Mile 226 Report
Otter Crest, State Wayside
September 19, 2014
Numerous vehicles, including RVs, were traveling along the one-way portion of Otter Crest Loop, with a number of people stopping and photographing the ocean and looking for whales.
Report Details
Numerous vehicles, including RVs, were traveling along the one-way portion of Otter Crest Loop, with a number of people stopping and photographing the ocean and looking for whales. Significant activity existed at the Lookout, where the parking lot was nearly full. The most significant observation of the day was the sea foam being blown to the south, where it was aggregating into numerous stripes or bands. I wouldn't consider the whale sightings unusual, but they are always notable.
Conditions
Temperature: 65 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.
Human Activities
All human activities were focused on Otter Crest Loop Road and at the Lookout. The parking lot at the Lookout was crowded and the visitor center was busy.
Concerns
Apparent violations: nothing observed.
Notable Wildlife
Nothing was observed except for several grey whales spouting and breaching to some extent. They were heading north at a distance of some 200-300 yards from the shoreline.
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Unusual concentration. Phytoplankton-produced sea foam was fairly abundant and was being blown by the wind in a southerly direction and was aggregating into bands or stripes.
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Small rocks.
Man-made Modifications
Nothing observed
Natural Changes
No changes observed.
Actions & Comments
There was nothing to take action on.
Report Images
gsmeyer
CoastWatcher
All Mile 226 Reports
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There were no people observed on or near the shoreline due primarily to its inaccessibility.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
No human activity was noted on or near the shoreline, the only activity noted being people driving along Otter Crest Loop, with a few parking for short periods of time at the Lookout at Otter Crest Wayside for the views.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
On a nice, fairly calm and partly cloudy day on the central Oregon coast, there were only a few people driving along Otter Crest Loop and even fewer stopping to enjoy the view from the the Lookout at Otter Crest State Scenic Wayside.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
It was a very pleasant sunny day and the ocean was calm, so visibility at and slightly below the surface of the ocean was excellent.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There was nobody observed along the shoreline of mile 226, however there were a number of people driving and stopping along Otter Crest Loop, the roadway that provides excellent overviews of the mile.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There were no human activities noted near the shoreline, which is usual for this mile, but there was activity at the Lookout, where there were a moderate number of people parking and going to the viewpoints and into the Lookout building gift shop.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
It was a nice day to be observing the coast, what with the moderate temperature, light wind, and clouds that covered the sky thinly.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
Humans were only noted well above the shoreline, specifically at the Lookout, where people parked their vehicles to get out for a few minutes to observe the seascapes.
gsmeyer