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Today's weather forecast called for areas of fog with a Dense Smoke Advisory because of the wildfires, but I didn't smell any smoke, just dense fog all along the beach, with hardly anyone to be seen. Although a Saturday, there were only a few vehicles in the Driftwood Wayside parking lot, where I met a worker with the PacWave wave energy project who was measuring the water level in a borehole the project had drilled (see my previous reports).  He said things are still in the design phase but that the project may begin construction in a few months. This will be exciting to monitor and report on.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Foggy. Tide Level: 4.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 7. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 7.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 5.

Notable Wildlife

A couple dozen gulls where Buckley Creek meets the surf. A few "peeps" and Whimbrels.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt). Congregations of small shell particles, and congregations of particles so small I'm not even sure they came from shells (see photos).

Man-made Modifications

The leanto just north of Buckley Creek, built in early June and fallen down by late June, has been restored. Not identified as a man-made modification, it looks like aliens touched down and left images of themselves and their spacecraft at the Buckley Creek sand cliff.

Natural Changes

At summer's end, Buckley Creek and Fox Creek are both very low flowing onto the beach.

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All Mile 204 Reports

Showing 8 of 55 reports

Mile 204

November 19, 2023

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

August 11, 2023

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

June 17, 2023

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

January 1, 2023

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

October 23, 2022

This was probably the last dependably dry Mile 204 walk before the rains begin in earnest.

Jon French

Mile 204

August 17, 2022

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

June 3, 2022

Driftwood Wayside is open again after PacWave's departure, but I was the only visitor on this breezy, drizzly day.

Jon French

Mile 204

May 10, 2022

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