Mile 43 Report
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
March 13, 2009
Foam pellets always bother me.
Report Details
Foam pellets always bother me. Does anyone have a good way to remove them from the beach? They are often mixed with small woody debris on my mile. There was none of the forest duff that concentrated at Crook Point, but the event did leave lots of new driftwood especially on the rocky portion of mile 43. It was medium sized, averaging around an 8 foot 2x4, but few pieces I would call saw logs. There was also lots of sand for this time of year. Often large piles of seaweed are present now, but evidently it landed elsewhere this year. This new medium woody drift was also void of plastic litter for the most part. There was some crab gear which is normal this time of the year, and the artifact of interest was an intact coconut. I never did really like the, 'have your cake and eat it too' chestnut, but it seems to apply here.
Conditions
Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SE. Tide Level: 1.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 1. Walking or running: 1.
Vehicles
Notable Wildlife
a few gulls, Large raft of sea birds swimming offshore, about 15 elk in hills to the east. 2 large ravens, two adult bald eagles.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1.
Driftline Content
Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Wood pieces.
All Mile 43 Reports
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
Stepping on to be beach I was greeted by a healthy supply of summer sand, low swells and blue water with changing shades of color and contrast as the puffy clouds blew over from the northwest.
Dale Lee
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
Over ten feet of sand has migrated from the north end of mile 43, as remnant bits of last summer's beach can still be seen high near the vegetation line.
Dale Lee
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
Visiting my mile is traditionally a low tide, moderate to low swell event.
Dale Lee
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
Although it is about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the beach, ODOT did a major repair to the place I park and access my mile.
Dale Lee
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
Nice afternoon with exceptionally clean and clear air.
Dale Lee
Mile 43
Beach south of Humbug Mountain
The ocean was quite foamy from a high swell at night but had subsided to around 5 feet when I was there.
Dale Lee