Day at the Coast with Cats

Yesterday, I had two more appointments on the north coast at the vet clinic.   I took Alexi and Angel up this time.  Alexi had been working her jaw like something hurt and I knew Angel needed work done, as I checked her teeth last time I clipped her.  I could see a lot of tartar.

I had plenty of sleep and was up by 3:15 a.m. and off by 4:30 a.m.

Car ran great.  I've changed its plugs, flushed it coolant system and replaced with new coolant, changed oil and filter again, and added cleaner now to 3 different tanks of gas.  Ran like a dream machine.

I dropped the cats at the clinic and headed south along the Oregon coast.  I was done with Ft. Stevens State park area.  I don't like the cars running around on the beach.   That whole scene isn't pleasant to me.  So I looked for something different.

I passed by the touristy Seaside.  The beach there is wide and flat and fairly uninteresting.  The town is cute, but packed often in tourists and tourist trap type expensive little stores.

I passed by Canon Beach too, although I like Tolovano State Park.  Just a parking lot with beach access and you walk north to see Haystack Rock.  I love Ecola state park too, even the winding drive into it, then the hike way up the bluff, to the hikers camp and great view of Terrible Tilly, the lighthouse on the rock way out off the point.

I passed by my favorite couple of day use parks too, Arcadia and Hug Point.  I came back later to Hug Point.  I really like that beach.

This time I pulled in at one of three day use parking lots for Oswald West state park.  I'd not even checked it out before.  Beach access but you hike in.   There were no trail maps or markers at the middle parking lot so I was clueless and took the first trail I saw.  Which led across the creek right back to the highway, which I had to cross to the northern parking lot, on the west side of 101.  From there a trail took off.  No maps of any sort.  Typical Oregon.

I headed up the trail, which climbed up above 101 above that creek.  It was quite beautiful and not a soul on the trail either which was nice.  I finally could hear the ocean and came to a fork.  One way said it was to a cape and the other to the beach.  I chose the beach, since I'd not been to that beach.

Monument Memorial near the trail fork

Looking down at the beach from the bluff trail

This is Short Sands beach picnic area.  I didn't see this til I left via the direct route well maintained trail to the middle parking lot.  I didn't know there was a more direct trail to the beach.  But as I came down the bluff trail, I saw a woman coming in on that trail, a woman I'd passed as I headed out from the parking lot.  She was headed back to the parking lot, with arms crossed, looking confused.  So she'd gone back and found the direct route trail.  

Short Sands Beach is fantastic, with tide pools to explore at north and south ends, and surf that had, by the time I left, attracted almost 3 dozen wet suit clad surfers of all ages.

Waterfall at the north end of the beach along the bluff 

Anenomes abound

Burp!

Wrong turn, there crab.  Anenome's love crab.

This crab claw seems to be giving the world a last middle finger.

Nice camo, crab!

Not such good camo, crab!

Tree clings to side of the bluff

Gooseneck Barnacles

Next post, I'll put up a few more photos I took.  I also went to the cute coastal tourist town of Manzanita and parked along the beach to take another walk on the sand.  Manzanita is right by where I camped with cats a year ago, at Nehalem Bay state park.  The state parks are so expensive now for camping.  I cannot believe the prices.  I read one campsite is now $29 to rent for a night and I'm not sure if that counts reservation prices, which can be $9 online.  The prices have made it so many people can't camp anymore at our own state parks.

After walking on the beach there, I headed back, stopped briefly at Hug Point.

Alexi had to have almost all the rest of her teeth pulled.  She'd had 14 teeth pulled in April of 2015, but yesterday she had all but one of the rest pulled, along with a convenia injection, a steroid injection, pain meds and droncit.   Angel had 3 infected teeth pulled then tartar cleaned off the rest.  She also got antibiotics, pain meds, droncit, and a rabies shot.  All for under $300, which is why I ADORE that clinic.

The kitties are recovering today.

Angel in my car after her vet care

Alexi yesterday after major dental work