The Beauty, the Geology, and the Weirdness of Sunset Bay…

January 21, 2021January 18, 2021 / Curt Mekemson / 27 Comments

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Peggy and I made a trip over to Cape Arago on the Oregon Coast. The waves featured in my January 7^th post were from this trip as is today’s post on Sunset Bay State Park, which is located at the beginning of the Cape just outside of Coos Bay.

The tourist and real estate industries of the Oregon Coast prefer to ignore the next BIG one, or put it off to sometime in the distant future. The folks involved in predicting earthquakes have a different perspective. The sheer number of tsunami evacuation route signs along the Oregon coast speak to their concerns. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is real. A massive 9-point something or other earthquake known as a mega–thrust is in our future. They happen every 300 to 600 years. The last one was in 1700. The oceanic Juan de Fuca plate is diving under the North American continental plate and it will not be denied. It’s stuck right now. Small earthquakes near the surface are creating pressure on the trapped area, however. When it gives, all hell will break loose.

I, for one, pay careful attention to the evacuation routes whenever Peggy and I visit the coast. If the earth shakes, we will be out of there! So what if we leave our welcome mat behind.

Sunset Bay State Park is a geological wonderland when it comes to featuring various aspects of what can happen when a massive earthquake strikes. The most fascinating to me are the stumps of ancient trees. Twelve hundred years ago, a forest stood above the ocean where Sunset Bay now stands. An earthquake caused a subsidence in the land, drowning the forest. At low tides, the remains can still be seen.

I was fascinated by the different shapes of trunks left by the ancient trees.

This ancient tree stump at Sunset Bay State Park bears a strong resemblance to a man doing jumping jacks.

This tree has roots on roots. A genealogist would be impressed.

Incoming tide surrounded the tree trunk and reflected the fluffy clouds in the sky.

Peggy stands in front the ancient tree trunks to provide perspective. Her Covid-19 mask serves as a scarf.

Faults, fractures in the earth’s surface along which the blocks of crust move relative to one another can be seen among the tilted and layered rocks of the Bay at low tide. The rocks, BTW, also provide an excellent area for tide pools that feature sea life loved by kids and adults alike.

Low tide at Sunset Bay. You can see a number of tide pools to explore, but it also shows a clear fault running from left to right. A second fault can be seen behind it. The crust between the faults moves when earthquakes strike.

We spent a few minutes peering into tide pools.

We were impressed by the sea anemone. The slit is the anemone’s mouth, and, for convenience, its anus as well. The tentacles contain stingers filled with a toxin for stunning dinner, which is then transported to its mouth.

For fun, I rendered the anemone in black and white.

While the bay represents an earthquake caused subsidence, the Whiskey Run terrace surrounding the Bay represents uplifts and folding also created by tectonic activity related to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The wave-caused erosion taking place in Sunset Bay operated on the terrace when it was at sea level. It’s estimated that the land rises approximately three feet every thousand years.

The terrace above Sunset Bay was once at sea level. Like the Bay, waves created the flatness of the terrace.

A close up of the Whiskey Run terrace. The sedimentary layers have been tilted down to the right by tectonic forces and then eroded away by wave action. A layer of dirt/rock has since been laid down on top, providing soil for the forest.

And finally, I would like to feature a strange, non-tectonic feature of Sunset Bay: concretions. Peggy and I first came across these round, rock-like structures on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They are created when groundwater triggers extra amounts of ‘cement’ around irregularities in the rock such as shells, creating a round structure that continues to grow as more cement is added. The hardness of the covering makes it harder to erode than the surrounding rock.

And these are concretions apparently marching out to sea. Why, I haven’t a clue.

I’ll conclude with a few other photos from Sunset Bay that I found interesting.

Peggy walking through the tunnel that connected our campground to the bay.

And finally, I’ll wrap up this post on Sunset Bay with more waves.

NEW BLOG SCHEDULE: I’ve been working on revising the book on my Liberia Peace Corps experience— adding a few chapters on my experience working for the Peace Corps after I was a Volunteer and updating the chapters I wrote about modern Liberia. Several of you have read the book and a few of you may have even been around when I first blogged it several years ago. Anyway, I am going to reblog it again, adding it to my schedule. On Mondays I will continue to blog my book, It’s 4 AM and a Bear is Standing on top of Me. On Wednesdays, I will blog The Bush Devil Ate Sam. On Fridays, I will continue my travel blog.

Blog a Book Monday: Will you believe I actually have a good day on the Sierra Trek?

Blog a Book Wednesday: Introduction to the Bush Devil Ate Sam

Travel Blog Friday: I return to my Backroad series following Highway 191 through Navajo country in Utah and ending up in Arizona’s Lyman State Park.

Whales, Beavers and Skunks… Sunset Bay State Park

May 17, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 17 Comments

Pacific Coast at Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon.

We found two beautiful coves in our hike along the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean south of Sunset Bay State Park.

I’ve never lived on the seashore, but I always considered it a second home– after the mountains. At some point or the other in my life, I’ve even visited all the world’s great oceans. My favorite coastline, however, has always been the Pacific Ocean’s rugged seashore starting at Big Sur in California and working its way north to Alaska through Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Of all the trips I have made to the ocean over the years, I have never, ever been disappointed. Our trip to Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon last week was no exception. The campground was beautiful. Oregon does a great job with its state parks. Ours even came with a resident beaver. He stopped by to visit us one night. Unfortunately, he was camera shy. By the time Peggy and I had gotten over our surprise and grabbed our cameras, he had disappeared. We also thought we had skunks until we discovered that the brilliant green foliage with large leaves surrounding us was skunk cabbage.

Sunset Bay Campground near Coos Bay, Oregon

The green, green campground at Sunset Bay State Park on the Oregon Coast. The beaver lived in the small stream to the left of the fence.

Peggy and I were surprised to find out that the skunk we were smelling was actually the large leafy plants that surrounded our campsite.

Peggy and I were surprised to find out that the skunk we were smelling was actually skunk cabbage, the large leafy plants that surrounded our campsite.

Skunk Cabbage flower on the Oregon Coast.

The Skunk Cabbage also had this rather unique flower. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

This tree was behind our van in the campground. Peggy loved it. In my last blog I noted you only see tree roots in the tropics. I lied. I could actually walk into the cave created by the roots.

This tree was behind our van in the campground. Peggy loved it. In my last blog I noted that tree roots spend their life underground except in the tropics. I lied. I could actually walk into the cave created by these roots. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

We didn’t see any great sunsets on Sunset Bay due to overcast skies, but we enjoyed the flowers, driftwood, a rock face and a Cormorant island.

Rock face at Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon.

I am always ready to turn rock into a face. This guy had big, bushy eyebrows, a crooked nose, and a gaping mouth. With a little imagination, he also had a tuft of hair on his head. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Cormorants nesting on an offshore island in Oregon.

Off shore islands are always great places for nesting sea birds as well as seals, etc. Cormorants had chosen to turn the trees into their homes on this island off Sunset Bay. I loved the striking cave with its teepee like door.

Kelp on shore at Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon

Finding treasures are always a reason for beach walks. I considered this kelp a treasure. As children, we found kelp made an excellent bull whip!

To find whales, we headed three miles south of Sunset Bay to Cape Arago and got lucky. The migration period when Gray Whales make their 6000 mile journey from the Baja, Mexico to the Bearing Sea is about over. Although you can’t tell it from our photos*, Gray whales are huge, measuring up to 47 feet long and weighing upwards to 40 tons. A baby can be 15 feet long and weigh 1500 pounds. Imagine giving birth to that! Ouch. * Photos of whales out in the ocean taken with a normal telephoto lens look suspiciously like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

This was the location where we chose to look for Whales off of Cape Arago on the Oregon Coast. A pod of four showed up on the left.

This was the location where we chose to look for Gray Whales off of Cape Arago on the Oregon Coast. Not bad for a scenic point. A pod of four whales showed up on the left.

For our location and our cameral, this is as good as it got. (grin) Still, we were thrilled, as always.

For our location and our camera, this is as good as it got. (grin) Still, we were thrilled, as always. The one if front was spouting. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

We found these interesting heart-shaped leaves on the way back to our van. I liked the unique pattern.

These lower jawbones of a juvenile Humpback Whale were on display at Sunset Bay Campground. Peggy provides a perspective on their size.

These lower jaw bones of a juvenile Humpback Whale were on display at Sunset Bay Campground. Peggy provides a perspective on the kid’s size.

We finished off our trip with a delightful hike along the bluffs on the southern section of Sunset Bay Park.

Flower covered meadow at Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon

Our hike started across this flower covered meadow.

Hiking trail at Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon

Peggy makes her way along the shaded trail along the bluffs.

Looking down into the first cove we came to at Sunset Bay. Another couple of feet and I would have been tumbling off a sheer cliff. Bye, bye Curt! It was a beautifully calm day on the Pacific.

Cape Arago Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast.

Looking north we could see the Cape Arago Lighthouse. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Cove on Oregon Coast near Coos Bay, Oregon

The trail ended by dropping down into this pretty cove. I climbed the cliff on the right.

Peggy provided wifely advice and suggested this cliff might be more difficult to come down than go up… No problem. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

This is what it looked like when I got to the top and looked back down. (grin) My size 14 shoes had no sense of humor about the 2 inch ledge. Was Peggy suggesting I go another way? Dive!

Small waterfall in Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon

This bubbling waterfall greeted us on the way back to camp.

NEXT BLOG: It’s back to Europe to finish up in Florence and then move on to Barcelona.

Sunset Bay, Oregon… A World of Whales, Waves and Wacky Roots… Plus Flowers

May 13, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 15 Comments

Rododendron at Shore Acres State Park, Oregon

Rhododendrons and azaleas add splashes of color to the Oregon Coast in Spring. These beauties are found at Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon.

Peggy and I just returned from a five-day trip to the coast. One of our goals as new residents here in Oregon is to explore the state. We’ve gotten off to a slow start. Little things like trips to Europe, Mexico, Burning Man, Las Vegas and Hawaii, not to mention settling into our new home, have gotten in the way. (Grin)

We bit the bullet on Wednesday, packed up Quivera, and hit the road. Quivera, BTW, is the 22-foot van we wandered in for three years. The name derives from a lost Indian city that never stays in the same place. I think it is somewhere out in Kansas now with Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. (We named our first van Xanadu. Peg and I like exotic.)

Our 22-foot van, Quivera, waits patiently for us at Cape Arago, just south of Sunset Bay, Oregon.

Our destination for this trip was Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon. Our objective was to see whales, the massive Grays that make their way north along the Pacific Coast each spring. We weren’t disappointed. Likewise, as always, we enjoyed the scenic beauty of the Northwest’s famous rugged coastline. I’ll blog about both on Friday. (Next week I will return to Florence and Barcelona.)

For today and Wednesday, I want to write about two surprises. The first is some drop-dead gorgeous flowers. The second is tree roots. Be prepared to enter a fantasy world on the latter. Heck, be prepared to enter a fantasy world with both.

We can thank a lumber baron for the blossoms. Louis Simpson built a mansion on the bluffs south of Sunset Bay. Then he built a flower garden. He lost his fortune during the Great Depression and Oregon had the foresight to acquire both. Eventually, the mansion had to be torn down, but the flower garden still stands as part of Shore Acres State Park. Some 5000 annuals/perennials bloom between May and September.

We arrived at the height of rhododendron-azalea season. (The Internet informs me that all azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.) Enjoy!