Mile 54 - South of Cape Blanco, access road to Elk River - February 24, 2010

Report Details

A windy walk on beautiful beach. The beach appearance was quite different from my last visit (May 2009)--this is not my mile, I'm just 1/2x/year visitor. The number of driftlogs on the beach seemed substantially less than the last time I was here. There was a cluster near the vehicle beach access, but the cluster petered out rapidly. Further south on the beach, there was some evidence of a former dune that was cut by this winter's weather--I could see some crossbedding as well as bits of wood or driftwood sticking out of the sand structure. Despite this indication of erosion, there seemed to be much more sand deposited on the beach than there was last May. Usually I walk one way of the mile near the bluffs to look for any particularly nice samples of blue schist that have ended up there--this time I saw few to no large cobble-sized or smaller well rounded rocks, blue schist or other. I have attached some photos of what I did see, including a not great photo of what the dark strata (looks like a kind of mud/claystone w/concentration of mafic minerals and/or anerobic environment of formation but too wet to use handlens & I didn't take a sample to look at later (if I could find a polarizing microscope (or any microscope) to use to try to identify the minerals. Once soaked in water, the strata deteriorates, yet the feel & look was not standard clay & there was a kind of sheen or shine (reason for suspecting mafic minerals). Interesting. The bluffs are cut enough that, if I was really seeing some layering w/in this strata, there was enough of it exposed to indicate the strata seemed to be tilting slightly east. Tide very low this afternoon. Interesting walk on rainy windy beach.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Strong. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: -2.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 3. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 1. Other Activities: 2 people in pickups and 2 sheep grazing on low slope of bluf. One person w/pickup had multiple buckets--no idea what the guy was collecting/gathering, a friend I spoke to later said he might've been doing illegal algae collection. Both pickups actually in mile 55, but I could see them & I actually walked mile 55 as well. I did see one more pickup drive up & down mile 54, when I was on mile 55, no idea what the driver was doing.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 1. Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 2.

Notable Wildlife

Two sheep were spotted grazing on the lower section of the beach bluff that exists behind a kind of foredune that runs along the northern half to 2/3s of the mile. Otherwise saw only gulls, and I think a group of about 9-10 pelicans flying very low along the edge of the water, at one point seemed to slow & plunge into the water, perhaps fishing?

Driftline Content

Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Styrofoam, Wood pieces. many plastic bits, only a few pieces of styrofoam

Natural Changes

many small slides towards south end of mile in exposed mud/claystone strata

Actions & Comments

Can't do much about erosion, natural process.