Special Section

lodging, dining & other secrets for valentine's day

Thursday afternoon, conditions on the coast were overcast, calm and slightly warmer than many parts of the Willamette Valley, after one storm pummeled the region Tuesday and parts of Wednesday. Some areas have experienced flooding, while storm conditions have created some oddball sights and rare moments.

More high winds and heavy rain are on tap for Thursday night, say weather forecasters, but coastal residents are greeting it all with humor, a sense of wonder, and a willingness to offer up where to go for the best oceanic drama. (Above, foamy breakers close in on a bluff in Manzanita)

In Cannon Beach, David Johnson’s restaurant, Fultano’s Pizza, lies near the end of 2nd street, which dead ends at a particularly remarkable viewpoint for storm watchers.

“It’s a great place to watch the ocean,” said Johnson. “It comes together with the creek and then washes against the seawall. This is pretty awesome. From this location, you can also see the north end of the beach, which will disappear on a high tide. Big waves are moving in all directions, and the wind is blowing the tops of the waves into an amazing spray. This is probably among the best vantage points on the coast.”

"It was so windy it knocked off my jewelry," laughed Peg Miller, owner of Ekahni Books in Wheeler (and shopping columnist for Beach Connection).

Nearby, Brian Hines, owner of San Dune Inn in Manzanita, had to deal with winds knocking over an extremely heavy statue of a heron in front of his motel. “This hasn’t happened before,” he said.

He added weather had prevented him from some basic maintenance. “I can't get outside to replace burnt out bulbs for fear of blowing myself up.”

These oncoming storms will continue to make for wild, rare sights.

Suzy Willison, manager of the Pacific City - Nestucca Valley Chamber, reported gigantic waves slamming into the headland of Cape Kiwanda - hitting with so much energy they can be seen from the other side of the approximately 100-foot structure. The airport there is also flooded, causing many to stop and snap pictures.

Giant chunks of frothy foam were floating around the beaches of Manzanita, said Melissa Stetzel, manager of Nehalem Bay Winery. Parts of one beachside road were soaked by waves, though it sits on a bluff that's about six to ten feet high.

“There was big puffy clumps of white foam all over the beach,” Stetzel said. “There also was no wind or rain and it was warm like a spring day. Lots of people were walking on the beach checking it out. The foam was huge. Looked like bubbles in a bubble bath: light and airy and large.”

On the central Oregon coast, the wind had stirred up quite the unusual spectacle, reported William Hanshumaker, Public Marine Education Specialist for the Hatfield Marine Science Center. (At right, flurries of foam at Cape Perpetua, near Yachats)

“The waves here have really whipped up the sea foam,” Hanshumaker said. “In fact, at high tide it looks like a blizzard as you pass Seal Rock on Highway 101.”

Hanshumaker said sea foam is formed by the cell walls of millions of plankton that trap the air as the wind and waves agitate the ocean. During windy conditions such as what hapened on Tuesday, it can create monstrous flurries of foam that look like snow drifting across the highway.

In Newport, Village Market & Deli owner Deborah Trusty talked about the wild surf and sounds from her home’s vantage point above Highway 101 and the Agate Beach area. Winds rattled her house constantly, and caused a back door to groan loudly throughout the night.

“Waves were big frothy, foamy and loud,” Trusty said. "Huge seas rush onto the shore. The atmosphere is comprised of some balmy days, overcast, haunted looking and bewitching. If there was to be musical accompaniment: must be Celtic.”

Newport’s Danielle Emerick (at Starfish Point condominiums) sent Beach Connection a photo of a very muddy, storm-soaked Agate Beach area, with the bottom of Yaquina Head at the end of the beach (at left). “The only saving grace is the loose and broken tree limbs have already blown off the trees, so the fallout from this stronger storm should be minimal,” she said. “There is lots of debris on the beach.”

Depoe Bay is not only famous for its whale watching but storm watching, especially with its large, rocky shelves and lava tubes which compress the wave action and make for some intense moments.

Peggy Leoni, owner of Trollers Lodge in Depoe Bay, has parts of her property overlooking the cliffs and gave up some different aspects for storm watching.

“The wave action is especially spectacular viewed from the Pelican Cottage and from the Gardner House.” Leoni said. “Both homes are above the rocky ledge south of the inlet to the harbor. The waves break across the rocks and churn over the ledge. The view is absolutely hypnotic.

“The harbor inlet is lit at night, so the ‘ocean channel’ has 24-hour viewing. The waves bounce off the north jetty and meet the incoming action.”

Newport’s Guy DiTorrice had a wealth of knowledge to impart, much of it pragmatic and practical. DiTorrice is known as “Fossil Guy” with his beach fossil tours, he is the nature columnist for Beach Connection, and he’s the former head of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association. For him, it’s as much about interesting facts as it is awe.

“The good news is we're finally getting consistent south-westerly blows that will help scour the beaches of all these past years' sand stockpiles,” DiTorrice said. “The bad news is we're going to see additional headland erosions in developed areas built upon the softer Nye Mudstone formation and ancient sand dunes.

“Either way, it's very exciting for any one who hasn't seen normal Oregon Coast winter surf.”

He offered some interesting tips for storm watchers.

“You’ll see lots of mussel shells and barnacle fragments on the beach - testimony to the amount of energy in the surf zone, impacting rocky shorelines and near-shore reefs. It makes for difficult whale migration observations as high-surf conditions mask any activity along the shoreline.

“Impressive surf-spouts - and photo opps - are at Depoe Bay's seawall as well as Whale Cove to the south, and Boiler Bay to the north of that community.

“Storm timing and the repetitive nature of these fronts is causing havoc on the Dungeness crab fleet. They had planned to lay pots this week and start hauling in on Sunday.”

Safety is one of the biggest concerns, DiTorrice said, and made reference to the surfer who had to be rescued near Depoe Bay this week. “Just remember: keep your butts well above the surf zone; already had one novice surfer discover how these waves can take a person offshore just as quickly as it moves one near shore.

“Exercise extreme caution on the beach between storms,” he added. “Skies might be cleared up and the tide table predicts low tide, but offshore conditions and ongoing nightly winds are building surf conditions that are limiting bar access on most rivers and not providing much room for safe beachcombing.”

Still, many local can’t refrain from having a great, even joyous sense of humor about these events. “It's some one of the best times of the year when the rain is going Sideways,” said Wheeler Antiques owner Garry Gitzen. “This is the stuff movies are made of. Why aren't they here making movies?”