Or: Old Friends and New Adventures
The woods are lovely,
Dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost
It's been a short while but we were off again to join the Audubon Society of Lincoln City (ASLC) for another Open Space Walk. Today it was at the Cutler City Wetlands Open Space.
This little oasis sits at the southern end of LCO and alongside the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It runs along The 101 just as The Highway starts breaking into the open country around the Wildlife Refuge.
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There were 10 of us for todays walk. I'm gonna chalk that up to two factors. Factor #1, it was a Thursday and all the poor unfortunates that have to work were, sadly, at work. Hahaha, I'm lovin' this retirement thingie an awful lot!! OK, I'm thinkin' that's the one big reason there were only 10 of us hardy souls there.
Factor #2 was that the day was vapidly bland. It was an overcast, semi-cool morning without any real redeeming features other than that the afternoon hadn't yet come and the day might, possibly, still turn out to be semi-nice. Might.
But we wuz there and we wuz ready.
I'm enjoying that we're starting to recognize and remember names of the good folks we've met in prior walks. Getting worked into the crowd ... that's a good thing. It's good that we can see a bit of a history developing and that we're becoming a small part of the set.
And in addition to seeing old friends there is always the opportunity to meet new ones and today, we were able to do that, too. Here's Dennis and Valerie. They're visiting the area from Salem and were able to join us for our walk today.
Hahaha, it works!! A chance to take an interesting walk, see old friends and meet new ones. It all works. And along the way maybe the chance to see an eagle or two.
Winnah, winnah, chicken dinnah!!
I see a trend starting here! As we usually do, we gave them one of our cards and explained about the blog and they, in their turn, gave us a card!!
Hahaha, this is the second time we've gotten a card now. They better be careful, we're the kind of people who will actually call and invite ourselves over.
We've driven past this particular plot of land a couple dozen times now in our short stay here and never, ever suspected this treasure lay just off the road ... waiting for the adventurous to come and enjoy it. We never knew.
And here it begins.
The park was established in 1999. When it was first proposed, everyone applauded the idea of creating a wetlands preserve, they just couldn't get everyone to agree on how it should be done. The Parks & Recreation crew wanted to develop the area with parking lots, restrooms and boardwalks through the area. This was the first plan.
This plan quickly met some solid opposition from those who felt the best way to preserve the wetlands was by leaving it alone. They felt the area was fine just as it was.
Finally, in June, 1999, a group called Friends of the Wildwoods and Trails proffered a third plan that proved to be a good compromise between the two extremes then on the table. They decided to do away with the restrooms and parking lots and create several simple, man-made trails through the wetlands. The idea was to minimize any intrusions into the area keeping it as natural as possible. These folks used machetes, axes and brush cutters and cleared a number of trails.
It is rough in a couple places with boards placed on the ground so you can get over the marshy areas but, generally the trails are pretty good ... you just need to keep an eye on where you're walking because there are a lot of opportunities to trip on stumps and roots along this trail.
And we were off.
I know I've remarked on this before, but I do enjoy the easy camaraderie and the casual informality of these walks. We're together, mostly. You move along at your own pace and the only requirement they put on you is to sorta follow along where the group is heading. If you want to.
Hahaha, no demands from these folks.
And there were plenty of things to see there. Our guide, Ian Keene, pointed out where groups have come out and cut back the ivy that is invading the area and killing the trees. You can see where they've cut the roots to these ivies and killed them before they took over this tree.
I'm not quite sure what Ian's position is but, I think, he works for LCO. Here's the link to his blog page if you want to visit it. You can even, if you've really sharp eyes, see Carol and I among the group picture taken at the last Open Spaces ASLC Walk on his blog.
http://lincolncityopenspaces.blogspot.com
OK, back to the here and now. This picture gives you an idea of what the trails through the wetlands look like. Obviously well-kept, they are generally easy to walk. Just remember to be aware of where you're stepping. Yeah, I know this will come as no surprise, but I stumbled several times tripping on the roots and stumps.
I am blessed with eternal grace.
Hahahaha, not.
I've said this before but I am a Birder by Association. My drive for going on these walks is photography, really. Oh, I enjoy seeing the birds but I don't have the patience or the keen eyesight necessary for birding. My thing is to get out and see some new things and, while I'm doing that, get me a couple pictures along the way.
That's my long way of saying that I didn't see many birds today. I heard quite a few but I didn't get to see them.
Hahaha, birders, always looking up.
Birders are serious about their sport, too. These guys will haul around some obviously heavy gear just to get a good look at a bird.
I did not know this.
Cutler City was, once, the Wild Rhododendron Capital of the Oregon Coast.
Woo, woo!! Whoda thunk!?!
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And I mention that fact because I spent a good portion of today's walk admiring the foliage along the paths.
Like this member of the heather family. It's encouraged, unlike broom, because it supports the environment in Oregon. We see this beauty just about everywhere we go in the coastal area.
There were quite a number of Rhodies in the wetlands.
And, celebrating the rich Rhodie heritage of Cutler City, I got me a couple shots of them.
Just a few...
Bonus!! Got a hitchhiker in this picture. A small spider. Hmmmm, he does fit in with the overall color scheme, doesn't he.
Hahaha, we'll take a break from them for a moment.
Let's look at some of the fungi we found today. And there were lots of these, in different shapes and colors, around, too.
We were amblin' along, enjoying the sights and the sounds of the park.
Speaking of sounds, the only bummer about this park was the noise from The 101. Couldn't get away from the noise of the cars whizzing by.
And some more Rhodies.
And some more.
Carol will explain what these are. They look slightly alien, like something from a 50s Sci-Fi movie, to me.
So I'm told that these are just another example of fungi. Hahaha, still not very appetizing to look at. That's why I never ate a mushroom until I was well into my 30s. I am not an adventurous eater.
What can I say? The Rhodies were there, all over the place, and I had my camera and ...
It's only logical, Captain Kirk.
And a-wandering we went.
Haha, I knew I had some more fungi. Just took a while to get through all the Rhododendrons so you could see them.
They were around. I wonder if they're edible.
Just to prove there were others things growing besides Rhodies.
And mushrooms.
Some of the wild life we encountered there. Hahaha, still reminds me of me.
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Well, the one good thing I can say about this picture is that it's not a picture of some Rhododendrons.
There were lots of ferns there in the Wetlands. Like driftwood and mushrooms, I keep shooting them hoping to get, someday, that one good photo. It really seems like that should be easy to do but ... as I prove time and time again, that's not the case.
And these. I've seen these plants a lot since we've moved here. I just don't know what they are. But, like the ferns, I feel they're highly photographic. And, someday, I intend to get one good picture of them.
Hahaha, bear with me.
Again, it's so easy to spot birders, they're the ones standing around and always looking up.
This was the only boardwalk we saw all day. It was strategically placed over a marshy part of the park. That's Ian there, on the left.
And we were right next to some well-developed skunk cabbage.
It's been a long time since I've been to a rain forest but this is how I remember what it looks like ... a lot of hanging moss and tangled underbrush.
... like this.
OK, so these are False Lilies of the Valley. At least that's what Carol tells me these are. Odd name, isn't it. But at least I know what they're called. For now.
The mushrooms were fighting it out with the Rhodies for the Most Photogenic Award today.
Then we got to the pond. It was, I think, the first time since we started that we were all together. But that's OK because that's the nature of these walks. Enjoying the time together but not having to be together. It works.
I'm thinking I'd like to come back here to this pond sometime to take some more pictures. Hmmmm, maybe I'll have to invest in some galoshes so I can move around a bit more and still keep my tootsies dry.
Annnnnd, another mushroom.
Hahaha, American ingenuity. If the tree that has fallen across the path is too big to move easily, then just take out the part that's in the way.
Problem solved.
Low impact.
Did I mention the Rhodies? Yeah, even on the ground they looked good.
OK, the last one of the Rhodies. I think. No, I'm pretty sure this is it.
Whew!! At last.
I think we sometimes forget that certain objects, things, have more than one side. Sometimes, when my brain is engaged and I'm actually doing some serious looking, I like to explore that other side that is rarely seen; like today with this small flower.
And, here's the front side.
It was pleasant out this morning. Living as we do on the beach where the wind is pretty much a constant companion, it was nice to take a walk without the wind whipping us. I mention this because these subjects weren't wildly swing to an fro in the breeze.
Like other walks, this one was also two-parter. The first part, of course, was the wetlands and the second took us on over to the Josephine Young Memorial Park.
Fun Facts: Where the Memorial Park now sits was once an informal park for the locals. The Cutler City Community Club (C4) maintained the area and the residents enjoyed a nice picnic area until the 70s when the area was vandalized and attracted a number of the Valuable Homeless. Plus there were no facilities available. It got to be too much for the C4 to maintain so the move was made to close down the park.
Councilwoman Josephine Young led the push to preserve the park by having LCO acquire it and make a small parking lot, start a regular garbage collection and put in a restroom. Obviously, she was successful and, in 1973, the city dedicated the 1.1 acre park.
And an interesting side story, at the onset of WWII there was a blackout on the west coast. One of the women who lived in Cutler City during that time recalls what a scary experience it was when she and her friends would go to the movies or to a tavern. They walked down the middle of the street in groups making as much noise as possible. They weren't trying to be seen by the cars that traveled down the road with their lights off, they were trying to scare away the bears.
At 1.1 acres, it isn't a big park. The best feature, the most important thing about it is that it provides an access to Siletz Bay. All the rest of the shore line around that area is covered and blocked by private homes and, you'll see, the folks in these private home owners aren't overly friendly to the FlatLanders that come to visit.
The trail through the park leads you down to the Bay which was, thankfully, out when we were there. We were a bit late as we stayed and chatted with Dennis and Valerie before they left for lunch and we met up with the others from our group as they were leaving the park but Jack graciously stayed so he could show us the eagles they had spotted.
Again, I stand in awe of the power of Mother Nature. She just picks these things up and moves them around like toothpicks.
Someday I will actually get ONE good picture of a piece of driftwood. I'll keep on trying but until then, be patient.
This one is here just to give you an idea of what the Bay looks like when the tide is out.
And then Jack pointed out the young eagles. Yeah, we were surprised to see them sitting on the ground, too.
They were a pretty good distance so my zoom loses a lot in the translation. Poor light plus the long lens kinda destroyed the resolution.
But you get the idea.
Hahaha, seeing the eagles was worth it. One of the fellows mentioned that these were young eagles, maybe four years old.
And still trying. Maybe some day. Just not today.
Remember how I mentioned how friendly the folks who live along the bayshore are? Haha, feelin' the love!!
ROCKS
PROPERTY
OF OWNER!
KEEP OFF
Love and kisses!!
Hahaha, the last one. Honest!! For this blog.
Between you and me, I was getting tired of the driftwood myself.
And, after all that picture taking of Rhododendrons, mushrooms and driftwood, we both found we'd worked up quite an appetite. Carol was thinking maybe Burger King for a quick bite and I was thinking Corner Cafe.
Wanna guess where we went?
GOOD HOME TOWN FOOD
We've seen this place a lot as it is on The 101 and we drive by it every time we head south. I've always been more attracted by the windows than the Good Home Town Food.
I can totally relate to the windows. They remind me of a circus. Nicely done, Corner Cafe. Nicely done.
So we've been threatening to eat here someday and today we decided it was time. Hahaha, it's a cool looking restaurant, isn't it? As you look here, you can kinda see that it's two buildings sharing a common wall. See the two doors? And in the middle can you see the electric meters just beyond Carol? More on these two sides later.
We got ourselves in and seated at a window table. It is definitely unique. Nothing else like it in town. I was already feeling comfortable and, dare I say, at home in it. I really liked it.
Notice how the chairs don't match? Hahaha, part of the charm.
I think this is going to become one of my favorites.
Hahaha, don't be surprised if, when you visit, we take you on over to the Corner Cafe, Good Home Town Food and Atmosphere!
Hahaha, I just noticed; yet another kind of chair. Part of the charm.
This restaurant is in an old building. I guess you could tell that by the pictures I took of the windows. Anyway, it's divided into two. Yeah, there are two different rooms separated by a wall down the middle of the restaurant.
I couldn't help asking why ... I mean, it is odd, right? It was explained to me that when they moved in they found out they couldn't knock out the dividing wall because the fuse box was in that common wall along with all the wiring plus the bathroom. Hahaha, remember all that electrical stuff we saw outside the Cafe on the sidewalk? So, there it is!! The restaurant has two separate rooms and the waitress runs back and forth in a hallway in the back between the two.
Small Home Town Food and Atmosphere.
AND, the place had its own GIFT SHOP!!
Hahaha, how cool is that!?!
This is just too much, Man!! Hahaha, they had me with the two different rooms and the mismatched chairs. This gift shop thingie is just putting whipped cream on top of the pumpkin pie!!
And they were selling this!!
You rock, Oregon!!
It's like a small Goodwill Store right there in the restaurant.
The more I think about it, the more I'm loving this restaurant.
They even have a kids menu ... that you can color. It's hard to tell but that's SpongeBob Squarepants there on the menu that the kids have colored and then hung them up. Hahaha, that's great!!
(Note the different chairs and the tablecloth over the fish tank!! Part of the charm, baby!! Part of the charm!!)
I should have read the doggone Specials Menu. I just might have gotten one of those Buffalo Burgers. Or maybe Elk.
Hahaha, whoda thunk!?!
I was trying to get a selfie by setting the camera on the table next to us. Then, while the camera was counting down, the waitress came up to the table and that's who Carol is talking to.
Me? Hey, I'm dedicated. I know which way the camera is pointed.
Hahaha, yeah, I'm shameless.
OK, we're predictable and, maybe, just maybe, we're in a rut. But it's a tasty rut.
Hahahaha, Carol got her the Fish 'N Chips.
And I got me a Rueben.
We were both well pleased with our meals.
And the fries were ga-uuuud!!
I'm glad we tried this place today. I'm a thinkin' we'll be headin' back, soon.
Mmmmmmm, meat and potatoes. The essentials.
And then they had these in a pot outside.
(FYI, I counted five different styles of chairs in the Corner Cafe. Part of the charm, Baby!!)
Hahaha, good food, good friends, good times all add up to a good day.
I am so glad we found the Audubon Society and the good people we've met there. I am so glad that we get to keep on making new friends and I am really glad that we found a new place to chow down.
Life is interesting here in LCO.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
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