Cape Meares volunteering

Our working/volunteering has begun! We are very happy with our assignment, campground and location. We are camping at Cape Lookout State park, just outside of Tillamook, OR. It's located on the beach with a berm separating us from the ocean. It's primarily a tent campground with several sites for full hookups, mostly host. We have views of the ocean and are somewhat in the trees. However, trees aren't needed for shade as it doesn't get very warm at all. Haven't hit 70 yet.  There are host for cleaning the yurts, cabins and bathrooms, for lighthouse hosting, general hosting, selling firewood and sometimes special projects like ours. Oregon takes care of their host. We have full hookups, regular park host also have hard wired satellite coverage.  We got ours up but may have to move it and may not have tv if we can't get through the trees. We also have a private laundry, firewood and uniforms.

So, our work site is 10-15 miles up the road at the Cape Meares lighthouse. We've been riding the scooters and it's a great drive along the coast. The lighthouse area has 2 very nice scenic view areas, high up on the cliffs, picnicking and odd sites to see. The cliffs host a number of birds and the residents are bald eagles, a peregrine falcon, seagulls of course, and a population of common Murres. If your'e not into birds, it doesn't mean much to you but what is going on within these populations is quite interesting.

The peregrine falcon is making a recovery and dominating,terrorizing the murre and seagull population. For 2 years the murres have not been able to nest on the cliffs. They are held at bay out in "raft" groups on the ocean and have been sitting around a large rock out there. We watched an incredible event happen one afternoon as the murres flocked  and gathered up on the top of the rock.  All of the sudden they took off and headed in masse back to the water.  A bald eagle and a juvenile were circling high above as they gathered on the rock. Then it swooped in, snatched a murre off the rock and flew off home. The murre flock then left the rock, the seagulls took off after the eagle, harassing him incessantly till he was gone. The eagle flew right over the viewpoint platform, just over our heads and we saw the "dinner" he had scored for the night. Yummy murre. It was quite a site and it happened twice within 2 hours.

local resident

The coast scenery is just beautiful. Large rocks, coves of beaches, crashing waves on the rocks. The lighthouse at the cape is nice to visit. However, it doesn't work, thanks to vandals last year. Seems 2 local guys had nothing better to do one night, drove on a closed road and shot out the historic, irreplaceable old French made lens. The cost to repair it is over half a million, the lighthouse doesn't work and it's not known if or when it will. They were caught but I don't know what has happened since then.

So far our weekend weather has been beautiful, as in sunny. But some stiff winds go on out there and it can be quite chilly. But we've had good survey returns, will return next weekend  and the adventure continues.