Subtitle: We took an excursion to the Tillamook, OR area. We wanted
to go to the Pacific Ocean, and went to the Netarts Bay, then Siuslaw
National Forest, and the appropriately named Sand Lake Recreation Area.
Our other goal was to visit the Air Museum in the huge blimp hangar
by Tillamook NAS.
August 18, 2016
Other pages from the Pacific Northwest trip:
005-DSC_9514-header: Three Capes Scenic Route by the Netarts Bay
005-DSC_9514-headertext: We drove from Portland, OR, along Route 26
to Route 6 through the Tillamook State Forest, till we got to Tillamook
which is at the intersection of 6 and route 101 (the route 101).
We did not do any cheese-related activities, but instead continued on
Route 131 towards the ocean and stopped to take some pictures. I
had no idea why it was called Netarts. According to unverified sources:
In the Native American language
of the local Killamook tribe, “Ne ta at”, meant “near the water.”
Later, modernized spelling became Netarts.
(http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/netarts/)
So there.
005-DSC_9514: Netarts Bay.
006-DSC_9515: More Netarts Bay.
007-DSC_9516:
008-DSC_9518: Information on Netarts Bay.
009-DSC_9519: Netarts Bay and the ocean waves from an overlook at Gammon
Launch.
010-DSC_9520: More ocean waves.
011-DSC_9521: I like the ocean waves.
012-DSC_9522: Gammon Launch plaque (it was where someone used to
launch their hang glider).
013-DSC_9523-header: Siuslaw National Forest
013-DSC_9523-headertext: The Siuslaw National Forest runs from just
south of Tillamook to south of Eughene, is bordered on the east by
the Willamette Valley and the west by the Pacific Ocean and has
ecosystems which range from coastal forest to sand dunes (and ocean).
We stopped by the ocean side.
013-DSC_9523: The entrance to the fishing area.
014-DSC_9524: Water!
014a-beach1_Panorama: A panoramic view of the water.
014b-beach2_Panorama: This continues from the left border of the previous
picture (photoshop refused to connect them).
015-DSC_9525: A view of the beach.
016-DSC_9531: Looking at the shore and grass.
017-DSC_9532: Looking at the water.
018-DSC_9533-header: Sand Lake Recreation Area
018-DSC_9533-headertext: Sand Lake Recreation Area is a part of the
Siuslaw National Forest and it's pretty much what is advertised.
It's a LOT of sand. Over 1000 acres that stretches 3.5 miles.
People drive various sand-oriented vehicles on it. It meets the
ocean. It's a cool, otherworldly place.
018-DSC_9533: Sand!
019-DSC_9535: This is the edge of the parking lot, where sand soemtimes
drives over the barricades.
020-DSC_9536: Another view of the parking lot.
021-DSC_9537: People drive 4-wheel drive sand buggies all over the place.
022-DSC_9538: The Pacific Ocean is over that rise. I think...
023-DSC_9540: A close-up of the sand in Sand Lake.
024-DSC_9541: Looking back out across the "lake" back to the
parking lot.
025-DSC_9542: Mowgli wandered ahead of me to take some shots.
So...far...away...
026-DSC_9543: Eventually the Sand Lake meets actual water (the Pacific Ocean).
027-DSC_9544: A speed limit sign on the beach!
027a-sand1_Panorama: A panoramic shot looking to my right, going to the water.
027b-sand2_Panorama: Skipping the water and looking to my left with a
panoramic picture.
028-DSC_9551: A few shots of the ocean.
029-DSC_9552:
030-DSC_9553: And waves!
031-DSC_9555: There was a bit of a fog off to the right, which faces
north-ish.
032-DSC_9558: Mowgli vs. the Inevitable Tide.
033-DSC_9559: Mowgli stands and watch the waves, barefoot, knowing his shos
are safe behind him no matter what the water does.
034-DSC_9560: Trucks and all terrain vehicles in the dunes behind us.
035-DSC_9562: Mowgli's shoes...wet, as if the tide had just come in
and soaked them. (It had.)
035a-beach_Panorama: Two shot panoramic of the bedge of the beach. I like
how beyond the sign, things get foggy.
036-DSC_9563: The misty zone where no vehicles go.
037-DSC_9564: Driftwood! I like the diagonal angle of green.
038-DSC_9565: And a very blue sky to contrast the green and other colors.
039-DSC_9566: And misty background far beyond the driftwood.
040-DSC_9567: Swirly patterns in the sand!
041-DSC_9568: Straight patterns in the sand!
042-DSC_9569: Diagnonal pattenrs in the sand!
043-DSC_9570: Empty, misty beach.
044-DSC_9571: Closeup of the driftwood
045-DSC_9572:
046-DSC_9573: Textures on the driftwood.
047-DSC_9574: Narrow depth of field, blurring the misty mystery of What Lies
Beyond.
048-DSC_9575: Cool colors, patterns, and textures in the sand. Very different
from the wind ripples on the dry sand.
049-DSC_9576: A warning sign. I really like all the yellow warning symbols.
I'm not sure what "Comericial Activities" actually represents.
049a-no_sand_Panorama: Panoramic shot looking back east to an ocean of green
with hills in the background.
050-DSC_9577: I don't know what that small wooden structure in the middle is.
I assume there's some path that goes there. And many that don't.
051-DSC_9578:
052-DSC_9579: Tall grass.
053-DSC_9580: A path leading down into the tall grass and eventually to the
Mystery Structure.
054-DSC_9581: A dune buggy drives on Sand Lake.
055-DSC_9582: More dune buggy action on Sand Lake.
056-DSC_9584: The road from Sand Lake to return to civilization.
056a-hangar_Panorama-header: Naval Air Station Tillamook Air Musuem
056a-hangar_Panorama-headertext: The Tillamook Air Musuem is in Hangar B
at what had been the Naval Air Station Tillamook during World War II.
The hangar is huge: 1072 feet (327 m) long, 296 feet (90 m) wide,
and 192 feet (59 m) tall. The inside area is over 7 acres (2.8 ha).
Hangar A was destroyed in a fire in 1992. The musuem has a collection
of various aircraft.
056a-hangar_Panorama: Panoramic 2-shot picutre of Hangar B with
the Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy in front of it.
056b-door_Panorama: Vertical panoramic shot of the Hangar B door.
057-DSC_9585: The musuem entrance.
058-DSC_9586: The view forward from the steps that was cockpit level
on a F-14 Tomcat.
059-DSC_9587: Another view from the F-14 cockpit level.
060-DSC_9588: The Mini Guppie. It was designed to haul parts
of rockets for NASA in the 1960s.
061-DSC_9592: The inside of the Guppy, looking forward. The
floor could slide backwards, for loading and unloading.
062-DSC_9593: It has a very bulbous interior.
063-DSC_9594: The tail opened up for loading and unloading.
This shows the vertical seam, the bolts holding it shut, and the
control panel for extending and retracting the bolts.
064-DSC_9595: The Mini Guppy cockpit.
065-DSC_9596: The engine control panel on the ceiling of the
cockpit.
066-DSC_9597: The engineers station in the cockpit, on the back
right side.
067-DSC_9598: Engine control levelrs (not throttles, those are
forward of this). The sheet of paper lists engine limits,
like RPM, manifold pressure, cylinder head temperature and more.
068-DSC_9599: Looking back at the cargo hold, which is like 90%
of the plane.
069-DSC_9600:
070-DSC_9601: The plane looks like Braianiac. It's weird.
071-DSC_9602:
072-DSC_9604: A radial 9 cynlinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine.
073-DSC_9605: The information card for the Wright engine.
074-DSC_9606: Various aircraft in the collection.
075-DSC_9607: Kind of sad...parts from a wreck. An SB2C-5 Helldiver.
076-DSC_9608: Lots of yellow tags. I assume it's probably NTSB
reconstruction of what the parts are and where they were found.
077-DSC_9609:
078-DSC_9610: A helicopter with two blades that are next to
each other. I don't understand how it doesn't slice itself
into pieces when running. It relates to gears and timing,
and a bit of physics too.
079-DSC_9611:
080-DSC_9612: I'm not sure what kind of aircraft this was. The
really long nose suggests that it might be a turbine engine.
081-DSC_9613: Douglas A-26 Invader, the Lead Sled.
082-DSC_9614: A-26 information sheet.
083-DSC_9615:
084-DSC_9616: Some sort of airship or balloon, maybe a barrage balloon?
085-DSC_9617:
086-DSC_9618: 1946 Curtiss C-46 Flight Simulator/Cockpit Trainer.
087-DSC_9619: Information on the C-46 simulator (note the worn TWA).
088-DSC_9620: The instructor's station for the C-46 simulator.
089-DSC_9621: The instructor's controls on the C-46 simulator.
090-DSC_9622: Close-up of the instructor's controls.
091-DSC_9623: F-8J Cockpit Trainer with a lot of old-school
"steam gauges."
092-DSC_9624: Right side of F-8J Cockpit Trainer.
093-DSC_9625: Left side of F-8J Cockpit Trainer with emergency controls
outlined with yellow dashes.
094-DSC_9626: Front of F-8J Cockpit Trainer.
095-DSC_9627-header: NAST: Trains and more
095-DSC_9627-headertext: Just beyond the Air Musuem was a train yard.
There were several old trains parked there, looking like they had been
there for quite some time. Beyond that was a field where there was
spare parts and junk: wheels, engines, frame or body of a car.
Finally, we drove by the remains of Hangar A, which was destroyed in
a fire in 1992 and all that remains are the giagantic doorposts. The
space that would have been inside is used for something else now.
095-DSC_9627: A sign for the Naval Air Station.
096-DSC_9628: Spider webs on the side of a train.
097-DSC_9629:
098-DSC_9630: Head-on view of a train in the yard.
099-DSC_9631:
100-DSC_9632:
101-DSC_9633:
102-DSC_9634:
103-DSC_9635: Mowgli by a train.
104-DSC_9636: Wheels of the train with plants growing on it.
105-DSC_9637: Front of the train with plants growing on and through it.
106-DSC_9641: Close-up of locomotive engine.
107-DSC_9642: Locomotive engine.
107a-engine_Panorama: 2 shot image of a locomotive engine.
108-DSC_9643: I don't know what that is.
109-DSC_9644: A spare engine in the field.
110-DSC_9645: Rusting spare parts and scrap.
111-DSC_9646: Another engine.
112-DSC_9647: The body of a train engine.
113-DSC_9648:
114-DSC_9649: Small shack in the middle of the field.
115-DSC_9652: The two doorframes from Hangar A, the only thing that survived
the fire that burned the wooden hangar.
116-DSC_9653: The only thing remaining of Hangar A after the fire:
the concrete doorframe.
117-DSC_9656: The concrete doorframe from Hangar A.
117a-doorframe_Panorama: Vertical panorama of remains of Hangar A doorframe.