We went back to Shore Acres today because there is a large parking lot for Tony to safely run around for his morning exercise, and there is more of the trail toward Cape Arago State Park for us to explore. We then found a salt marsh to hike at the South Slough National Estuary, thanks to Aunt Carole’s suggestion. And then, the Birthday Girl (yup – 61 years old today) wanted ice cream so we returned to Davey Jones’ Locker in Charleston for that.

Simpson Beach, #137

South of the gardens the trail leads down to Simpson Beach. The tide was low enough for us to climb across rocks to a small cave that had about three feet of water in it. Tony decided to take a closer look and made his way over several mossy rocks to get a better look. He said the cave went back as far as he could see. On his way back out, he slipped, and sea water went over the top of one of his hiking boots. He had a squishy sock for the rest of the hike. And maybe a stinky boot for the rest of the trip?

Simpson Reef Overlook

The next stop on the hike was an overlook where US Fish and Wildlife volunteers had scopes trained on Shell Island where harbor seals, sea lions, and a couple of elephant seals were resting. The elephant seals were molting and large patches of skin were missing from their hides. It looked painful, and it is called a “catastrophic” process because they lose all of their fur and the top layer of skin over a month of molting. They stay out of the water and rest for the duration. The two we saw were males; females and youngsters do this process in the spring.

I also got some tips on things to look for further up the Oregon coast from these wonderful volunteers.

One more walk through the gardens

I wanted one more tour of the gardens of Shore Acres before we left. I took more pictures in the rose garden and near the pond. The best smelling roses with a strong, classic rose scent were the Julia Child variety of Floribunda Roses. The most uniquely-shaped petals were the Fourth of July variety of climbing roses.

South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

It’s a long name, but a cool place to take a hike. The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is definitely worth a stop, and they are putting in improvements to the visitor center and parking lot. The trails connect together so we were able to hike through very thick forest along the North Creek trail (no need for sunglasses here) that ends at the marsh. The tide was out so the marsh looked like a mudflat; their site video shows the marsh looking like a lake at high tide. We then connected with four other trails that gradually circled back to the visitor center parking lot for a round trip of 4 miles.

”Yay! Nobody stole my cats!” is a phrase I say upon seeing Usain again after hiking. Always good to get back to the van and give some attention to Catnip and Primrose.

After the hike it was time for birthday ice cream in Charleston. I had a very creamy chocolate and brownie concoction made by the Umpqua Dairy in Roseburg, Oregon.

For just a little bit, the sun was out and it felt warm enough to leave off the jacket. By the time I was done with the cone, I was wearing my sweatshirt again.