How about this...

Tahkenitch Landing Campground

Gardiner, OR

Last week, a camping club pulled into the campground for three nights.  The members of the club have monthly campouts at various locations around the state.  During this month’s event, the members caught over 100 Perch (it’s a fish, for those of you that are unfamiliar).  Consequently, on Saturday evening (7/13), the club held a fish fry.  There were about 20 – 25 members present for the feast and yours truly was invited to dinner.  The food was potluck, but I was allowed to attend without having to bring a warm dish.  The fish were splendid and the accompanying grub was wonderful.  After dinner we sat around and visited.  Most of the members of the club are retirees who live in and around Florence, Oregon.  During the after dinner socializing, one member asked if I had ever been told about the “Exploding Whale” episode in Florence.  I had never heard the story, so I got the skinny on the exploding whale and the aftermath.  Since then, I have conducted some research into the story and this is what I have learned:  

Excerpts from the Wikipedia article “Exploding Whale”

“The term exploding whale most often refers to an event at Florence, Oregon, in 1970, when a dead sperm whale (reported to be a gray whale) was blown up by the Oregon Highway Division in an attempt to dispose of its rotting carcass. The explosion threw whale flesh over 800 feet (240 m) away. This incident became famous in the United States when American humorist Dave Barry wrote about it in his newspaper column after viewing a videotape of television footage of the explosion. The event later became well-known internationally when the same footage circulated on the Internet a few decades later.”

“On November 12, 1970, a 45-foot (14 m) long, 8-short-ton (7,300 kg) sperm whale beached itself at Florence, Oregon, on the central Oregon Coast.^[1][2] All Oregon beaches are under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department,^[3] but in 1970, Oregon beaches were technically classified as state highways, so responsibility for disposing of the carcass fell upon the Oregon Highway Division (now known as the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT).^[4] After consulting with officials from the United States Navy, they decided that it would be best to remove the whale the same way as they would to remove a boulder. They thought burying the whale would be ineffective as it would soon be uncovered, and believed dynamite would disintegrate the whale into pieces small enough for scavengers to clear up.”

“Thus, half a ton of dynamite was applied to the carcass. The engineer in charge of the operation, George Thornton, stated—on camera, in an interview with Portland newsman Paul Linnman—that he wasn't exactly sure how much dynamite would be needed. (Thornton later explained that he was chosen to remove the whale because the district engineer, Dale Allen, had gone hunting).^{[5] [6]”}

“Coincidentally, a military veteran from Springfield with explosives training, Walter Umenhofer, was at the scene scoping a potential manufacturing site for his employer.^[1] Umenhofer later told The Springfield News reporter Ben Raymond Lode that he had warned Thornton that the amount of dynamite he was using was very wrong—when he first heard that 20 cases were being used he was in disbelief. He had known that 20 cases of dynamite was far too much dynamite to be used. Instead of 20 cases they needed 20 sticks of dynamite. Umenhofer said Thornton was not interested in the advice. In an odd coincidence, Umenhofer's brand-new Oldsmobile was flattened by a chunk of falling blubber after the blast. He told Lode he had just bought the Ninety-Eight Regency at Dunham Oldsmobile in Eugene, during the "Get a Whale of a Deal" promotion.^[1]”

“The resulting explosion was caught on film by cameraman Doug Brazil for a story reported by news reporter Paul Linnman of KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon. In his voice-over, Linnman alliteratively joked that "land-lubber newsmen" became "land-blubber newsmen ... for the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds."^[5] The explosion caused large pieces of blubber to land near buildings and in parking lots some distance away from the beach, one of which caused severe damage to Umenhoefer's parked car. Only some of the whale was disintegrated; most of it remained on the beach for the Oregon Highway Division workers to clear away. In his report, Linnman also noted that scavenger birds, whom it had been hoped would eat the remains of the carcass after the explosion, were all scared away by the noise.”

“Ending his story, Linnman noted that "It might be concluded that, should a whale ever be washed ashore in Lane County again, those in charge will not only remember what to do, they'll certainly remember what not to do." When 41 sperm whales beached nearby in 1979, state parks officials burned and buried them.^[7]”

“Linnman's implication that the highway department had made a mistake was not subscribed to by Thornton, who later that day told Eugene Register-Guard reporter Larry Bacon that "It went just exactly right. ... Except the blast funneled a hole in the sand under the whale" (causing some of the whale chunks to be blown back toward the onlookers and their cars, he went on to say).^[8]”

“Thornton was promoted to the Medford office several months after the incident, and served in that post until his retirement. When Linnman contacted him in the mid-1990s, the newsman said Thornton felt the operation had been an overall success and had been converted into a public-relations disaster by hostile media reports.^[9]”

“Currently, Oregon State Parks Department policy is to bury whale carcasses where they land. If the sand is not deep enough, they are relocated to another beach.^[10]”

I think you should watch the event yourself: http://www.katu.com/news/local/107530948.html?tab=video.  This news article and video are from the original report from November 12, 1970.  Apparently, exploding beached whales are not uncommon.  The article in the Wikipedia on “Exploding Whales” identified other instances of spontaneous and planned explosions of whales.

And now, for something completely different…! 

A few weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, as I was driving south on Hwy 101, returning from a grocery run to Florence, Oregon, I noticed a huge column of smoke rising in the distance.  It looked like the smoke was coming from an area near the Tahkenitch Landing Campground.  As I got closer to the campground, it was evident that the fire was close but not a threat to Irv or the campground.  Tahkenitch Landing Campground is on the east side of U.S. Hwy 101, between mile posts 203 and 204.  The fire was on the west side of U.S. Hwy 101, between mile posts 206 and 207 (2.5 miles south of the campground).  The area of land involved in the fire was a clear cut section of land on a ridge line just west of the highway.  It appears that the fire involved only the south side of the ridge line in the clear cut area.  I drive past this area every time I drive to Reedsport.  The fire was intense, the smoke voluminous and the damage to some equipment was complete destruction.  By the time I was able to get a picture of the burned area, the loader that the loggers used to lift the cleared logs onto the trucks had been removed and the only evidence of the fire were the blackened trees on the hillside. 

  

It took almost two weeks to get the equipment removed from the damaged area and the logging company has yet to begin recovering downed trees from the undamaged area on the north side of the ridge line.

The campground has been busier since the beginning of July.  Every time I think that Tahkenitch Landing will be empty of campers, there are three or four arrivals.  The campground during the months of May and June was empty, at times, sometimes for multiple nights, sometimes only one campsite was in use.  But the hot weather enveloping much of the Western U.S. had not touched the Oregon Coast.  Consequently, many folks from California and Oregon and Washington are escaping the heat to celebrate the cool, damp temperatures of the Central Oregon Coastal regions and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  Often the early morning fog/mist is covering the lake (see pictures) and when I conduct my early morning walkabout through the campground, I can see my breath.  Eat your hearts out Phoenix, Arizona, and other places in the U.S. where people are wondering why it is so damned hot.  Early morning temps are consistently in the mid 50’s (F) and day time temps, when sunny, are a beastly 70 or 72 (F).  I knew there was a reason for my volunteering this summer…

Here are a few of those early morning pictures…can you feel the cool????

When are you coming to visit???  There are only 10 more weeks or so before I leave, at the end of the summer.  Come on down/up!!!

More from the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area...

Tahkenitch Landing Campground

Gardiner, OR

Early morning mists on Tahkenitch Lake.

I learned today, that one of my high school classmates, Tom Fitzpatrick, died of cancer the middle of June, 2013.  This is the fourth member of my graduating high school class of 48 students, to have died of ailments related to cancer.  Rest in Peace: Tom Fitzpatrick…

The summer months, I am learning, from experience and from anecdotal stories, the lake and coastal areas of Oregon are breezy (understatement).  Every afternoon, it seems, the winds begin to blow out of the northwest toward the southeast.  The lake waters become very busy with wave action that has evidently caused boaters to exercise extreme caution when rounding the headlands across from the campground.  Last Sunday afternoon, the winds won the first skirmish of the summer.  On the northwest corner of the campground, a recently deceased tree of sufficiently epic dimensions, succumbed to the relentless breezes.  At about 5:30 p.m. I was on the phone with my sister the power in Irv (my RV), went out.  I was clueless as to the reasons for the loss of power, until I was conducting my evening walkabout in the campground and a couple of customers (campers) told me how they watched a tree fall in the forest.  And yes, it made a noise.  Knowing that the power lines ran along the edge of the forest, I deduced that the falling of the tree could be the reason for the loss of power at Irv.  I walked out of the campground on to Hwy 101 and immediately saw that the power line along the highway was laying across the ground and the brush beside the roadway.  I could see the empty power pole, barren of transmission line, standing guard over the fallen line.   So now I 

knew the issue. 

I called my boss, he called his boss, and she called the Central Lincoln Electric Utility.  It was about one hour from my call that the first Utility Company truck appeared in my driveway.  The second and third trucks arrived shortly thereafter, and by bed time, the power was restored.  I was impressed.  A call out on a Sunday, seven miles from the nearest Utility office, and the trucks were on station about an hour after the call.  Apparently, the tree took out two spans of the line.  The downed conductor that I saw was just one span, but the release of tension on the line also dropped the next span to the north.  Work was completed on both spans and power restored in less than three hours from the arrival of the first truck.  I think an “Atta Boy” is certainly in order for Central Lincoln and for the folks in the three trucks that responded.

I am sorry to hear about all that hot weather thrashing the West Coast and the Southwestern U.S.  Those of us suffering through these 70 degree temperatures on the Oregon Coast understand completely the trials and tribulations of 115 degrees in Las Vegas, 119 degrees in Phoenix, and the over 100 degree temperatures from southern Oregon to Southern California.  May the Force (A/C) be with you all.

About two years ago, my wife (Deborah) and I (and the dogs Bailey and Scooter) drove Irv through this area of Oregon on our way back to Phoenix after visiting Sean in Washington.  We had driven northwest from the Napa Valley to Hwy 1 and followed the coast of California to Crescent City before turning east to Grants Pass, Oregon.  On our return, we drove from Seattle to Astoria, Oregon, and turned south on Hwy 101.  We drove past Tahkenitch Lake, Tahkenitch Landing Campground and Tahkenitch Campground before we turned east at Reedsport to Roseburg, Oregon and the road south.  During these travels we had noticed the large numbers of bicyclists traveling on the 101 and most of them were using the prevailing winds to advantage by peddling south.  We had commented that everyone knows that North to South is obviously the best route for a bicyclist because when you look at a map, the ride is naturally downhill.  

This summer, on any given day, I will see four or five bicyclists a day pass the campground heading south (downhill).  Many times, a bicyclist will pull into the campground for lunch, a break from the ride, to take pictures, and even to spend the night.  Have you ever heard of “Biker N Hiker” campgrounds?  I had never heard the term before this summer.  Apparently, the state parks in Oregon will have a section of the campground, designed for tent camping by folks walking or biking in Oregon.  The cost, I am told, for an overnight stay in “Hiker N Biker” campgrounds is $5.00.  I understand that there are some “Hiker N Biker” campgrounds in California also.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service does not provide inexpensive camping for folks walking or biking along the Oregon Coast.  Someone who rides a bicycle or walks/hikes the 101 can be interesting.  Here are some of the stories as heard in the campground...

A bicyclist, who has ridden over 32,000 miles across Africa, South America and North America, is attempting to complete the travels from Patagonia through South America, Central America and the U.S. to Alaska by the middle of September, via the Trans-Alaska Highway.

A bicyclist, I think from Spain, had 90 days left before the visa expired and was attempting to ride to Boston via the Yellowstone National Park.

A couple of bicyclists, who began their ride in Vancouver, British Columbia, via the ferry to Port Angeles, had already ridden 450 miles on Hwy 101.  They were on their way to an Aunt in Palo Alto, California (San Francisco area). 

A bicyclist and a friend left Florence, Oregon on June 27^th (or so) for the East Coast of the U.S. via Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas and points east.  According to his route map, they are looking at approximately 4,500 miles of riding to get to Yorktown, Virginia.  Check out his blog at:  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=12610&v=2F

And most recently, I encountered a walker.  Pierrette Roy (like the Hockey Goalie Patrick Roy) is walking for peace and non-violence.  She began last fall, walking from Alberta, Canada, to Vancouver Island, British Columbia (870 Km/540 miles).  At the end of April, she walked from Nanaimo, British Columbia (on Vancouver Island) to Victoria, BC, then rode the ferry to Port Angeles, Washington.  From Port Angeles, she has walked along Hwy 101 toward San Diego.  She passed through the campground on Monday evening/Tuesday morning on her journey. 

I know that I walk for my camp host tasks and I walk two miles each morning, just for the exercise.  But to walk the 1500 to 1700 miles or so from Vancouver Island, Canada to San Diego, California seems beyond what I am willing to take on.  I admire her and I admire her dedication.  I wish her well.

  

Let me know…

A Weekend Away...

Lake Crescent Lodge

Port Angeles, WA

A couple of weeks ago my son Sean came to visit me at the Tahkenitch Landing Campground.  He had two days off and drove from Lake Crescent, in Washington, for eight hours to spend one afternoon and evening with me.  Is he fabulous or what?  So, in keeping with the family theme, I took Monday (6/24) off, then my two day weekend (Tuesday/Wednesday) and then I took Thursday (6/27) off.  During this time I drove to Port Angeles and Lake Crescent to spend these days with Sean.  The drive was pretty ordinary stuff until I turned from I-5 northbound onto U.S. Hwy 101 near Olympia, WA.  Yes, this is the same U.S. Hwy 101 that runs right by the Tahkenitch Landing Campground from which I had driven at 8:00 a.m. that morning.  On the 101 northbound toward the Olympic Peninsula, west of Seattle, Washington, the drive is very beautiful.

I must apologize for the photos, but I was trying to make it to Lake Crescent before 6:00 p.m. and was hesitant to stop for many pictures.  The few here are of the Hood Canal and Hwy 101.  I made it by 5:45 p.m. to a light sprinkling of rain. 

 

Sean was working that evening (his Friday), and told me that he had made a dinner reservation for me for 8:00 p.m.  When I came down for dinner, the hostess seated me and told me that Sean had already planned my meal and that I should be ready to eat.  I was advised that my food would be out shortly.  About 10 minutes later, Sean delivered charbroiled venison medallions with garlic blue cheese mashed potatoes, asparagus, and jalapeno bbq sauce.  It was stunning.  The medallions were perfectly grilled medium rare and tender to the knife.  The asparagus (I am not an advocate for asparagus) was al dente (crunchy, but not raw or undercooked) and had a wonderful taste.  The potatoes were rough mashed, with some chunks of potato and, with the jalapeno BBQ sauce, the entire meal was something to tell everyone about.  In fact it was a meal fit for a Dad.

The following text is excerpted from the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Crescent_Lodge) documentation on Lake Crescent Lodge:

“Lake Crescent Lodge- or Singer's Tavern as it was then called- was opened in 1916 by Avery and Julia Singer as a fisherman’s retreat on Barnes Point, the south shore of the pristine Lake Crescent in Washington State. At the time of its opening, the Tavern consisted of seven Lodge rooms, five of which are still in use today, and a series of cottages. It has expanded to include three motor lodge buildings and additional cabins along the shoreline. But despite the many renovations that have taken place over the past century, the Lobby’s stone fireplace, hardwood floors, and furnishings are original, offering a blend of rich history, breath-taking scenery, and a welcoming environment.”

“In the latter half of that decade, members of Congress proposed the establishment of a large national park encompassing the central, mountainous region of the Olympic Peninsula, and, as a result, the Lodge received its most notable guest. To assess the sylvan beauty firsthand, President Franklin D. Roosevelt journeyed to the Peninsula in the fall of 1937. The Lodge welcomed him, his guards, and other political leaders the evening of September 30. It is speculated, though not officially documented, that he spent the night there as well. As a result of his journey around the Peninsula, the President emphatically signed Olympic National Park into existence in 1938. Cottages built in the following decade were consequently named the Roosevelt Cabins.”

“The National Park Service purchased the property in 1951, and private ownership of the resort ceased. Over the latter half of the century, expansion continued throughout the property with the construction of three, hotel-style lodges. These buildings, called Marymere, Storm King, and Pyramid, are named for several stunning landmarks around the Lodge. Marymere Falls, Mount Storm King, and Pyramid Mountain provide guests with trails and breath-taking scenery.”

This is my third visit to Lake Crescent Lodge and each time I return, I find that I love the views of the lake, the memorable trails in the area, the beaches west of the Lodge with access to the Pacific Ocean, and the drive through the forested highways.  Sometimes the weather is less that you what you would desire of an outdoor environment, but just being here is splendid.  Being able to relax on the sun porch to read, just watch the lake or write in your blog is decompressing.  It gives you the opportunity to smell the forest, feel the cool breeze and watch the rain/sun/wind on the lake.  At this moment, I am sitting in the main room of the lodge, next to an open window to the sun porch, watching the rain falling on the lake, with hints of sun peeking through the low clouds in the west and, except for the drops of rain evident on the lake, there is virtually no movement of the water’s surface. 

On Tuesday, we toured the area around Port Angeles.  We drove out on to the strand, which is a manmade extension/jetty like point of land that stretches out from the harbor.  This point of land protects the inner harbor from the weather/wind generated waves from causing issues with the boats or ships in the harbor.  (Can you differentiate between a boat and a ship?)  From this sliver of land, which has a large U.S. Coast Guard Station at the end, you are presented with a great view of Port Angeles

and, after taking your picture of the town you can turn 180 degrees

and take a picture of the southern end of Vancouver Island.  On a sunny day can see the buildings in Victoria, British Columbia.  And if you drive up to the west side of Port Angeles, where your elevation above the water is probably 100 – 200 feet, then, sunny day or not, the buildings in Victoria are easily visible with the naked eye.  Later in the afternoon and into the evening, Sean, Karli (Sean’s girlfriend) and I played dominoes on the sun porch.  

Wednesday was a day for errands.  Sean and I drove the 35 miles to the Costco in Sequim (pronounced “Squim”) so that I could buy gasoline for the truck and I could buy Sean some of ‘this and that’, things that a parental unit does now and then, especially when we don’t get together often.  After the petrol and the ‘this and that’ were secured, we returned to the Lodge and spent the afternoon playing dominoes again on the sun porch.  It was wonderful to sit and battle the ‘domino duel’ with the boy and just do some bubba bonding.  We wound up playing for about five hours.  Karli joined us again for the battle and played very well, considering she had only learned the game the day before.  That evening, we, the three of us, ate dinner in the Lodge Restaurant and were joined by Nic, who is a good friend of Sean’s and also an employee of the Lodge and Restaurant.  Great food, great company, great wine (a western Washington Merlot) and a very pleasant evening was had by all. 

Thursday morning’s breakfast was eaten in the Lodge Restaurant and, as I sat there looking out the windows at the lake, looking down the length of the lake and at the high ridges (read ‘mountainous’) on either side of the lake, looking at the sun trying to peek through the overcast, looking at the clouds sliding down the tree covered hills, I thought about the fact that my camera could not adequately project what I could see from my breakfast seat.  A picture is just a split second capture of the scene in front of me.  But the scene in front of me is an ever moving, constantly changing scene.  It cannot accurately portray the reality of the beauty of this lake and the surrounding hills. 

A character in a book I once read years ago, described those pictures people take, of places like this, as postcards.  If Ed and Jane are standing in front of the lake or the cloud covered hills, then you have postcards of Ed and Jane at Lake Crescent.  I think about this concept a lot along the coasts of Oregon and Washington.  The views presented to you, around every turn, are often too large and all-encompassing to be captured in a single picture or even with a series of pictures.  The camera only sees what and where you aim it.  It misses the silence, the feel of the moisture in the air or the gurgle of the water lapping at the shore.  You simply have to be there.

I departed from Lake Crescent on Thursday morning and drove to Kingston, WA, to ride the ferry across Puget Sound to Edmonds, which is north of Seattle. 

From the ferry landing, I drove to the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle to spend the afternoon with David, the youngest sibling of the Gordon-Wheeler family.  David has been living in Seattle since January of 2013.  His apartment looks out on Lake Union and has a splendid view of downtown Seattle.

We spent the afternoon on a walking tour of his neighborhood and the north shore of Lake Union.  We ate a late afternoon sandwich at a shop a short distance from his apartment and I left from there to drive back to Tahkenitch Landing Campground to resume my duties as Campground Host.  I drove a little less than 1,000 miles over the four days of my long weekend.  And I enjoyed seeing and spending some time with both David and Sean. 

Can anyone answer the question I posed in the blog?  What is the difference between a boat and a ship?

Until next time…