Crescent Bay
So much of our day-to-day lives have been upended with COVID-19 it would be unreasonable to think that citizen-science, and in particular our participation with the University of Washington’s COASST program, would be spared. Although the task of actually doing the survey is unaffected, it’s finding a suitable basecamp that has been the linchpin in this process. It’s always been convenient to locate out La Push but the Quileute tribe has restricted access and there’s no indication that they’ll be reversing that decision anytime soon. We’ve tried a handful of other locations with various degrees, or not, of success. However, we may have finally found the perfect location in Crescent Bay.
Crescent Bay was once home to the appropriately named Port Crescent. A thriving and hopeful community located on the bay just west of Port Angels. Like so many other communities its hopes for prosperity rested on the location of the railroad terminals being expanded in this direction. When those hopes didn’t come to fruition, the town slowly withered and died. Finally, the Army burned the derelict buildings and abandoned homes to the ground, and now all that is left is the historic pioneer’s cemetery.
However, there are two campgrounds available. One is the Salt Creek County Park and the other is the privately owned Crescent Beach RV Beach Park. We’ve stayed at both and for the time being, they’ll be our basecamps for heading out the coast to conduct our bird surveys. I’ve been coming out here to explore for over twenty years and would hardly see a soul. Now it seems to be overrun with surfers but as they’re great stewards of the ocean, it’s nice to see them here.
Support
Our mission is a labor of love, but it does come with overhead. If you’d like to support our efforts we’d certainly appreciate it. Currently, we’re actively participating in the following field research:
- COASST Beached Bird Surveys
- Wild and Scenic River Project
Thank you.
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Storm Damage
We were lucky that our low tide was mid-morning which allowed us a more reasonable departure time to head out to the coast. Clear skies meant cold temperatures as we made our way around Lake Crescent. The surrounding mountains were snow-capped and there was some ice present around the fringes of the waterfall. In addition to the cold temperatures, there was plenty of evidence of wind damage as well.
Every winter the Pacific Northwest is raked with storms coming off the Pacific. This year was no exception. We usually find remnants of the storm on our trail down to the beach, but this trip was especially full of blowdowns. Just on our trail alone, we had a dozen or so trees that had come down and been chainsawed by the park service.
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This set of pillars made from columnar basalt at the terminus of Frenchman Coulee is popular among rock climbers. Read more about this in the link in bio.
We started our hike to the Frenchman Coulee Waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge early in the morning to beat the heat. However, when we reached the bottom of the waterfall, it was already scorching hot. Follow the link in the bio to read more.
Stormy weather over Fort Worden.
Point Wilson Lighthouse at night. This is a hand held shot with the new iPhone. Hard to believe where tech has taken us.
Large waves from the evening storm crashed against the rocks at the base of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
Spending the weekend on the Washington coast near the mouth of the Columbia River. Last night it poured in camp, but this morning the sun broke throught for a bit. Make everything seem a bit warmer.
A road less traveled through the Northern Cascades during the fall season.
Sunset over a lonely section of coastline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Enjoying the quiet and solitude of an evening camp on Whidbey Island.
A view of Baker River just south of Baker Dam. We arrived midweek and had the place to ourselves despite enduring some showers.
Theresa clings to her cap atop Goats Rock on the SW side of Deception Pass, admiring the view of Puget Sound after a steep climb.
This group of Common Rustgill were at our campsite on the Sagkit River. This is a great time to go out and brush up on your fungi identification skills.
Nature's masterpiece painted across the canvas of the sky, as fiery hues intertwine with the tranquil waters of Deception Pass. Last night's sunset at North Beach left me in awe of the world's endless wonders.
That time of the year to pull out the mycology reference books. Spending a week exploring the forests of the North Cascades. #MycologyMagic #ForestAdventures
Deception Pass State Park is our starting point for a 7 day camping trip through the North Cascades.
A view from last summers trip to Frenchman’s Coulee along the Columbia River Gorge. Missing the warm dry temperatures.
Cougar Tracks
We have been coming down to Toleak Beach for over two years now, and in that time we’ve seen a wide variety of either wildlife or the clues of wildlife. This time we came across the tracks of a cougar who had been crossing the high tide line recently. Certainly, since high tide as his tracks would have been erased and that was only a couple of hours previous to our arrival.
There was no mistaking these tracks and they were quite large; at least as big as my hand. There’s something that gives you a moment of pause when you release that there is a big predator in the immediate vicinity. As soon as I realized what I was looking at, I glanced over my shoulder both up and down the beach.
Of course, nothing came of our sighting and we patrolled the rest of our beach without incident, but it’s just these serendipity encounters and makes our COASST surveys so enjoyable and rewarding. Whether it’s a Humpback whale on the tide line or a doe with her fawn these are the wonders of nature that bring us over Scott’s Bluff to our beach time and time again.
