Lamphrey Glee and Emergin' Sturgeon

 More ground covered!  A day trip to Nedonna Beach on the Oregon coast.

Our Rialto Beach day in Washington was overcast, and it was sunny here, but both were beautiful in their own way.  

Nedonna Beach is right up the highway from the famous town of Bayocean, a wealthy community that gradually collapsed into the bay after an ill-advised jetty placement changed the current and dramatically increased erosion.  

Driving up the coast, you can find a lot of small stands that sell fresh seafood.  The gulls love it!

Fish are always happy for a small bit of crab.

Nehalem Bay...gorgeous!

On another day, we drove up the Columbia River Gorge to Bonneville Dam...

...and some nearby fish hatcheries, where we met Herman, an 11' sturgeon.

At 80 years old and nearly 500 pounds, Herman is famous.  He's survived a stabbing, a kidnapping, and a fire evacuation!  He's even got his own Facebook page.

I loved seeing the lamphreys at the  hatchery, too.

They're parasitic and use those rows of teeth to latch onto an unsuspecting fish.  Then, they use their rasping tongue to work away the scales in order to feed.  Sea lamphreys have even made their way into the Great Lakes and have done quite a bit of damage there.

Somehow, we managed yet another side trip to Marymere Falls.  Gorgeous hike...

...leading to a 90' waterfall.

The trail was fairly steep, but what a view!

We spent a lot of time on the road...

...so it's nice to be back home and on an easier schedule again.  Now if only I can shake the jet lag and get back to my routine...phew!

Have a great week!