Nehalem Spit
After the big hike yesterday, I was ready for a recovery day. We rose at a more normal time, made coffee and oatmeal (without dumping it all over the deck), and packed our things. By 9 AM, we were heading for the beach.
Over the last three days, we’d seen plenty of horse tracks in the sand but for the first time we actually saw someone riding.
We were heading south on the Nehalem Spit, which eventually ran out. At this point, our only option was to wave a boat over from the Jetty Fishery to come get us. We couldn’t see them from the ocean side, though, so we had to climb over the dunes to get to the other side of the spit.
Just over the dunes, we found an immense field of wildflowers and spruce trees that smelled like Christmas as we walked by.
On the eastern side of the spit, we could see the Jetty Fishery across the bay.
We hoped that we could just wave our arms and a boat would appear. Not so much. We had to do it the old-fashioned way and call them on our cellphone to come get us.
Somehow, the boat driver squeezed all five us (and our packs) into his craft. When we got to the other side, his buddies on the dock commented that he was a little nuts for trying it but we appreciated the effort to keep us together.
The tattered pirate flag on the boat was a nice touch.
Here’s a better picture of our brave captain going to park Blackbeard’s ship.
Once we were at the fishery, we grabbed a few snacks and Tillamook ice cream. Since it was sort of a “rest” day, I snagged a recovery beverage.
Rockaway Beach
From the Jetty Fishery, we had to walk about 6 miles to get to Rockaway Beach. After all the beaches, forests, and highways, it was time for some railroad tracks!
These tracks were abandoned. Once we got to Rockaway Beach, we had to walk alongside to avoid the train.
In Rockaway Beach, we ate at a great little diner called Grumpy’s Cafe. Like many of the places we’ve gone to this week, they looked at us a little sideways when we first walked up but eventually we became the talk of the restaurant. We met several nice people, including Joe who gave us nice tips for places further down our path.
After lunch, we were back on the road and eventually the beach.
While the beach was mostly long stretches of sand, there were often little “rivers” that crossed our paths. Most of these we could step right over but at times we had to get more creative. Too often, this meant that I was ending up with at least one shoe immersed. The others were typically more coordinated than me.
Barview Jetty
After a few more miles, the beach ended at the north jetty of Tillamook Bay. Fortunately, our campground was nearby in Barview Jetty Park. Rain was threatening, so a nice cabin to put up our weary feet sounded really great.
The timing was perfect since it was Beer:30.
Day 4 mileage was 11.71. Total miles — 72.5 miles to that point.
There’s steady rain in the forecast for the next several days. Time to see how well our wet weather gear works.