Mile 122 Report
Bastendorff Beach west half
January 21, 2017
Mile 122, Bastendorf Beach, is a beach I've walked many times for pleasure so I am well acquainted with it; therefore, I was very surprised to see what was happening to it due to weather and especially waves.
Report Details
Mile 122, Bastendorf Beach, is a beach I've walked many times for pleasure so I am well acquainted with it; therefore, I was very surprised to see what was happening to it due to weather and especially waves. Unusually high waves had topped the foredune that runs parallel to the beach. The foredune is approximately two to six feet above the beach and highly vegetated. High waves had swept up and over it, in some cases flooding clear through the parking lots and onto the road. The parking lots were, in some cases, still flooded and/or sanded in; they also contained driftwood and rocks of various sizes. Roots of various plants and even a small tree or two had been revealed and could be seen from the beach. Deep cuts varying from ten to thirty feet had been cut into the vegetated foredune. Banks that had been steep and sharp were now rounded and soft or swept away entirely. There was little human and canine activity, due to continuing rain, wind and blowing sand. There was no shoreline wildlife except a very few gulls; the only mammal was a long-dead and somewhat pungent pinniped too far gone for me to identify. There were, however, a number of natural changes to the shore line which I have listed above.
Conditions
Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: SW.
Human Activities
Number of people: 6. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 6. Due to bad weather, high tides there were almost no people on the beach.
Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 3.
Notable Wildlife
There was no live wildlife on the beach; however, there was one dead pinniped, but it was so disintegrated that I couldn't tell what it was although I surmise that it was a harbor seal or a sea lion. I wouldn't have found it except for my dog alerting me to it.
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Wood pieces. There were rocks from fist-sized to basketball-sized on the beach, but mostly tiny wood pieces about fir needles size in the driftline when it could be found. It was difficult to find because the waves had run clear up the foredune into the vegetation and apparently had become dispersed so the driftline was also dispersed and lost.
Natural Changes
Landslides/major boulder falls, Major cracks appearing in bluffs, Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Erosion of vegetated foredune, Visible retreat of solid bluff, Evidence of wave overtopping. All of these natural changes occurred due, I would guess, to the waves overtopping the foredune. I am not sure that the sandy foredune is exactly a "solid bluff," but it's as solid as anything available at that geographical point.
Actions & Comments
I have taken no action because there seemed to be nothing to be done that was possible and/or made sense.
JohnnyCN
CoastWatcher
All Mile 122 Reports
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
Beach clean up day sponsored by Surfrider on New Years Day, so lots of activity. I will need to come at super low tides to access little cove at south end of mile, in the future. Few shells, few small wood pieces. Removed styrofoam pieces, smaller than a quarter, 3 ropes (less than 1’ in length), besides New Years stuff (beer cans, spent fire works, cardboard pieces). This is my first submittal.
Stephanie Dresie
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
The waves/surf wasn't nearly as high today as it was the last time I walked the beach just a couple of days ago.
JohnnyCN
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
Mile 122, Bastendorf Beach, is a beach I've walked many times for pleasure so I am well acquainted with it; therefore, I was very surprised to see what was happening to it due to weather and especially waves.
JohnnyCN
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
No significant changes in erosion or deposition of fore dune since my last report, though some foredune erosion is indicated near Miner Creek where a 20 foot log tossed completely up on the foredune is now slumping onto the beach, indicating erosion of about 10 horizonal feet of foredune.
allen.m.solomon@gmail.com
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
It was a beautiful day to walk the beach.
Magicalsnakeman
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
Very little change from last report.
allen.m.solomon@gmail.com
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
Winter sand infilling of low beach is evident as low reefs begin disappearing; a recent dead sea lion and harbor seal; new stairs installed at eroded foredune; otherwise not much change since last report.
allen.m.solomon@gmail.com
Mile 122
Bastendorff Beach west half
Physical Changes: A rockfall has spalled off the 35 foot cliff at the southwest end of Bastendorff Beach.
allen.m.solomon@gmail.com