Cape Meares

 We are back home from our little vacation at the Rockaway Beach cabin.  We had a good five days, filled with scenic driving, beach walking (limited), and local exploring, ending with a family picnic in Vernonia before arriving back home Saturday evening. We had a good trip and are happy to be home. I am especially happy to have my desktop computer for posting on my blog. My iPhone sufficed, but navigating on a small screen was tedious and often frustrating. But, Hey, I did it! I should also say that I was able to read your posts, but often my comments would not post on my phone, so please know I was there. :-)

We didn't wander far from Rockaway, but one place I always love to go when I am at the cabin is Cape Meares. It is a special place for several reasons.

One of those reasons is the short trail to the BIG SPRUCE.  This trail leads through the primordial forest land of the cape headland to a majestic championship tree. The other trees here are wonderful too. 

Here on the cape, right off the ocean, the trees are spruce, but a window through the treetops shows a glimpse of the extensive spruce and Douglas Fir forests that cover the Coast Range hillsides. 

The trail is narrow and up and down but with little elevation gain. Tree roots often present toe grabbers, so for mobility challenged people like me, caution is required. When I said I wanted to go see "my tree". Tom said "Are you sure?", but yes, I needed to try. My new motto has become While I can, I will.

The trail is lined with sword fern, deer fern, salal, and other abundant greenery common on the forest floor of the Pacific rain forests. 

Dead trees feed younger ones and as the old logs rot away, fun root shapes can be the result. 

And here we are, the Big Spruce, a state champion in a state where there are many monumental specimens. Estimated at about 800 years old, it is a survivor. It stands144 feet tall even with a broken top, is 48 feet in circumference, and 15.5 feet in diameter. 

I love coming here to visit my old friend. 

I made it here, and I made it back, and we were off to explore the other wonderful things about Cape Meares, the views and the light house.

It's an easy walk through the tree tunnel to the lighthouse, with side views to the coves on either side of the cape. 

The light house is not open now, but we had a fun conversation with a docent we met along the trail. He was a man about our age and we swapped stories and learned a few things we didn't know. 

We had other brief conversations with people we met along our wanderings. I like to ask people where they are from, and most were from out of state. We like sharing the glories of nature in the Pacific Northwest with visitors, and I am feel so fortunate to be able to claim these places as my own.