King Tides!

This full moon is the last of three King Tide periods of this winter, when the moon is closest to the earth, creating the highest tides of the year. So we went to the coast yesterday to witness the 9 foot tide. We thought, considering how spectacularly high the Little Nestucca River  was last week, Feb. 13, when we were there at low tide, that it would be even more spectacular yesterday. Wrong.

The flooding was spectacular last week because of massive snow melt and rain in the hills above. What new snow has fallen since then is not melting yet. Johnny thought I must have read the tide table wrong so we went to McPhillips Park on the coast to see the tide without the influence of river water.

Here is the beach on Feb. 13 at low tide.

And same spot on Feb. 18 at high tide with all those exposed rocks covered.

Even the one low rock where our grandkids played last summer was periodically inundated by waves.

 If we ever get a King Tide at the same time we get massive snow melt and heavy rain, the flooding will indeed be spectacular. Highway 101 will likely be flooded at its junction with Brooten Rd., where we access Pacific City, and likely Hwy 130 that we take to get to 101 will be flooded, too.

Yesterday, however, was floodless and beautiful.

 We checked out the beach at Bob Straub Park where I do a monthly beached bird survey. The tide was bringing in lots of drift wood.

One intrepid fisherman was fishing in the surf. The light-colored sand in the photo below ends at a steep ten (or more) foot drop-off.

 We drove north to Oceanside, where Netarts Bay was quite full, with the Three Sisters off Cape Meares lit up in occasional sunlight.

We bought lunches at the little deli and market in Netarts then drove up to Maxwell Point to eat them.

 The Three Sisters zoomed in close revealed about a jillion sea lions resting on the lower rock in front of them.

Maxwell Point is the site of a hang gliding launch point. The property is owned by our long time friend Reed Gleason. His flying buddies have thanked him with a commemorative stone bench at the site.

Also an informative sign gives the rules and regulations and safe landing beach sites. This is not a site for amateurs. Pilots have to be licensed and registered.

A bit of whimsy enfolds the outhouse.

After lunch, we drove down to Short Beach to look for Black Oystercatchers,which often hang out there in the off season and nest in the area in spring. Sure enough we spotted eight of them with seven flying to this rock close offshore.

We drove onward to Cape Meares where I noticed another one of the signs funded by mitigation funds from an oil spill. (I pictured one in a blog last year.) This one is at the north viewing platform.

From this viewpoint, we can see both the north and south toe, plus the two big offshore islands, Pillar Rock and Pyramid Rock off in the distance.

 A close look at Pillar Rock showed a Peregrine Falcon just to the right of where the top dips.

I traded my Panasonic for my Nikon Coolpix to get these close-ups.

Johnny noticed a Bald Eagle atop very distant Pyramid Rock.

Again, my Nikon brought it into view.

Fuzzy view but I have trouble holding this heavy camera still, even when braced on something.

We headed for home then but I wanted to stop at Munson Creek Falls off Hwy 101 south of Tillamook. It is the highest falls in the coast range at 319 feet. Johnny was a bit too worn out from all the hiking so he took a nap while I walked the 1/2 mile in, stopping to take photos of Munson Creek as it flows downstream from the falls. I carried my lighter Panasonic for this trek.

And then there was Munson Creek Falls! I had forgotten how beautiful... and how high... it is...

 With Johnny rested up for more driving, we headed home. It had been a lovely King Tide day even though the King Tide turned out not to be the high point of the day.