South Coast beach finds

Sarah and I recently returned from our fourth annual September vacation. We chose the south Oregon Coast this year, where Sarah lived for a while as an undergrad at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.

We took in many great views such as the one above at Port Orford Heads State Park.

As usual, we found many intersting things in the sand during our daily beach walks.

There were some wild fish skulls near a seafood plant at the Port of Port Orford near our motel.

At Cape Blanco's beach, the westernmost in the Lower 48, we found a Red-necked Phalarope that, though dead, was in great shape. These little shorebirds winter in coastal bays swimming in search of food.

On a rockier beach, we found the champion of intertidal grazing mollusks, the gumboot chiton.

These creatures resemble large, eyeless slugs with a velvety dorsal side and a squishy belly.

Now that we have met our coastal time quota, we hope to return to work on our many home and garden projects.