The Pillar Rock Salmon Cannery is located on the property where we are staying. Leon (The Mayor) is the father and father in law of our Airbnb hosts. He has done an amazing job preserving the cannery through the years. In addition to the moon in the upper left corner, if you look very closely on the right hand side just above the last piling, just above the tree line is Mt. Saint Helens. The mountain, which is around 70 miles away erupted on May 18, 1980. Fifty seven people were killed, 250 homes were destroyed and damages totaled over a billion dollars.
Since our trip to Astoria on Saturday the Silver Bullet hasn't moved an inch. We've been hunkered down here at the cozy Coho Cabin. This hasn't been out of necessity, but strictly by choice. We've been able to enjoy some quality beach time for four consecutive, rain free days. Yes, it was still a bit chilly so I didn't break out the speedo bathing suit. For the most part a jacket was still required, but with temperatures in the mid-fifties it was downright pleasant, especially with a fire on the beach to help keep the chill away.
Pre-Dawn (5:58 AM)-The Columbia River under a full moon.
Sunrise (6:40 AM)
Sunset (6:08 PM)........all on the same day!
Our location here in Rosburg is about fifteen miles up river from where an average of 265,000 cubic feet/second of water flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is a tidal area, and the tides here are pretty significant. The river rises about eight feet between low tide and high tide. What this means for us is that at low tide we're able to enjoy a nice wide beach that slowly but completely disappears as the tide comes in. Low tides have been occurring around mid-day, giving us plenty of beach time between the early morning and late afternoon high tides.
It's about an hour until high tide. The large log on the right side that is about halfway in the water is our picnic table (see Feb. 21 blog).
Fires are allowed on the beach here and firewood is not a problem. There's plenty of cut firewood at the cabin (thanks Bill) and an endless supply of driftwood along the beach. The beach driftwood is replaced with every passing high tide. Additionally, there is no reason to worry about forest fires thanks to the green rainforest like conditions and the fact that the incoming tide will douse any beach fire as it comes in.
The incoming tide is about to put out our beach fire!
While the beach fires are joint efforts, Beth is both the CFS (Chief Fire Starter) and keeper of the flame throughout the day. We've been well intentioned and taken our books down to the beach with us every day, but we've yet to turn a page. There's simply too much to take in. There's sea lions, seals, eagles and river otters to spot. We also enjoy just sitting quietly and contently staring out at the water or strolling along the beach gathering firewood to feed to the flames.
The Chief Fire Starter and Keeper of the Flame
Adding fuel to the fire!
In addition to all the nature there are the occasional passing ships that we enjoy watching. Unless the Columbia River Bar is closed, there are about a dozen ships per day that navigate their way upstream to ports and downstream to the ocean through the 45-80 feet deep channel. We learned from information provided in the cabin that not only can these ships be tracked in real time but information is online that tells where the ship is coming from and where it's going.
This is actually a US Military Ship. It's listed as a Ro-Ro Carrier. Ro-Ro means the cargo rolls on and rolls off the ship.
A loaded (it's sitting low in the water) Bulk Cargo Ship heading for Japan
I'm not sure of the name of this vessel located on our beach..........maybe SS Better Days?
An empty bulk carrier heading up river to port
I still don't quite understand the physics regarding water displacement well enough to completely comprehend how that many tons of metal can stay afloat. What I do know is that they are marvelous engineering masterpieces to look at and it's made even better by having insight into where they've been and where they're going.
As I was diligently typing away on that last paragraph I looked up to see the Artemis Bulker cargo ship passing by heading into port up river. Just in case you were wondering, this 656 foot long ship, weighs in at 35862 tons and was traveling at 10.2 knots as it passed by just a few miles away from ending a journey it started in Pohang, South Korea on February 13.
If you're near a port this is a fun app to use.
My view while blogging..........its slightly distracting!
With so many sights to behold, it's no wonder we haven't gotten much reading done!
