After
visiting Ft. Yamhill, I figured since we'd already driven most of the way to the coast, why not drive all the way? We ate at the wonderful
Nepali Kitchen in Lincoln City. Only the owner was there at lunchtime, and service was consequently slow, but the food was astonishingly good. Then we headed to
Fogarty Creek State Park. We arrived about two hours after high tide, so the tide was still rather high but going out. At low tide, this beach has tidepooling opportunities. I would not suggest exploring along the cliffs at high tide or when the tide is coming in, because of the increased danger of sneaker waves. (Tide tables for the Oregon coast can be found on NOAA's website:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=252.) We headed north and marveled at the incredible cliffs along the beach. The rock here is sandstone, and is part of the Astoria Formation which was formed in the Miocene 15-20 million years ago. There are thousands of fossils of sea creatures to be found here, mostly ancient shellfish, embedded in the cliff walls. The sea is gradually wearing these cliffs away, creating sea caves. It's a fascinating place to visit. (Just remember, it is illegal to remove these fossils! I shudder to imagine what the cliffs would look like with pickaxe marks where these cool fossils are now, so please leave them there.)
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| Photo by Jasper. |
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| Photo by Jasper. |
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