Report Details

The sea lions weren't so stingy with the beach today. Maybe it was the gorgeous weather. I was able to explore to the southernmost end of Cape Cove, a place I haven't been in a while, because the sea lions have been congregating there since last fall.There wasn't much in the way of flotsam on the south end, as the southerly winds we have had seem to blow everything into the north end of the cove. I did, however, find another one of those large light bulbs that are being reported washing up everywhere. Unlike the other two I found, this one was clear, not red. The threads were missing, so I couldn't plug it in to see if it worked. The final verdict is in on the other two I reported last time: one works, the other didn't. This probably eliminates the theory that these light bulbs were discarded after use on a fishing boat. I know that is how a lot of them are beached, but this time I think a fellow CoastWatcher hit the nail on the head when she suggested that they were part of a shipment lost at sea. It is reminiscent of the mid-Nineties, when all that hockey gear washed up on the coast, or a few years before that when all the Nike shoes came ashore.The natural erosion on the cliff along this beach has gotten me very concerned about the highway directly above it. A couple more landslides took place in as many weeks; see photos.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S. Tide Level: 1.5 feet.

Human Activities

There was a lot of human activity on my mile, but it wasn't exactly on the beach. It was a beautiful weekend on the coast and there seemed to be plenty of visitors to Sea Lion Caves, as there were more than thirty vehicles in the parking lot.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 29. RVs/Buses parking: 2.

Notable Wildlife

One sea lion pup hauled out on a rock.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. One large, clear, screw-in style light bulb

Natural Changes

Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Visible retreat of solid bluff, Landslides/major boulder falls.

Actions & Comments

More bad news for Hwy 101 along the cliff between Sea Lion Caves and the tunnel. In just two weeks since my last report, there have been a couple more landslides, one that was pretty sizable. See photos.

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All Mile 178 Reports

Showing 8 of 24 reports

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

April 1, 2016

This is my end-of-quarter report for the first quarter of this year.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

January 1, 2016

It was New Year's Day morning, and no better way to begin 2016 than a visit to my beach!

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

November 26, 2015

It was Thanksgiving morning 2015.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

September 19, 2015

It was the annual Great Oregon Fall Beach Clean-up event today.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

September 27, 2014

The annual Fall beach clean-up was today, and weather conditions could not have been better.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

August 24, 2014

My coast mile has many areas that can only be accessed by water.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

August 16, 2014

It was a very comfortable Saturday morning low tide.

Brien M

Mile 178

Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves

May 31, 2014

It was a minus tide, and it allowed me to observe the invertebrates living on the "off-shore" rocks.

Brien M