In this edition of Hartnett Highlights: Bar Jetty Coastal Hike, Kieran and I head to the coast for a day filled with sun, sand, and wind. Holy moly so much wind.
Portland is known for pleasant summers but the temperatures occasionally creep into the 90’s. Since we don’t have air conditioning, we have two options when the weather gets uncomfortably hot. We either bunker in our basement for the entire day or escape to the coast where it’s usually 20 degrees cooler. This past weekend we opted for the latter.
This trip marked the second time we brought Homie to the ocean. The coastline was practically empty which is odd because Barview Jetty is usually packed with people. I think the wind kept people home. It was difficult to walk east on the beach because the wind was relentless. It was difficult to stand up straight, we had to lean into the wind to get any momentum going.
Homie, on the other hand, loved the wind. The unoccupied beach allowed Homie to race through the sand off-leash most of the time.
Oh man, Homie cracked us up. She chased everything on that beach from the seagulls to seashells, even the wind itself. She was determined to catch anything that blew past her.
Homie’s exposure to water has been minimal, but she’s quickly growing accustomed. It took awhile for Homie to figure out receding waves come crashing back again. Her first attempts to chase seagulls into the water ended hilariously when the waves rushed back onto shore. Homie looked dumbfounded not knowing where the extra water came from!
I’ll admit I felt nervous watching Homie sprint into the ocean because I can’t identify a riptide. Luckily Homie frolicked in the ocean unharmed.
This trip was our third time visiting Barview Jetty. During the first two visits, we camped at Barview Jetty Campground. During our last stay, we hiked along the coast from Barview Jetty to Rockaway Beach. The trek is approximately 6-miles round trip. Rockaway Beach is a little beach town with a population of 1,000 + people. Its streets are dotted with campy restaurants and kitschy souvenir shops.
For this trip, we originally planned to hike to Rockaway beach, then ride the dog-friendly Oregon Coast Scenic Railway back to Barview Jetty. Unfortunately, the relentless gusts knocked the wind out of our sails. How’s that for an oxymoron? Hiking into the unforgiving wind was tiresome! We made it halfway between Barview and Rockaway before we decided to turn back.
The tailwind helped make our excursion back to Barview a cakewalk. Although we felt tired, we didn’t want to leave. Unlike the last couple of trips, this time the weather was beautiful. Usually, it’s overcast at the coast. Besides some haze in the distance, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Sure, the harsh wind annoyed me at times, reeking havoc on my hair, but the cool air felt refreshing. I’ll take 65 degrees over 95 degrees any day! I was happy as a clam bundled up in layers.
Weather and the wind aside, we didn’t want to leave due to the sights, sounds, and smells that engulfed us! We took our sweet time returning to our car to immerse ourselves in nature’s offerings. The expanse of blue water stretched as far as the eye could see towards the horizon. Waves lapped against the shoreline creating an intricate pattern along the smooth sand. The reverberation of the sea surf lulled us into spells of tranquility. The salty smell of the air clung to our clothing as we begrudgingly climbed back into our car.
We felt refreshed, spent, and serene all at the same time. It was a fucking epic day at sea.
Our peaceful adventure to Barview Jetty was what the doctor ordered. Stay tuned next week for Hartnett Highlights: The Yurt Party.
Yes, you read that correctly, yurt party. Kieran and I are packing Homie in a car and driving down the coast to Northern California to attend a yurt party. It’s going to be a whirlwind experience. I’m so excited for this adventure I can’t even you guys. GAH!
That’s a wrap on Hartnett Highlights: Barview Jetty, as always, thanks for stopping by,
Christina
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply