Blacklock Point

2018

Today we revisit Blacklock Point by traveling north to Airport Road where it dead ends into the trailhead. It’s not an exciting hike, more of a means to a breathtaking end.

With this in mind, I decide to focus on the uncurling blooms of the springtime forest. And so, as we step onto the trail, I begin my photo-journaling with this pic…

The mile-long trail runs parallel to the airport runway before entering the woods. A marked intersection leads you along a winding path that becomes wet and boggy, but narrow boardwalks allow you to circumvent the soggy unpassable sections of the trail. Finally, one last intersection guides you to an open wooded area shaded by a canopy of large Douglas firs.

As we begin this last lap to Blacklock Point, Jeff notices a bright orange color and we stop to observe this unusual growth with amber sap emanating from irregular hole-like structures.

Finally, we enter the open forest and enjoy the first views of the ocean as we step out into the sunshine.

Below is the view of the beach leading south to the Sixes River. Beyond is the Cape Blanco Lighthouse on the rock ledge jutting out into the sea. If you stand still and watch, you can see the light flashing as the prism lenses rotate.

A gently sloping trail leads down to the beach on the south but we haven’t taken this trail yet. You can bet this is on our To-Do List for later in the summer!

Meanwhile, we continue along a grassy promontory overlooking steep rocky hillsides that drop down to a dark sand beach dotted with rocks, large and small.

To the north is a steep-sided ravine overlooking sandstone cliffs along the shoreline at Floras Lake. During low tide you can walk along the beach beneath the wall of cliffs leading to Blacklock Point.

The bluff is not too windy today. I am intrigued by the varying shades of spring green, the contrasting blues of the ocean and sky, the budding flowers, and the way the sun highlights it all.