Wednesday, November 9, 2016

November 9, 2016 Charleston, Oregon

Today was partly sunny, no rain and high 60’s.  Afgter we checked out the visitor center we hiked  4+ miles  in the South Slough  National Estuarine Research  Reserve. An esturary is where the river meets the ocean. It has both fresh, salt and a mix water.

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We started at about 300 feet in a cedar forest and dropped down to sea level at estuary. John on the board walk on the Hidden Creek Trail.  It was so lush there were ferns on the narrow canyon walls and it said there are lung liverwarts and giant pacific salamanders here, but we didn’t see any.

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We walked  this crooked boardwalk through the fresh water wet lands. Looking back you can see the abrupt change in vegetation when we reach the salt marsh, where the tide reaches when it is high.

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There was a nice birdwatching platform on the  edge of the estuary.  Looked like a tree house. Ferns growing on a tree, two types of mushrooms and wierd fungus.

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This is the Tunnel Trail through thick vegetation. Me in the tunnel trail.

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More cedars then the esturary. It was low tide, so the water was low. There are gaper clams here, but we didn’t see any. There are a number of water trails in here that can be kayaked. Maybe we will check on out before we go.

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Old pier pilings on the esturary and looking down it.

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Mushrooms and icicle moss trailing from the fir tree. We hiked back up 300 feet to the visitors center. This area was logged once, but is grown back and there are some big trees. John looking up tall trees.

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Sue hugging a really big tree. Fungus, rough skinned newt, mushroom and fall leaf.

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Two mushroom things and a couple wierd shaped trees.  It got foggy at sunset back at camp.

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