Thursday, June 25, 2009

A workout at the coast


A stroll on the beach is not that easy. The muscles in my back still ache from yesterday's trip to the coast. The beach areas were nice but getting to them was a climb down a steep trail and over some large boulders and logs. The trip up from the beach to the parking area seemed to be harder then the hike down.

I am going to have to get into better physical shape for my next trip. I might even have to take a few trips to the gym and work out on the fitness equipment since I am going to need better muscle tone.

My lower calf muscle have tightened up so much I now worry about having leg cramps. Reminder to self - don't over do the hiking.

Low tide at the coast


We are currently experiencing some of the lowest tides of the year at the central Oregon coastline. Yesterday at 8:15 am was a tide that was 3 feet below normal. Being that I am not a person to miss out on such an opportunity to go to one of my favorite spots at low tide I made the 1.5 hour trip to the coast early in the morning.

It seemed like many other amateur marine biologists had the same idea, many of them rv camping. The beach I went to was Seal Rock and the parking lot was at almost capacity but I found a spot to park. The weather was clear and mild but that changed dramatically a few hours later.

Normally there are seals in the water and the tide pools are not that well visited. This time the number of people had increased 20 times. I normally see only 10 other people on the beach. That number had grown to at least 150-200 people on the 1/2 stretch of beach. It was summer and parents were taking their kids to see the starfish, barnacles and sea anemones. of course there were plenty of adults that were acting like this was the first time they had ever seen a tide pool.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Just a walk on the beach


I really can't see how people say that walking on a beach is just a relaxing stroll. Those people have not been to the beach lately. Remember when you were just a kid and just following your family with a towel or a small bag was a chore once you got to the beach? That was because to typically get to the water's edge you had to cross those enormous sand dunes that seemed like you were crossing the Sahara Desert. Even running on the beach wore you out.

If you look at a typical beach you have the sand that is firm at the water's edge followed by looser sand the further away from the water you are. If you are walking, running, playing or just strolling at the higher beach level then you don't have to worry about finding the best diet pill that works in the entire world because you won't need it. You'll not only be worn out in a few hours but you'll have fun getting that way.

I think that if more people just took a walk on the beach they would be healthier and have a better outlook on life.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Sea life birth announcements



If you have not been keeping tabs on the sea mammals baby announcements here is a short list:
  • Dolphin calf born at the National Aquarium in Baltimore in May 2009
  • A baby brown seal was born on June 1, 2009 at the Reykjavík Zoo in Iceland
  • The second porpoise ever to be born in captivity was born in May 2009 at the Harderwijk dolphin centre in the Netherlands
You can find most of the baby updates at their websites for the institutions mentioned. Some of them have videos too.