Rainy Days and Mondays

The Northwest coastal weather this time of the year is rainy the majority of the time. Light, soft rain,  and hurricane force torrential squalls, all in the same hour.


We wear rain gear all the time, on short and long trips.

We don't use umbrellas. We wear Gore-Tex, a specialty material designed to keep us dry.

To travel anywhere, we cross rivers, creeks, forests and hamlets. Our roads are one-laners, curvy and blind, often crossed by deer, elk, turkeys and a variety of other animals.

After a good storm, be prepared to stop and wait for transportation workers to clear roads of fallen trees and other debris.

No wonder that we have so many micro-breweries to help us cope with cabin fever. 

Whale migration

Off the coast of Oregon, hundreds of whales are swimming south to Baja this week.

When we moved to this coast, we spent hours at the beach, eyes fixed on the horizon, hoping to see a blow spray. We were always rewarded with glorious demonstrations, blowing and circling close enough to be visible without instrument assistance.

But this is not just a December activity in this part of Oregon. Whales can be spotted all winter long, often close to shore, enjoying our mild weather and abundant seafood. Our school children spend a lot of time studying marine environments, delighting in the discovery of small and big animals on their field trips. No wonder the idea of digging for oil off shore did not receive enthusiastic support.

While the rest of the nation is in a winter freeze, we watch storms and whales migrating.

Weather Watching

Cape Blanco, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, is a few miles away from my house on the Oregon coast. Storms will hit Cape Blanco at hurricane speed. Wind and rain will imprison us for weeks at a time. But we are hardy folks here; we stock up for such events, with plenty of supplies for heating and eating; we hold storm parties, and dress for all eventualities.

Fishing boats go out through the night-dozens of lights bobbing on the waves-to place and collect crab traps. This year's catch is healthy, but not spectacular. The price of fresh crab in the markets is $4.50 a pound this week. With hot butter on the side, a beer, a crusty loaf of bread, dinner is as fresh as one can get. And one fat crab will feed the two of us nicely.

We can catch our own, with a $6 license,and an hour or two on the dock.

Weather watching and crab catching are top activities during this season.