The Great Oregon Spring Beach Clean-up

For the second year running, I participated in the SOLV Great Oregon Spring Beach Clean-up. I was one of 5245 volunteers out on the beach that morning. The weather was surprisingly good this year…not sunny and hot, but the rain did hold off for a while. I chose the clean up my "home beach" in Neskowin, OR. My family has been going to family reunions there for almost 30 years, so (as cheesy as it sounds) it feels good to clean up "my" beach. (It's also nice to visit a place I know so well during a different time of the year.) I naturally brought along my camera to record the event. I could have gone to a more popular beach, such as Cannon or Lincoln City, but with so many people (probably) going there, I wouldn't have much pick up much litter! I hope that beaches in southern Oregon had enough people visiting them…they deserve to be clean, too.

After I did my work at Neskowin, I drove down the coast to Newport, OR to check out the lighthouse and tidepools. I was shocked at the $5 admission to see the tidepools and a lighthouse that is under construction, but I suppose it was worth it after I visited the Visitor's Center. Inside the Center was a postcard mailed in the 1800's to a lady in Oregon City from her children who went to the coast. The funny part was, I knew the house where the postcard was sent! Ok, well, I know where I would find the house in Oregon City…it's down the road from my old high school. I liberated my mom's macro lens and went crazy in the tidepools below the Yaquina Bay light house. There were so many anemones, barnacles, and little crabs running around in the water! My flickr page

has more photos of my adventure. The shot to the left is my favorite of the day…so perfectly clear! I love the greeny-purple color to the tentacles. If you have a chance, so visit the tidepools..and bring a sealife guidebook….and don't tread on the barnacles!