Shore Acres State Park Oregon

Journey to a Land of Water Wind and Fire

Part B: The Oregon Coast III c

Entering Another World

Sitting back in good old WV reading the guidebooks, I had debated about visiting the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to look for wildlife, particularly birds. The Preserve is located just to the south and west of Coos Bay Oregon. But our local "expert" J. said, "I really think you folks would like Shore Acres State Park, it has lots of neat surf and rocks and gardens and things." I must admit J. has a track record with me, when we visited Mt. St. Helen's a few years ago, he insisted we not "waste time" at the State Information Center, but go on up to the Johnson Ridge Observatory. My sister (his mother) and I finally listened and went on up. We were glad we did. So this time, when he suggested Shore Acres State Park, without a moment's hesitation I said: "Let's go with what the locals say!" And we were off.


This park has an interesting history. It started out as a turn of the century (the last century, not this one), oceanside home/getaway for a local lumber barron named Louis J. Simpson. The poor guy seemed to have a bit of bad luck and after building his "dream house" and living in it for a few years, his first wife died. Then his house burned down, and in the ensuing struggle he rebuilt a house using scrap lumber. His 2nd wife liked to garden and so she started a "formal" garden behind the house. But as time, and the Depression, marched on, his position became untenable. During WW II the Army closed the road to his mansion, and he turned the whole thing over to them. They cared for it about as well as soldiers care for anything that is given to them. Thus, the place was a shambles after the war. By then, Simpson had sold the whole thing to the State. Because the 2nd mansion was such a wreck after the Army got through with it, the state razed it. Finally, about 1974 the state began to take an interest in re-developing the place as a State Park. Their first project was to rehabilitate the "formal" gardens. And so, it has been re-habilitated gradually through the years.


Our first stop was at the site of the 2 mansions. As I said, there is no more Mansion, they are both gone. Instead there is a shelter overlooking the ocean. There is also a walkway out to the overlook, and so, that was where we went first. And we looked north:


And the view was interesting. A bit like Cape Perpetua, but not as high. Then we looked south:


And things began to look a bit different. For one thing, I noticed the very definite "Uplift" in the rocks. Some mighty force has been at work here. And then I noticed that the rocks were, themselves largely sedementary rocks, not caused by volcanic action. And yet, I knew that the residue from the various Cascade eruptions had made it to the sea here, at least according to the guidebooks I had read.


And then I looked right below where we were:



And what I saw astounded me. At first I thought those things on the rocks were large barnacles. And then I thought they might be algae, or some kind of mushroom. But then I realized, no, that is rock, a different kind of rock, lying on top of a huge sandstone rock.



I asked A. with her new 10x zoom camera to get a close-up of those formations. The results were even more telling. Then she went in close-up on another rock, and something else showed up. Here was a rock, coated with another substance that had been all bubbly at first, but now had hardened. The resultant formation was stunning to say the least, at least as far as I was concerned.


And then I looked north again at the rocks and the swirling surf, and I saw more evidence of this kind of rock overlayer on top of another different rock. Further, this second overlay coating of rocks had at one time been a light and airy liquid material that almost froze its bubbles in place as it cooled.



It was obvious to me why Simpson had chosen this spot for his house. It definitely had one of the most astounding views I had ever seen.

Now if this were a geology site, I expect at this point in this posting you would be given a long explanation about how all this came to be. But since I am no geologist (I took "Bonehead Physics" in College and was thankful to walk away with a "C") but only a traveler, I will simply leave you with the view and the comment that as wild as these pictures may appear to you, they are a pale second to seeing this site in person! Explanations or not! So if you ever come this way, you definitely must visit! Watch for more in my couple of postings and you will be given more information to back up why I say this.