Oregon has sand dunes!!
So of course, I had to stop at the Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation Area. Turns out I'm rather happy I did, as the campgrounds around the Siltcoos Lagoon are very nice. Almost bordering on too nice, actually. Very well maintained and comfy ground for sleeping on (being sandy and all).
Weaving around the various campgrounds (there are a few) is a little trail with info placards telling you all about how much humans have screwed up the local ecology. This is a shot of the little bit of open water still left in the Siltcoos Lagoon. Pretty little lagoon. I even got to see some Nutria, though there's no chance my phone could get a shot of them.
Further down the trail, winding along the ridge of where the Siltcoos river cuts through the dunes.
Near one point, I spotted this odd yellow sign nailed to a tree. Seems this particular tree is special and being used to mark the edge of some property. This struck me as odd for two reasons. First, what if the tree is burned down or otherwise damaged through natural causes? Wouldn't a metal spike in cement (like the USGS markers) serve better? Second, this was in the middle of the rec area, so to find a boundary marker there was unexpected. But perhaps I misread it.
Proof that there was actual sand in the sand dunes. It was rather odd to see large trees growing alongside sizeable lakes all on top of sand dunes. I'm used to far less 'life' on the sand dunes I've seen previously.
Being surrounded by wet sand (this is western Orgeon, lots of rain), I did what any decent human would do. I made a sand castle!
I would have a shot of the ocean, but the rain was a little excessive for me to risk the phone.
Sent from mobile, please forgive typographical errors.
Posted via email from Lograh's posterous
Weaving around the various campgrounds (there are a few) is a little trail with info placards telling you all about how much humans have screwed up the local ecology. This is a shot of the little bit of open water still left in the Siltcoos Lagoon. Pretty little lagoon. I even got to see some Nutria, though there's no chance my phone could get a shot of them.
Further down the trail, winding along the ridge of where the Siltcoos river cuts through the dunes.
Near one point, I spotted this odd yellow sign nailed to a tree. Seems this particular tree is special and being used to mark the edge of some property. This struck me as odd for two reasons. First, what if the tree is burned down or otherwise damaged through natural causes? Wouldn't a metal spike in cement (like the USGS markers) serve better? Second, this was in the middle of the rec area, so to find a boundary marker there was unexpected. But perhaps I misread it.
Proof that there was actual sand in the sand dunes. It was rather odd to see large trees growing alongside sizeable lakes all on top of sand dunes. I'm used to far less 'life' on the sand dunes I've seen previously.
Being surrounded by wet sand (this is western Orgeon, lots of rain), I did what any decent human would do. I made a sand castle!
I would have a shot of the ocean, but the rain was a little excessive for me to risk the phone.
Sent from mobile, please forgive typographical errors.
Posted via email from Lograh's posterous