Estuaries

The first photos of an estuary are all where the Salmon River hits the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. This is a place that is always beautiful, to me, in every season. I especially like it when the skies are moody as they were on Sunday.


Cascade Head is mostly protected now by Nature Conservancy with many possible hikes that overlook even more scenic vistas than the road. Sitka Center, which sits on the slope overlooking the ocean, offers workshops and seminars for those interested in the arts and ecology.

If a person had to pick a place to live that offered the most survival possibilities (assuming ocean levels don't rise too much), an Oregon estuary would be a good choice because there is easy access to building materials, always fish, deer, elk, and birds, the temperatures tend to be more moderate for growing gardens or gathering berries, and you are close enough to the ocean with more possible sources (like shellfish) for food.

Estuaries are very oriented to nature and those who live along them must accept that as part of the blessing and the problem.


This last photo is where the Siletz River meets the Pacific Ocean and forms a small bay. When the tide is in, the bay looks more 'impressive'.