Mile 11 Report
Cape Ferrelo, Boardman SP, House Rock Creek
December 6, 2010
Miles of personality.
Report Details
Miles of personality. That's what occurred to me as I puzzled over my recent finds on mile 11. The day was gray but mild with barely a breeze from the south so I expected the balancing act it takes to cross the mostly rocky mini-beaches below the Coast Trail between House Rock and Cape Ferrelo to be slow but pleasant enough going. Accessing the mile from House Rock gave me the chance to watch the whales. They really like that area around the Rock. I'd like to know the attraction. Need to investigate further. My husband and I have been seeing a few most times we pass now since the 1st of November. They hang really close to shore, spouting and romping. No magnificent breaching (too shallow?) but still a great show. I took the 'sand slide' (looks to my untrained eye as if the ground itself slid at some point leaving a wide ribbon of exposed sand with vegetation on either side)down to the shore. This slide is steep, maybe 100' feet downhill and this is the easiest, shortest route to these beaches. This said, imagine my surprise when about a quarter mile on I came to 2 folding chairs propped up against the wall of a short bluff. How? Why? Or best yet, What, Who? They weren't flung randomly like debris rather stacked neatly as if in anticipation of a next act. Continuing on I ventured over and up Cape Ferrelo because I'd seen a cross out there big enough for the trucks on 101 to notice. I made it to the site and yep, someone had hauled cement, a cross, and probably water all the way to the tip. And then someone else had whacked it down; a splintered 4 X 4 with a great view all that remained. Here's where the thought struck - beaches have personalities. Some like Lone Ranch are friendly and social inviting all to join the fun. Others are flashy, some secretive. But mile 11, I think...well, I don't want to say weird, that's SO politically incorrect, and after all I'm here, but go figure.
Conditions
Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S. Tide Level: 5.0 feet.
Man-made Modifications
cross erected and taken down on Cape Ferrelo
Natural Changes
Visible retreat of solid bluff.
Actions & Comments
I asked Angela from State Parks at Harris Beach if she knew the story behind the cross. I wondered whether the authorities would take it down because putting it up should be illegal. She gave me the name of a park person who might know but I haven't reached him yet. Angela doesn't think they took it down. Thinks an individual did it but I'm curious to find out more. She also told me that it's in the plans to put a primitive campsite on mile 11. They were talking about that when they had a meeting about the Master Plan years ago and nothing has happened yet but she seemed to think it could happen within a year.
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