Mt Hebo to Tillamook to Ft Stevens State Park

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

 

 

    A look to the south-west across Tillamook Bay from Bay City on US101.

 

 

 

 

    A plaque a little further north along Tillamook Bay discussing the source of the name "Ghost Hole," which is either in the Bay or just offshore. [I like explanation #3.]

 

 

 

 

    A view to the south-east from close to the mouth of the bay, which incidentally is an estuary for several rivers, principally the Tillamook.

 

 

 

 

 

    A shot to the north-east toward the mouth of Tillamook Bay.

 

 

 

 

    Now it's clear why Tilamook Bay was visible from the top of Mt Hebo; checking the scale on a map of Oregon it appears that the bay is c6 miles long.

 

 

 

 

    If I'm not mistaken the mouth of the bay is to the right between a spit of land which protudes SE into the bay and just over which one can see either a buoy or a boat.

 

 

 

    A plaque outlining the diversity which developes in a healthy estuary -- a mix of fresh and saltwater. Eelgrass is the "forest" in an estuary whereas seaweed or kelp functions similarly offshore in the ocean.

 

 

 

    A bit of Oregon history: Captain Robert Gray, apparently the first American to visit Oregon. [Click 1 or 2 times to enlarge.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A shot along the coast from Cape Falcon, part-way up Neahkahnie Mtn; the estuary is, in all likelihook, Nehalem Bay, near which I camped at Nehalem Bay State Park on Tuesday night.

 

 

 

    Near Cannon Beach, where the remnants of a small protrusion of land has been worn down by the relentless actions of the wave. Also, not how small the surf is. One reason is that there are very few sand bars and too much sand. (Though I'm not a surfer, I did clam for many years in the Monterey Bay of California.)
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Links:

• Wikipedia biography of Capt Robert Gray
• Brief history of Nehalem Bay State Park
• Wikipedia article on Fort Stevens State Park

W 10 Aug Actual Route: Nehalem Bay SP - Cannon Beach - Seaside - Fort Stevens State Park

Th 11 Actual Aug Route: Fort Stevens SP - Astoria - Hammond - Warrenton

F 12 Aug Route: Hammond - Ft Clatsop - Seaside - Hehalem Bay State Park

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life or Woodalls for including links to their free campground lookups.