Month: October 2026

ALWAYS SOMETIMES RARELY

/ janpriddyoregon / Leave a comment

When we’re at the beach we always try to go out in the morning; we’re not always at th beach but when we are we rarely miss a day. I usually run every other day, but sometimes, I skip a run or run short. Rarely, we stay indoor because the weather is punishing.

Visitors and even some locals most often praise the clear blue skies and mid-day. Gary and I prefer clouds. This many, at least, makes the sky more interesting. It’s the other reason we like to go out at dawn. The main reason is to avoid tourists. At dawn we are often the first to mark the sand with our footprints. Earlier than that, there might be elk, which are beautiful, sure, but not tame or predictable. Early morning is when I saw the black bear, the otter, the baby seal. Raccoons and deer leave tracks on the sand, but weasels and rabbits and chipmunks appear only in our front yard. Many songbirds, garter snakes, lizards, mice and shrews, and the imported red squirrels and the rats.

People who don’t live here year around rarely understand about the weather or wildlife. We might get only a handful of rainy days in summer, but we’ll get five or eight feet of rain during the rest of the year. There is always wildlife.

In addition to the deer, I’ve seen black bears and raccoons and weasels. Word is there are cougar in the hills, but I’m not in any hurry to verify that story. Recent encroachment by bull elk means I check the beach before going out for my runs. Bull elk are maybe a little insane during the rut. There are signs up all over Cannon Beach warning that the bull elk are dangerous this time of year. Tourists walk too close to get their photos. It makes us cringe.

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