Fun And Fascinating This Week on Oregon Coast: Agates, Wind, Beer, Brown Goo and Murder Mystery

Published 03/08/2011

(Oregon Coast) – If you like agates, murder mysteries, oddball science, shipwrecks, finding whole sand dollars, winter storms, blues music, fine food and fine beers and wine, the Oregon coast is where you should be this week.

Right now, agates are aplenty at numerous beaches along the Oregon coast, including Oceanside (above), some areas just south of Cannon Beach, and numerous others. Look for the appearance of gravel beds, like this one at Oceanside this weekend. Tierra Del Mar near Pacific City is often a good spot for this, and parts of Lincoln City and Newport sometimes really come through as well during winter months.

A big winter storm is set to hit the coast the middle of the week. Wednesday and maybe Thursday. Somewhat high winds and waves will be knocking things around those days, yielding some awesome sights. Apparently things will calm down by the weekend, but there will still be plenty of rain.

Either way, after these storms and high tide levels are done with is a good time to look for ocean treasures that have washed up on beaches, like various oddities both manmade and natural. There are no specific reports of this, but this time of year can produce those coveted Japanese glass floats.

For a trippy trip through time, you may want to check out the Wreck of the Peter Iredale on the north coast, at Warrenton, close to Astoria. The 100-year-old skeleton of ship sits on the beach of Fort Stevens State Park, and is a combination of spooky and stately.

Even more engaging is the proliferation of black sands here – apparently quite dirty and filthy. But not entirely so, although the fact vehicles can drive along here definitely adds to the darkness of the beaches. However, much of it comes from the huge number of phytoplankton that inhabit these waters, a product of the nutrients that flood the area from the Columbia River. Often what you’ll see – certainly this week – is a brownish, blobby texture to the surf. These are the immense numbers of phytoplankton, specifically diatoms. It’s a good thing.

Those same nutrients that feed all the phytoplankton feed enormous beds of sand dollars just offshore. This results in lots of them around Gearhart and the very northern tip of Seaside, next to the mouth of the Necanicum River. On the immediate sides of this river, the beaches are usually quite unpopulated and yield even larger numbers of these sand dollars. But because of the lack of foot traffic, you’ll find more unbroken sand dollars here than anywhere else on the Oregon coast.

The best way to find them is hit the 12 Ave. access at the north end of Seaside – pictured above – then walk almost half a mile towards the river mouth.

Saturday, March 12: Nye Beach Murder Mystery. This time around it’s “Murder Mystery in the Summer of Love – A Guru Goes to His Grave,” a very hippie happening kind of mystery, where the public interacts with actors dressed in period costume to help solve a crime. Purchase mystery packets at Nye Cottage from 9:30 a.m. until Noon, for $10 per packet. Nye Cottage is located at 208 NW Coast Street, Newport, Oregon. Search for clues throughout the day, and the big reveal is at the end of the day. 541-270-2234.

Blues on Thursdays, at Bay House in Lincoln City. Gritty and downhome blues is on the menu each Thursday with blues powerhouse guitarist Henry Cooper at this little upscale lounge. The former Duffy Bishop Band axe-slinger wields some relaxing tunage while still keeping it rough in the best of blues traditions. The Bay House's happy hour menu also serves up a mean mini-burger, filled with copious amounts of gourmet ingredients, like bleu cheese crumbles and a monster mustard. 5 - 7:30 p.m. The Bay House, 5911 SW Hwy. 101. Lincoln City, Oregon. 541-996-3222.

March 10 to 13. Savor Cannon Beach Wine & Culinary Festival. Cannon Beach hosts a massive food fest with the, featuring a weekend of wine tastings, wine pairing dinners and a wine walk. Indulge in the weekend by purchasing a glass for $25, which gets you into various events. A bevy of restaurants host special wine dinners, including Newman’s at 988, Arch Cape Inn and Retreat, EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School and Inspired! Café at DragonFire Gallery, among others. Some will feature live music. http://www.cannonbeach.org/ chamber/events/ cannon-beach-chamber-events.htm

March 11 – 12. Pouring at the Coast. Oregon craft beer tasting and food pairing festival. Some events around town. $10; other ticket prices. Seaside Civic & Convention Center, 415 1st Ave. Seaside, Oregon. 503-738-6391.

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