Planning for the Halloween trick-or-treaters is always a dilemma. Who wants to be known as the only house in the neighborhood that ran out of candy. Surely not me! On the other hand, we have averaged less than twelve kids over the past ten years.
When I purchased candy this morning, I picked up a bag that will serve fifty. It’s always best to be prepared, you never know!
Water flooding the dunes behind the South Jetty
Today was the first day this month of what is known as the king tides. Wikipedia defines the king tides as follows: “a colloquial term for an especially high tide …… "King tide" is not a scientific term ….. Use of the term "king tide" originated in Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific nations to refer to an especially high tide that occurs only a few times per year. The term has now come to be used in British Columbia and the United States as well.”
The skies were overcast the majority of the day but I wanted to witness the flooding caused by the high tide. On a typical day, you could walk across the area shown in the picture and keep your feet warm and dry. This afternoon, the amount of area inundated by the high water was staggering.
Standing in the dunes at Fort Stevens State Park looking north
The morning began with a light breeze with the skies totally overcast. My plan for the day was to complete the last outside painting project of the season, but the weather forecast called for rain. Surprisingly, by early afternoon the clouds parted so I decided to head for the beach with the camera. Maybe the painting will be completed later this week, maybe not.
The skies at the beach were hazy; not exactly the most interesting light for photography. As I hiked through the dunes, I made a number of images and decided to share this one. Enjoy!
Sunset from the South Jetty
I love to watch the sun as it dips into the Pacific Ocean but in the summer months, the sun doesn’t set before 9 PM. Being more of an early morning person, that’s pretty late for me to be out and about. As fall progresses, the golden hour happens much earlier in the evening.
A recent post by Monte inspired me to grab the camera and make a trip to the beach to watch the setting sun. It was certainly worth the effort. Thanks Monte!!
Looking south to Seaside from the South Jetty as the setting sun paints the jetty and the beach
Looking southeast from the South Jetty
I have always been a morning person; my daily routine is to rise at 4 AM, exercise, eat breakfast, then visit the coffee shop. Now that the days are shorter, sunrise is well after seven AM in Astoria. This leaves lots of time to hang before it’s light enough for outside actives.
Today, I decided to take a drive to the beach and see if I could catch the sunrise. If you are lucky enough to find a location which includes a view of the eastern sky, the results can be interesting.
The Pacific Ocean breaking against the jetty
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
1208 PM PDT SAT OCT 10 2015
...HAZARDOUS BEACH CONDITIONS ALONG THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH
AND CENTRAL OREGON COASTS TODAY...
...WINDY CONDITIONS ON THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH AND CENTRAL
OREGON COASTS TODAY...
A LARGE SOUTHWEST SWELL CONTINUES TO BUILD ALONG THE COAST THIS
MORNING...AND IS EXPECTED TO PEAK AROUND 15 FEET ON TODAY. THIS
BRINGS THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE WAVES TO BREAK OVER AREA JETTIES
WITH A SIGNIFICANT SURF TO IMPACT SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FACING
BEACHES. THESE WAVES MAY RESULT IN BEACH EROSION FOR AREAS THAT DO
NOT COMMONLY SEE IMPACT FROM INCOMING WAVES. VISITORS TO THE COAST
SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION AT AREA BEACHES AND REMAIN OFF JETTIES AND
OUT OF THE SURF ZONE...AS BREAKING WAVES CAN SWEEP PEOPLE INTO THE
WATER.
The high tide was predicted for just afternoon so I took a drive to the beach to see how the waves were developing. When I arrived, the gusting winds made it difficult to keep my hat on, but the rain had subsided. I climbed to the top of the South Jetty viewing platform and enjoyed the sights with several other hardy “storm watchers”. The ocean waters were definitely angry but the waves were not exactly what I had expected. On the other hand, I was very thankful to not be sailing in a small boat today!
