Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

March 27, 2013

Poor old Boardwalk's taken such a beating over the last few years.  Back in 1992, my dad was part of a group of volunteers, called The Geezer Brigade, that rebuilt this for the umpteenth time, and the first time it was being built to last more than a couple of years.  They sold boards to the community for $10 to raise the funds and my then husband and I had a board on it.  It was so cool to see everyone's names.  A few years ago they rebuilt it and sold boards but for $75 each.  I didn't get one and I was bummed to find out that the one I purchased would not be salvaged so that I could at least have it.  Well it's in wicked bad shape now, after the fall and winter.  People continue to walk on it though, stupidly, because the underpinnings are shot and it could collapse.  It's blocked off as you can see but people remove the blockage boards and walk on it anyway.  

I cannot emphasize enough how devastating these breaches were to see.  Big huge chunks of dunes, just gone.  Washed away.  The entrance to the Canal is just a short way away, off to the left.  I have noticed that since the storms, the Canal water has taken on a more aqua colour and I wondered if that's because of all the sand that washed away.  We had a high tide as the storm was in full swing and the dunes crumbled under the powerful waves.  Sea water spilled over and flooded the marshes and a lot of homeowners who thought they were safe because 'the Bay is waaaay over there' found themselves watching the water take over the whole marsh and come up to their doorsteps.

By way of comparison, this is the same area, not quite zoomed in, taken in March, 2011, two years ago. 

The town has brought in trucks and sand and are beginning to try and salvage the beach.  That's where Dune One is.  Was.  The Dune One Girls haven't been out there because the area is just way too unstable and I don't think anyone wants to see it in person.

 Mill Creek

This part of Town Neck was mostly rocks last year.  Layers and layers of rocks, piled up.  Not anymore. I was standing in front of Horizons Restaurant(now called 'Hemispheres' but we all still call it Horizons) & looking towards the Canal entrance when I shot this on March 12.

Here's a pic of the same stretch of beach, taken September of 2012, looking towards Horizons which is on the far right.  Wonder where they all went?

Layer upon layer of rock, almost all but disappeared. (also taken last Sept).


A few people were walking what was left of the beach, but I didn't have the time to walk it when I was here.

The jetties are buried and do no good anymore.

The bottom line is that Ma Nature, she just don't care.  The earth has been changing and shifting for billions of years and will continue to do so.  All we can do is try to ride it out cause we can't control it.

10 comments:

  1. "The only thing that stays the same is change."

    Turn, turn, turn.

    Everything changes, but it is startling to see it happen so fast.

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  2. Nature's rough, and human tinkering with the evironment only makes matters worse.

    Down on the south coast we have a nuclear power station - a NUCLEAR power station! - built on shifting coastline. Every single day of the year truck after truck of shingle is ferried along the coast from another beach it's been washed to, back to the shoreline round the power station, just to stop the whole spit of land from washing away. And they KNEW this was unstable land. The hint was the two lighthouses, one of which is inland following a severe storm many years ago.

    Still, what's a nuclear waste leak among friends?

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  3. Great post. Nature can be as cruel as it is beautiful, kind of like life itself!

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  4. Hi, I am a new follower. I am making the rounds and introducing myself to all of the teams and team members for this years A to Z blogging challenge. I look forward to reading your blog post.

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  5. Anonymous4:50 AM

    I've always found the idea that puny little human beings can somehow dictate to a planet what they want it to do not only conceited but delusional. Mother Nature will do what she's always done, with or without our input. Nothing stays the same forever; nothing.

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  6. So sad to see the devastation of nature.

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  7. The town is trucking in sand and dumping it on the beach. Only time will tell. I'm not sure if and when Boardwalk will be fixed and reopened. Storms are getting worse than they used to be so this might be the norm.

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  8. Amazing how fast the landscape changes. The Oregon coast is probably different each time I go out there.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  9. Hi Jo jo
    Thanks for dropping in
    Good to be back again
    Lovely shots, Keep it up
    i think this post can be
    put it in two version i mean
    two post,
    Picture and write-up one page rest in one
    Keep blogging
    Keep inform

    phil

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  10. Mother Nature does have a way of changing things, and not always for the better. Your collection of photos is a great reminder of what once was and you will have those memories forever.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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