separated from the Pacific Ocean by a long, club-shaped stretch of forested sand called Netarts Spit. This was once the earliest settlement site of the Tillamook Indians. Inside the bay, at low tide, many search for different varieties of clam, and a nearby marina offers boat and crab pot rentals. Nearby Cape Lookout State Park, on the opposite shore of Netarts Bay, has tent camping, yurts, cabins, and a rewarding hike to a great, panoramic vista for whale watching."
- Netarts Bay Travel
General History of the Netarts Bay Area, By William Hawkins, 1994 PDF
Where to Clam and Crab in Netarts Bay By Oregon Fish and Game Department Includes Map
Naveen's Bayside Market and Deli in Netarts
The Schooner Restaurant and Lounge in Netarts Very good meals!
Netarts Bay, at maximum high tide, is 9 feet deep on the average.
Beach Sand Composition Geology
Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge
Zeolites of Tillamook Seashore
Northwest Coast: A Natural History. By Stewart T. Schultz. Portland, Timber Press, 1990, index, bibliography, 389 pages. VSCL.
"Netarts Bay is an estuarine bay on the northern Oregon Coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Tillamook. The unincorporated community of Netarts is located on the north end of the bay and Netarts Bay Shellfish Preserve, managed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, is located on the south side of the bay.[1] The sand spit on the west side of Netarts bay is part of Cape Lookout State Park. The bay is approximately 5 by 1.5 miles (8.0 by 2.4 km) and totals 2,325 acres (9.41 km2) in area, making it Oregon's seventh largest bay.[2] Of that, 812 acres (3.29 km2) are permanently submerged—the balance of 1,513 acres (6.12 km2) is intertidal land.[2] It experiences a maximum tidal range of 9 feet (3 m). The bay is part of a watershed of 13 square miles (34 km2)[2] that is fed by at least 16 small creeks. From north to south, there is Fall Creek, Hodgdon Creek, O'Hara Creek, Rice Creek, two unnamed creeks, Yager Creek, three unnamed creeks, Whiskey Creek, an unnamed creek, Austin Creek, two unnamed creeks, and Jackson Creek."
- Netarts Bay
"Oregon is blessed with the vision of former Governor Oswald West who legislated that all of Oregon’s coastline be accessible to everyone. This was remarkable foresight given the state’s sparse population in 1911. More than 150 years later we appreciate his commitment to beauty beholden to all."
"Another common question about our sandy beach is, “Why does sand squeak when you walk on it?” The answer is that the music is caused by friction from the sand grains rubbing against each other as we apply weight through our footsteps as we scoot our feet through the sand. However, there are certain conditions to be met. The type of sand that squeaks is usually a silicate, a feldspar, or a carbonate, the grains must be rounded (no sharp corners or edges), they should be around 300 micrometers in diameter, and they squeak best when they are dry (moisture on the grains acts as a lubricant, decreasing the friction)."
- Jim Young, Oceanside, Oregon
Finished reading the book "Astoria: Astor and Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire; A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early American Frontier." By Peter, Stark. Eco, 2015, 400 pages.
From 1804-1814, John Jacob Astor sent an overland party to the Columbia River form St. Louis. They developed a new route from the upper Snake (Mad) river overland through the Blue Mountains of Oregon. It later became part of the Oregon Trail from 1840-1870. He also sent three ships from New York down and around the tip of South American and up to Hawaii and then to a new settlement for trading furs at a port in Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Fascinating account of this business venture to take furs from the Northwest Pacific Coast to sell for a high markup in profit in Canton, China. Nearly half of the men that signed on for this "Astoria" adventure died in the dangerous quest.
Astoria Northwest Oregon Coastal town and Port on the Columbia River.
Population 9,500 A small town with many tourist attractions. There are many motels, restaurants, cafes, grocery, museums, theaters, historical sights, marina, docks, hospital, gas, stores, services, supplies.
Clatsop County Population 38,000 The Clatsop County Courthouse is in Astoria. Astoria is the largest city in Clatsop County.
Astoria Images
"Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.[7] The county is the northwest corner of Oregon, and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early nineteenth century. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1876. he city is served by the deepwater Port of Astoria. Transportation includes the Astoria Regional Airport. U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 101 are the main highways, and the 4.1-mile (6.6 km) Astoria–Megler Bridge connects to neighboring Washington across the river."
Columbia River Maritime Museum
Fort Astoria (1811-1825) History
Astoria Column Historical Tower
Charter Boat Services in Astoria
Lower Columbia River: Astoria to Portland, Ilwaco to Vancouver
Lewis and Clark Historic Sites
Clatsop County, Oregon Population 38,000
Fort Clatsop Camp of Lewis and Clark in the Winter of 1805. Video: Winter Story
Fort Steven's State Park A World War II military base defending the Columbia River.
Northwest Coastal Oregon Travel Guide: Astoria to Cape Lookout. By Mike Garofalo.
Cape Lookout State Park, Coastal Northwest Oregon
Cabin Camping Trip, Day 3, December 11, 2024, Wednesday
Near the town of Tillamook, Oregon, Netarts Bay and Three Arch Rocks
We left our Netarts Cabin at Cape Lookout State Park today. We drove home, via Oregon 6, to Portland.
Nice weather. Clear skies. Around 50 degrees F.
The Dusk Before Darkness
Where moving shadows born of sunshine rays,
Lighter and darker marks in the corners all days,
Unreadable messages from Solar Scribes for me.
Some subtle shadows drawn on moonlit trees,
Blurred and fleeting pockets of mystery to me,
Lost in the blackness of the nighttime breeze.
Night-Time creeping in, crickets chirping up a din.
No moon, No stars, No city street lights;
Darkness setting slowly and comfortably in.
A few frogs croaking love songs in the dark,
Moths fluttering into a white hot lantern
on a crazy addicted deadline lark,
Bats flapping by for breakfast, eating fluttering bugs.
Surf side sounds rumble over the invisible dunes,
Crabs and razor clams will crawl about at low tide soon,
Turtles will waddle up the shore, dig, lay eggs,
Guided by the moon, reproduction, life and doom,
In the restless dark and foamy gloom.
My flashlight sliced a path through the woods,
My cane balanced my wobbly walk for good.
Hearing the hoot of an owl in the canopy,
I walked along as slowly as I could,
Listening to the mysterious snoring damp woods.
Hera and Hypnos tried to lure me to sleep.
But 30 knot winds kept me awake,
And saved me from Nyx's minions from Hades Lake.
Chaos gave birth to Darkness and Day,
Erebus and Hemera - another way to Say,
Gods named and ancient myths for today.
Nighttime gods and goddesses mourning,
Following the Black Way to the Thanatos Graves.
My yurt at Cape Disappointment shook in the Winter storm,
I sat on the covered yurt porch, bundled up and warm;
Dark rain, cold campground so dark, everyone inside today.
The campground nearly empty these bitter January days.
The uninviting dark wet night keeps them all away.
Silence reigned that dreary soaked day,
Even keeping all of the animals hiding away.
Coming Dawn, rosy reds, sunshine slides West overhead;
Leaving Dusk, darkening pinks, sun gone down, it is said:
Reminders of the Dead.
The incandescent lamp!
Only one lamp in my yurt, not very bright,
Yet it allows me to read and write all night,
Supported by an electric Coleman lantern light.
The whole world works by electric lights.
Day and night, day and night, Month after Month,
For Year after busy Year, lighting bright the night sky;
In factories and stores and homes worldwide.
Work, work, work ... earning a living - we try.
Is such serious night pollution really wise?
Did the Milky Way disappear in the bright city sky?
Are circadian rhythms distorted and altered by and by?
Will some species become extinct from the loss of Night?
Turn off the lights, cuddle in the covers,
Start to slumber, sink into sleep,
Enjoy the darkness of the dreamless
La Petite Mort, alone, in darkness steeped.
Pacific Coast Memories: U.S. Highway 101 and 1.
At the Edges of the West.
By Michael P. Garofalo
Docu-Poems, Haiku, Concrete Poetry, Photographs, Songs
Images from the Internet of the Oregon Coast
Low Tide at Heceta
By Mike Garofalo
At the Edges of the West
Highway 101 and 1
Northwest Pacific Coast
25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works
"Heceta Head was a spot of frequent fishing and hunting by the American Indian tribes that populated the area. Heceta Head is part of the Siuslaw traditional lands, known in their language as É«túwɪs. They hunted sea lions in the area and gathered sea bird eggs from the offshore rocks. It was also the site of a legend—the Animal People built a great stone wall, which is now the cliffs, and tricked the Grizzly Bear brothers to their deaths there. In 1888, white settlers moved into the area and claimed 164 acres of the surrounding land."
25 Steps and Beyond:
The Collected Works of Mike Garofalo
Photos from the Internet and Facebook:
Seashore of the Pacific Northwest. By Ian Sheldon. Lone Pine, 1998, 192 pages.
The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. By Cynthia Barnett. W.W. Norton, 2021, 432 pages.
