Mile 204 Report

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

August 1, 2021

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

Entrance to PacWave construction site, Driftwood Wayside

PacWave construction

Seasonal summer beach dunes

Looking from beach to Driftwood Wayside access path 6/6/2020

Looking from beach to Driftwood Wayside access path, 2/13/2021

Looking from beach to Driftwood Wayside access path, 8/1/2021

Oxidation of iron in water, Buckley Creek

Driftwood and rocks, Buckley Creek

Semipalmated Plovers and Western Sandpipers

Report Images

Jon French

CoastWatcher

All Mile 204 Reports

Date

Showing 8 of 56 reports

Mile 204

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

August 9, 2024

Mile 204 isn't my usual mile, so I've waited to walk it again until work resumed on PacWave South's wave energy testing project at Driftwood Beach Wayside. https://pacwaveenergy.

Jon French

Mile 204

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

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

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

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

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

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

Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek

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