Tide Pools and Neahkahnie Mountain

Yesterday we poked around in the marine gardens (tide pools) at Haystack Rock. It was a cold, cloudy, windy day, and the beach photo captures the mood perfectly. The tide pools (not in the photo) themselves were quite nice, although there were a lot of people there; what made them even nicer was that there was a volunteer who explained about the different animals living there and answered questions. For examples, we found out that starfish are no longer called "starfish"--as of about 3 years ago, they are "sea stars" because they don't have gills and are not really fish. Same problem with ":jellyfish," although it wasn't clear what their official name now is. Maybe just "jellies." Haystack Rock is a nesting place for many different kinds of birds as well as a hunting ground for bald eagles and peregrine falcons; peregrines are the fastest animals on earth, and they even attack the much larger bald eagle. They dive-bomb them using their bodies and aiming for the shoulder to break the wing so the eagle will fall into the ocean where the falcon can them pick them off.

We were freezing after our tide pool walk and went to Mo's (Famous Clam Chowder) intending to have breakfast, but they had switched to their lunch menu by the time we got there. I asked a server there where to go, and she said that Lazy Susan's downtown Cannon Beach had "amazing" breakfasts, and gave us directions. She was right! A darling little house converted into a cafe, tucked in off the street, walls made of rough wooden planks, and just 8 tables, overlooking a pretty garden. Eclectic decorating, including flower photos, dried starfish, I mean sea stars, and a sign that read "Be Nice or Leave." I had a hard time choosing between the oatmeal waffle with fresh strawberries and bananas and the "John's Special"--two poached eggs on top of sauteed potatoes covered with melted Tillamook cheese. I ended up going with John and it was wonderful. I also took home a fresh Marionberry scone which I saved this morning for today's breakfast.

Today we did Diane's other "must do" hike--Neahkahnie Mountain--with Michael and Tracy, another couple staying in the campground. On the way over to their campsite we spotted the mother deer and her twin fawns that many of the campers had reported seeing. The photo must be the girl. She stayed close to mom for the most part and moved slowly and cautiously. Her brother was too hard to get a decent shot of. All he wanted to do was play. He kept racing back and forth, trying to get mom and sis to do something more exciting than nibble at grass; it didn't work. This last photo is the view of Nehalem Beach from the top of the mountain. It was a clear day and the views were stunning in all directions.

Tomorrow we leave here and head for our next location--South Beach State Park, about 100 miles south, near Newport. There's supposed to be a lot to do there--wonderful kayaking, a really good bike trail, and a nice aquarium in Newport. On the way, we'll stop in Tillamook for groceries, one more batch of crab cakes, and one last ice cream cone. I'm going for the Espresso Mocha.