Mile 204 Report
August 1, 2021
With the closure of the Driftwood Wayside parking area for construction of OSU's PacWave South wave energy testing project, hardly anyone was on the beach despite this being a beautiful summer weekend.
Report Details
With the closure of the Driftwood Wayside parking area for construction of OSU's PacWave South wave energy testing project, hardly anyone was on the beach despite this being a beautiful summer weekend. In the Driftwood parking area (and unseen about 120 feet below the seafloor), work continues on the PacWave project. See attached photos, and for details and construction updates see:http://pacwaveenergy.org/constructionupdates/
Conditions
Temperature: 56 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 3.5 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 8. Number of dogs: 4. Walking or running: 6. Other Activities: 2 people on electric bicycles.
Notable Wildlife
Just a few gulls and crows today. On July 23rd, I encountered a flock of about 115 mixed Semipalmated Plovers and Western Sandpipers, migrating south from their breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra. See attached photo, part of flock.
Driftline Content
Very little driftline content. No debris of any sort.
Man-made Modifications
See attached photos and Summary regarding PacWave South construction. Something about Buckley Creek inspires people to leave behind a bit of themselves, whether it's their names etched into the sand bluff, remembrance stones with names of departed loved ones, an enduring (for a time) leanto beside the creek, or the pretty driftwood and rock grouping in the attached photo where the leanto once stood.
Natural Changes
The seasonal summer beach dunes have reappeared, to be washed away this winter and reappear again next summer. The three attached photos looking from Driftwood Beach to the Driftwood Wayside access path show the seasonal changes from last summer to last winter to now. I once thought the red discoloration and oily looking film like in the attached photo at Buckley Creek was pollution, but I learned it's a natural process resulting from oxidation of iron in the water.
Report Images
All Mile 204 Reports
Mile 204
Today marked my latest sighting of the old growth driftwood log that I've admired and whose comings and goings from Driftwood Beach I've documented since June 2020, when I first photographed it high on the beach south of Buckley Creek.
Jon French
Mile 204
I had read that the 265-foot vessel Seacor Lee would be anchoring a mile off Driftwood Beach in support of OSU's PacWave South wave energy testing project, positioned so that divers from the ship could perform work on previously installed seafloor conduits.
Jon French
Mile 204
I haven't walked Driftwood Beach regularly since the PacWave South wave energy project completed work underground in the Driftwood parking lot.
Jon French
Mile 204
By the time I got to Driftwood Wayside, a lot of people had already arrived for their New Years Day beach walks, some 30 vehicles in the parking lot and 30 - 40 people down on the beach, accompanied by at least half as many dogs, almost all leashed.
Jon French
Mile 204
This was probably the last dependably dry Mile 204 walk before the rains begin in earnest.
Jon French
Mile 204
After the morning fog lifted and before the marine layer moved in, I walked from Seal Rock on Mile 205 to Beach Access 66C on Mile 203.
Jon French
Mile 204
Driftwood Wayside is open again after PacWave's departure, but I was the only visitor on this breezy, drizzly day.
Jon French
Mile 204
The PacWave South wave energy project hosted a BBQ today at Driftwood Wayside for staff and neighbors to celebrate the completion of construction work here and the reopening of the Wayside later this month.
Jon French