Monthly Archives: March 2013

Ecola State Park Near Cannon Beach

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Cannon Beach

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Ecola State Park

How to get there:

Located just a few minutes north of Cannon Beach.


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There are a lot of Parks to be seen and visited in Oregon which are truly breathtaking and worth the travel, but one of the best would be the Ecola State Park. This park is reachable through the main road and is located around two miles north of Cannon Beach’s downtown.  The name of this park was obtained from the word “ikoli” which means whale because of beached whales that were one of the things that many earlier visitors saw. It is known that the park was discovered by Capt. Clark together with twelve members of the Corps of Discovery when they went through thick shrubs and trees and were climbing on rocky cliffs. Nowadays, the park has a paved road which leads through a thick forest and is much easier to pass. After passing the lines of Sitka Spruce Trees, you will be greeted with the view of the Pacific Ocean. Parking lots are available near the entrance and at the northern end so guests would not be worrying where to park their cars.

There are a lot that Ecola State Park has to offer throughout the year. These include exploration, nature tripping, site for photography, tide pooling, surfing, swimming, picnic, trailing, and a lot more. This park surely provides something for everyone. There are a lot of breathtaking views of the Ocean. When winter and summer migration comes, whales are also a view. Beside these, there is also the Indian Beach which provides enjoyment especially for surfers and kayakers. This is also where families can go to for picnic and use the picnic tables scattered around the area or the covered barbecue areas. The Indian Beach is also very enjoyable for exploration of tide pools and interesting rock formations. Beside all these exciting adventures, the park also has restrooms which the guests could use.

There is no better way to live life as compared to enjoying the beauty that nature has to offer. We must look around us and marvel in greatness of the nature and see for ourselves what we can discover through them.

Grab breakfast in Cannon Beach at the Lazy Susan and enjoy a hike around the park.

Tsunami Preparedness for Oregon Beaches

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in General

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Two years ago, Japan experienced one of the most memorable events in the history of tragic incidents. Massive cries from people were heard, lives were lost and shattered, families were broken down and separated, and houses were swept. This was known as the great east Japan earthquake.

Even though it was in Japan where the earthquake and tsunami struck, neighboring countries became affected due to the strength that this disaster brought. Russia and Papua New Guinea evacuated thousands of residents, the Philippines experienced very high waves causing flood an damage to coastal areas, houses along Indonesia were destroyed, icebergs in Antarctica were broken down, odd as it may seem, a motorcycle and soccer ball were found in Canada and Alaska respectively, and lastly, most of California and all of Oregon experienced the same disaster which brought severe damages to the docks.

Do you know where to go in case of emergency?

epugachev, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/epugachev/18307317/

epugachev, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/epugachev/18307317/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This experience left a mark in the hearts and minds of all people and served as a reminder to always be prepared and to expect the unexpected. One of the reminders of this tragic incident is the washing up of a tidal wave debris which is a derelict Japanese vessel alleged to be Japanese on Gleneden Beach in February, as well as the arrival of a 70 foot dock on Agate Beach in Newport last June. That is why a Tsunami roadshow will be held in Oregon in the month of March to teach people survival skills such as preparations for disaster and emergency skills. According to officials, what happened in Japan is threatening to happen in Oregon since it is located on the earthquake fault Cascadia Subduction Zone.

This preparedness presentation will be very beneficial for the people of this coast when disaster comes. Even though we cannot change the course and disaster that Mother Nature will bring, we can still prevent the degree of damage it may cause by having the survival skill and the preparedness through physical aspects and have the right attitude towards it. Who knows, when this disaster comes, we will write our survival story at the end. As they say, there is always a rainbow after every rain.

The schedule for the Tsunami Preparedness Presentations is below:
March 11: Seaside
Broadway Middle School Library,1120 Broadway St. Seaside, Ore., from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

March 12: Astoria
Astoria Library, 450 10Th St., Astoria, Ore., from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

March 14: Rockaway Beach
Neah-Kah-Nie High School, 504 N. Third Ave., Rockaway Beach, Ore., from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

March 15: Lincoln City
Driftwood Public Library, 801 U.S. 101 Lincoln City, Ore., from 4:00-5:30 p.m.

March 19: Florence
Siuslaw Public Library, 1460 Ninth Street, Florence, Ore., from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

March 21: Coos Bay
Hales Center Auditorium, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, Ore., 7:00-8:30 p.m.

March 23: Brookings
Brookings Elks Lodge, 800 Elk Dr., Brookings, Ore., 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Oregon Halibut Fishing 2013 Season

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in fishing, garibaldi, Newport

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Halibut fishing has been one of the most rewarding and productive types of fishing in the North Pacific. Most of the time, it serves as a race and a form of entertainment to the anglers involved seeing who can get fish in the box the fastest. First to gain the most number of pounds in a limited given time wins. Although there are certain rules that they should follow such as not catching any halibut below 30 inches or 76 cm. One of the problems faced by fisherman is the weather. When the weather is bad, it becomes dangerous to go to sea.

izik, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/izik/220648048/

izik, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/izik/220648048/

In Oregon, the fishing trip would generally take about 12 hours and a limit of one halibut per person with no length limit is given. However, this type of fishing is not recommended for children below 12 years old, because this giant flatfish has great strength and it is very difficult to bring in a huge 70 to 100 pound fish.

This kind of fishing is said to be so much fun due to the challenge of catching the big and heavy fish and being able to put it on deck. It is hard to find another fish that fights like a halibut. This fish tends to push and pull back and forth making the catch feel like you are dragging more than what you are getting.
According to The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, they will be deciding the fishing seasons in Salem on the 26th of April. The proposed dates are from the Department of Fish and Wildlife staff and the Pacific Halibut Commission.

Below are the dates for the seasons for Halibut fishing:
May 9-11, May 16-18, May 30, June 1, June 6-8 (All-depth seasons along the central Oregon coast as recommended by the staff.)
June 20-22, July 4-6, July 18-20 (Back up weekends)
August 2 and 3 then every other Friday and Saturday (Summer all-depth)
May 3 and every other Friday to Sunday (when the area of the mouth of the Columbia River opens)
August 2 (Summer season)
If there would be in season changes to open dates, they will be announced on the NMFS Hotline (1-800-662-9825; #5; #1) and posted at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/
Give Garibaldi Charters or JB and Water Sportfishing a call, if you are looking to go out for these bottom dwelling fish out at Halibut hill around 20 miles past the Tillamook Bay bar near the Garibaldi marina.
Find Oregon fishing guides here.

Here is what it is like to go fishing on a charter for Pacific Butts off the Oregon Coast.