The Tidepools of the Oregon Coast
Growing up and living my entire adult life in the south, my idea of a beach was sand – lots of sand, and nothing but sand. Since I've retired and slowed down, I have had a chance to explore the rocky coasts of the Pacific Northwest, which are much more interesting. Here are a few photos I've taken along the middle Oregon Coast around Yachats.
First a little boring geological background – all this coastline was formed when the Pacific plate and subsidiary smaller plates slid underneath the North American plate, as opposed to the Florida coast, which has been geologically inactive forever. Back east it's all sedimentary; here, (relatively) recent volcanic activity has deposited lava right along the coast. Looking down the shoreline from an elevated position, you can see a series of sand beaches, interspersed with volcanic headlands.
Rocks at the surf line make for interesting flora and fauna which are out in full view at low tide. On a sand beach, everything that wants to live on the beach has to burrow in the sand. Here, plants and animals can fasten to the rocks and get washed by the sea as the tide goes in and out.
The most numerous and noticeable animals are the filter feeders – barnacles and mussels around here. Walk around the rocks near the water's edge and you'll see them on every hard surface imaginable between the high and low tide lines. The barnacles are usually higher up – they can get by on only a few hours of immersion a day. Beneath them are the mussels, packed solid on the rock face.
Sea anemones are another filter feeder. They are cnidarians (jellyfish family) instead of molluscs, but they employ the same strategy – let the ocean bring you your dinner. Of course, where there's this much tasty seafood clustered in one place, you'll find other diners – starfish and shorebirds prowl the rocks, looking for a shell that can be pried open. Plants include kelp and other forms of algae as well as sea palms, which spend most of their time being pounded by waves because they insist on living in the intertidal zone.
I'm having a great time waiting for low tide and descending the cliffs to explore the rocks and tidepools. I even found what I think is a chiton – a single-shell mollusc I have only read about, and never seen in the wild. Someone help me out on this if my book-learning is leading me astray, but that's my best guess. Having spent my life far from where these creatures live, it's fascinating to finally meet some of them in person.
All along the coast here is a reminder that we're not the first to explore these shores. As the seacliffs slowly erode, they expose middens – piles of shells left by the original inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest. Here at the beach was a steady source of protein from shellfish and carbs and vitamins from seaweed that made the weather bearable.  Under a few hundred or few thousand years worth of topsoil, just below the top of the cliff, there's a white band of these shells in most of the creek mouth areas where the mussel rocks are.
I'm not getting much company in my explorations – Fiona's scientific interests lie with the birds and rodents in the bushes higher up the cliffs, and Sharon just likes to walk along the sand. I'm having fun, though. This is exactly the type of thing I dreamed about doing during the time I spent planning for retirement and outfitting my Roadtrek for boondocking – exploring and experiencing strange new places I had previously only read about, and then as night falls, cooking dinner and falling to sleep listening to the surf. When the sun comes up tomorrow, I'm already here and ready for another day of exploration.  It makes all the work worthwhile.
Saw this few years ago…loved it…
That is awesome, I could have taken this picture in Feb when I was out there visiting my daughters
I hope we get to go here!!
I’ve been there Oregon is like no place on earth that I’m aware of! Love it keep the photos coming.
Nice
As a young teen I used to attend an OSMI science camp near Cape Argo and we would get up every morning and go to the tide pools.. I LOVE OREGON
So pretty! Wish I was there!
We will be heading down that coast in a couple of weeks in the B+ Gulfstream. .smile
I miss this soooo much!
Have been there and it is a sight to see, beautiful.
Dinner mmm
Wow,,, cool
Wow!
Soooo beautiful
Oh my goodness it’s so beautiful
Beautiful!!!
I have also been there I love it!!!!!
Wish you could get a good shot of those glowing surfs!
Been there love it
Dennise Josephson Prosser, this reminds me of the pictures you posted. Can’t wait until I get to see them in person
Food …of your choice.
JEALOUS BIG TIME
“Fine rock pooling coast, the starfish on the toast…” #Donovan
Kate Weeks
Denise.They are Green anemone’s.
Miss that.Loved the tide pools.
as a boy I was privileged to spend the summer on the Oregon coast. Thank you for sharing this.
When i was young the Oregon coast was my favorite place. We went there once or twice a year and I loved the tide pools. When I’ve pone back lately I see very little life. It’s sad and disturbing.
It’s pronounced ya-hots
Beautiful!
wow, that is beautiful!
Yah-hots. And I bet those starfish are at the Bob Creek Wayside?
strawberry hill, just north of bob creek. you only missed it by a bit. it’s all beautiful, though.
How do you pronounce Yachats?
send me some of that seaglass please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I see the star fish, what are the green things?
sea anemones. underwater they “flower” and all the tentacles come out; above water they’re just a lump.
Was on the coast in march and saw those, beautiful.
It’s great to hear about your explorations and see it new through your eyes. I grew up on this coast so I have great memories of exploring tidal pools as a child and an adult. We have good driftwood and rock formations that I don’t recall in Florida. You are so right about the difference in Pacific coast from Florida sandy beaches. Last winterI was in awe of the soft sands and abundance of shells in Florida. Any of us who are able to experience both are very fortunate.
Exploring the shore is my favorite activity. Thanks for sharing the fun with us!
As always Mr. Campskunk, you make learning interesting! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom! I enjoy reading all of your posts!
Love the Oregon coast!
Work? I must have inadvertently missed that paragraph! The Pacific Northwest is moving quickly to the top of destinations list. Enjoyed your post.
i wish i’d missed it too – for the 2-3 months before we left, i worked an 8 hour shift at my job and then came home to another 8 or 10 hours of roadtrek modification work. solar panels, inverter, batteries – all had to be installed. i NEEDED to retire after that marathon.
Oh, I see what you mean! I thought you were joking about working at exploring. Yes, all the preparation for our travels is work. Sometimes when heavy into the “getting ready” stage, not just packing but all the other stuff, like securing the house, cars, pets, mail, etc., (you fulltimers don’t have this worry) I wonder if it is all worth it. A few miles down the road, I know it is!!!