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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Port of Port Orford



Yes. It is not an error up there: there is a working port in Port Orford, across the bay from Humbug Mountain we visited on the previous post.  This is a working port where boats are on dry dock until it is time to go fishing.  Then, they are hoisted down to the water and off they go.  When they return, they are hoisted up to the dry dock again.  The winds are so violent here that boats could not survive in the water; they would be tossed about toward rocks and islands that jut out on this bay all the way out to sea.  I'll be talking about this port in the next few posts.  Today, just enjoy the sunny day and  the clear air.




The fishing industry used to be huge. Now, there are about two- hundred local commercial fishermen and sports fishermen still using this working port.  Their products are sold live to top restaurants in the nation.  The halibut you purchase in your supermarket does not come from small ports.  It is shipped frozen from Alaska, Asia, Russia.  Locally caught fish is a luxury few people can afford to purchase.

28 comments:

A Woman Of No Importance said...

I have caught up a little, darling Rosaria - Sorry that I have been a while, but I always learn so much from you and your stories. Your photography is fabulous and offers such insight into the changing seasons and times there... Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness, I think it was that Keats called Autumn... Good luck with all that fruit, I was drooling at the thought of all that bounty being stored away... Blessings cara mia - I hope that reads right, it's late here and I cannot check... Take care x

Midlife Roadtripper said...

How beautiful the water against the sky. And the boats ready to go. Nothing better than completely fresh fish. A shame living as a fisherman is so difficult these days.

Anonymous said...

This is a nice post. Ilike the pictures.

potsoc said...

Ah! Fresh fish, right off the boat. We had that while camping in North Carolina's Outer Banks. Also shrimps and a broth we made out of wee small flat disk like mollusks we picked out of the sand at low tide.
With fresh bread and butter and a Clos Ste-Odile...paradise, sheer paradise.

Monkey Man said...

God, I love the Oregon Coast. I don't think there is a more beautiful place in the world. Aren't we Oregonians supposed to keep it our little secret?

Nancy said...

I love the Oregon coast, especially this time of year. Beautiful clear skies, clean air. God's country.

Brian Miller said...

loly skies today. the last line was a bit sobering.

Renee said...

Oh my God Rosaria you made me laugh so hard at the comment on my blog that I was actually slapping my leg. So true.

har har har

Off to see the wizard.....

Love Renee xoxo

Alexandra MacVean said...

I love coming to your blog and reading your stories. Your photography is beautiful and always soothing to the soul.

Anonymous said...

How beautiful it is there! I did not know about the fishermen...sad!

Fire Byrd said...

The sunny and calm pictures belie the danger that is fishing. The men who try to make their livings in such a way are indeed brave men.

Shadow said...

my dad (who grew up in schleswig, germany) always mentioned how in his young days, fish was a poor man's food. now no longer so...

NitWit1 said...

When we lived on Mehdia Beach in Morocco, we would watch the fishing boats come and go. We would go to the docks and buy fresh fish right off the boat--not much fresher than that!

Love the photos. My husband & I had dreams of touring the northwest but health and age have dimmed the dream, so I enjoy a part of it through your eyes.

Barbara said...

Never been to Oregon and cannot imagine why. It's absolutely beautiful. Fishermen face a tough life just about everywhere- it's really so sad.

Reveda Prisha Umankshi Bhatt said...

loved those pics!

Elizabeth Bradley said...

My uncle is a commercial fisherman in Oregon for part to the year, and the rest of the year he goes to Florida. It's a shame the locals can't afford to eat the bounty.

Kikit said...

I love the first picture. I love wave watching, except when there's a tsunami coming. hehe :)

Thanks for referring us the poem in one of your previous posts. It was very beautiful. :)

Lori ann said...

I'm looking forward to seeing more of the coast, I love the trees that grow right down to the sea.

xxx said...

No matter what the season there is somehting very uplifting about being next to a large body of water.
Lovely photos.

best wishes
Ribbon

Woman in a Window said...

I get so saddened to think of how we have centralized everything, mass production of this and that, and driven so many independents out of business. What we have done to our world...

Oh, geez! What's going on with me? Barely my first cup of coffee and I'm lamenting the death of an old society. This new society will never hold though. (Oops, there I go again!)

I mean, lovely port...
xo
erin

Margo said...

I love hearing and seeing about places like this - little pockets of life that are so different than where I live (we have fishing boats, but the light and atmosphere is definitely different) And what glorious pictures. I can practically feel the crisp, fall air :)

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!! What a magical place!!! I will breath deep, and enjoy the warm sunshine! Thank you! This was a real treat today!!! ~Janine XO

Unknown said...

Passed through there a few days ago!!!

Enchanted Oak said...

Rosaria,
I just wanted to pop in and say hello to you on your journey. It matters to me that you take time to visit me as you travel the coast. I won another poetry prize this week, but I'm in the hospital and don't know what it is until next week sometime. Meantime, we're both traveling, you and me. Happy journey!
Chris

Jennifer said...

I've never heard of boats having to be kept out of the water on a regular basis because of wind. Is it just that particular area, or is the Oregon coast windy? How interesting.

I've been to the Oregon coast once while checking out UO and OSU with my son a few years ago... I don't recall a lot of wind, but of course I was only there a few hours.

Feisty Crone said...

After seeing your pictures and reading your posts, I would love to visit the Oregon coast. Beautiful!

Marion Williams-Bennett said...

the Oregon coast is so beautiful..I could smell the ocean in these pictures! I grew up in Maine and we are seeing the same for our fisherman, which makes me sad to loose that beautiful way of life.

Rosaria Williams said...

Answering a few questions:

1. We are situated on the part of the coast that receives the most storms in the winter as cold winds from Alaska mix with the warmer water from South America slam into our coastline. The Coastal Range is a rain forest, absorbing the first and most of the precipitation from the sea. Winds then gather more moisture and travel inland. Oregon and Washington State compete for the most winter storms.

After each storm, there are sunny days for boating, beach combing, walking and mushroom picking. Yes, mushrooms grow well in these conditions; most of our wild mushrooms, chanterelles, morrells, are shipped to Japan where they pay a pretty Yen for such gustatory finds.

For many people whose sole income is mushroom picking, the days after a rainstorm are the working days. They comb their favorite haunts and are able to gather enough mushrooms in six months of rainy weather to subsist. In the summer, these folks become river guides or hunting guides.

Some of the most spectacular diving areas are right by this port, protected areas with esquisite sights. I do not dive; but those who do return year after year.

Thank you for visiting.