March 9, 2020 Driftwood Beach

The skies were clear this morning at the Keady Wayside and so was the parking lot.  One of the advantages of being a solo stroller is that you get to pick where you walk.  This AM I opted to walk and look at the small rather than hike high and search for grand vistas.  In this endeavor I went to Driftwood Beach State Recreational Area north of Waldport and decided to walk a few miles looking for agates and taking in the cool but sunny weather.

Looking for agates is not heart-pounding but rather a little bit of a walking meditation that requires concentration and focus.  I suspect that agates are something like a one-in-a-thousand proposition sorted from the raw material above into the "finished" product below.  

November 11, 2019, Keady Wayside to Lint Slough Trail

Today we were joined by two Waldport Walkers alumni, Maryann, and Terry and his dog Marley, as well as Bob and Robyn.  Lint Slough was mentioned and Bob hadn't seen that hike yet, so we decided to walk from Keady over to the trail and up it.  The day was beautiful and many mushrooms were still around to be seen and enjoyed.  We walked to the end of the trail at the meadow and returned.  It was a nice day to be out walking.

Maryann, Bob, Terry and Marley

Maryann, Bob, Robyn and Marley

Nice group of mushrooms

November 7, 2019, Cape Perpetua to Amanda's Trail, to Yachats

It was a perfect day for hiking.  We met at Keady.  Mike and Marjorie, Bob, and Robyn showed up.  We decided to do a hike Marjorie suggested, and we took two cars, dropped off one at Yachats Ocean Road and then Mike drove all of us up to Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center.  We headed down then up the 1.4 mile St. Perpetua Trail to the top viewpoint, and then went up/down Amanda's Trail (2.9 miles) to Yachats to shuttle back up to get the car we left at the visitor's center.  By the end we figured we'd chosen the best direction to hike, instead of Yachats to the visitor's center, because it was pretty steep coming down when the Amanda Trail started its descent.

Mike, Marjorie, Bob and Robyn at the junction of Giant Spruce Trail and St. Perpetua Trail

Marjorie and a Lovely Mushroom Display

Mike, Marjorie, and Bob on Top of Cape Perpetua

Mike and the Lush Forest of Amanda's Trail

Mushrooms of unknown type

November 4, 2019 Heceta Head Lighthouse

Today the Waldport Walkers hiked from the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park (along the beach collecting agates), up through the Hobbit Trail, over to the Heceta Head Lighthouse via the Heceta Head Trail (aka the Oregon Coast Trail), and returning across the 101 on the Valley Trail, past the China Creek offshoot trail which we opted not to take.  A great six mile hike on a day with a little bit of fog. 

Robyn and Marjorie walk the beach heading south looking for the bright yellow 93 that marks the bottom of the Hobbit Trail.

Marjorie, Bob and Mike.

Signage above the Hobbit Trail.

The forests were a little gloomy.

The Heceta Head Lighthouse, brightest on the coast.

Robyn, Bob, Mike, and Marjorie.

The noon time forest was subdued.

Mushrooms near the China Creek bridge.

November 1, 2019, Shore Acres Bluff

We planned an excursion to hike the Shore Acres trail along the bluff from Sunset Bay to Cape Arago, with a little walk through Shore Acres gardens in the middle.  Mike drove Marjorie down to shuttle us all so we could leave one car at Cape Arago and then he dropped us all back at Sunset Bay to begin our hike, and he headed off for a day of fishing and crabbing in Winchester Bay.  Shari, Marjorie and Robyn hiked the trails.  It was 2 miles from the Sunset Bay to Shore Acres, a break midway to wander the gardens at Shore Acres, and then another 2 miles from Shore Acres to Cape Arago.  We ended up with another half mile or so detour when we took a trail instead of the road at the end between the Simpson Bay viewpoint and Cape Arago, where there wasn't a trail along the bluff, contrary to what our map showed, and that was apparently a trail up to a group camp and trail above Cape Arago, which we just did a cross country trek down the hillside to Cape Arago once at the group camp to get back on track.  A four mile trek that somehow turned into closer to 6 or 7 by the time we were done.  It was a perfect day for hiking there. Photos from Marjorie.

The Hike, Sunset Bay to Cape Arago

Shari, Marjorie, and Robyn

Cape Arago Lighthouse and Entrance to Sunset Bay

Shari and a Fun Tree

Marjorie and Some "Driftwood"

Robyn and Shari at Shore Acres Garden

Many Plants Still Flowering in November!

Robyn and a Big Tree Root

October 31, 2019 Gwynn Creek Trail (Halloween Hike)

Today the Waldport Walkers hiked the Gwynn Creek Trail starting at the Neptune State Park Parking Lot, hiking the Gwynn Creek Trail till it intersected with the Cooks Ridge Trail, then took that down to the Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center, and then returned to the parking lot via the Oregon Coast Trail. 6-7 miles depending upon whose pedometer you trust. 

The first summit.

Bob, Mike and Robyn.

Marjorie at the Wizard's Stump.

Our view looking down at Cooks Chasm, from Oregon Coast Trail section.

October 28, 2019 Mike Miller Education Park

Today the Waldport Walkers walked through Mike Miller Education Park, about a 1 mile loop, and then a nearby short side hike to the south side of the Newport Jetty.

Kay, Brad, Bob, Marjorie and Mike (and Robyn behind the camera)

Fly agaric mushroom which is poisonous but beautiful. 

Unknown mushroom.

October 21, 2019 Lint Slough

The Waldport Walkers hiked along Lint Slough.  Many mushrooms types were observed.

Mike and Marjorie

Robyn with Coral Mushroom 

October 7, 2019 Cummins Loop Trail

The Waldport Walkers hiked from the Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center and took the Oregon Coast Trail over to Cummins Creek, and then walked up the Cummins Creek Loop Trail just a bit before we turned around and retraced our steps back to the visitor's center.  It was a lovely walk.  Then we split up at the Visitor's Center and Bill, Howard, Pamela and Robyn took the Captain Cook Trail down to enjoy Cooks Chasm and Thor's Well before we headed back.

Robyn, Bob, Pamela, Brad and Bill.

Bob, Howard, Pamela, Brad and Bill

Bill and friends Pamela and Howard at Cooks Chasm and Thor's Well

Oct. 4, 2019 - Fish Ladder

Bill had planned an excursion to hike the Heceta Lighthouse Trail, but it was very rainy and no one made it but Bill and myself (Robyn), so we opted out of hiking it in the rain and instead he took me up to find the fish ladder trail that Karen had told us about, and which Bill had been on before but wasn't too sure how to find it again.  We went up Dick's Fork Ln. a few miles to a wide spot in the road with two gated roads next to each other on the right.  We parked there and took the upper road to the fish ladder.  Easy walking and he wanted to show me it as I hadn't been on it before.  It didn't even rain on us, most of the heavy rain was south on the hike we had bailed on.

October 2, 2019 Gwynn Creek Trail

The Waldport Walkers ventured to Cape Perpetua, and chose the Gwynn Creek Trail for our hike. It was an excellent choice, as always. We parked at Neptune State Park and walked up to the trail.  About 1 1/2 miles up, Jim, Brad and Kay reversed course while Bill, Robyn and Bob continued on for another mile and then turned around to return. Photos taken at the point we split up. It was great to have Jim back into the group once again.

Bill, Brad, Kay, Bob, and Jim (Robyn on camera)

September 30, 2019, Woodland Trail

Bob, Bill, Brad and Kay, and Robyn showed up.  We decided to hike around the Woodland Trails in Waldport as several hadn't been there recently.  We hiked from Keady over to the ball field and up the trails to the park on Crestline, and around the trails seeing where many of the frisbee golf course additions were.  Then after we returned to Keady Bob, Brad and Kay and Robyn all decided to go to the 804 in Yachats as Bob hadn't hiked that yet.  It was a beautiful day for a walk.

Brad, Kay, Bob and Robyn

Brad, Kay, Bob and Bill

September 23, 2019, Blodgett Road Trail

Bill, Karen and her little dog Westly, Kelly, and Robyn.  We decided to walk up the Blodgett Road Trail.  It was a perfect day for a walk.

Karen and her dog Westly, Kelly, and Bill

Robyn, Karen and dog Westly, and Kelly

Sept. 12, 2019 - 804 Trail

Kelly and Robyn went down to the 804 Trail and enjoyed a nice walk and some time enjoying the views.

August 26, 2019 - 804 Trail

Robyn showed up, but no one else did.  I struck up a conversation with a fisherman there on the beach, he goes by the name Salmon Ray in his videos, and I asked him if he'd seen the 804 Trail, he hadn't and thought it sounded great, so I took him down there to show him our treasure of a trail and we had a nice walk, even though he was a visiting tourist and hadn't even heard of our group.

August 22, 2019 - Lint Slough

Brad and Robyn met at Keady.  Brad took Robyn up Lint Slough Trail.

August 19, 2019 - Beach Walk

Brad, Linda Marie, and Robyn showed up.  We decided on a beach walk south from Keady as the tide was very low.  We walked south until we got tired and turned around and came back.

July 22, 2019

Brad and Kay, Linda Marie, and Robyn showed up.  We decided to go to Gerdemann Botanic Preserve, and then onto the Ya'Xaik Trail headed south, and ended up at the housing development and walked the highway back to the car.

July 18, 2019 - Waldport Walkers Starts Again

Robyn showed up and finally so did someone else!  Brad showed up, he'd walked before with the group, but being from Arizona he was showing up now while visiting.  We decided to go down to the 804 Trail and enjoy a walk down there.  Thus began having people showing up more often to the group on a regular basis again.