Whew, what a day! We had our first full day of events and activities today, and it was definitely an adventure. Local naturalist Marty Giles kicked off the morning with an interactive talk about Oregon’s history, geology, and ecology. Then it was time to board the bus and head off to the Coos Bay Coast Guard!
Marty Giles teaching the group about the Oregon Coast dunes
A group photo in front of the helicopter
Lieutenant Frye started off our tour of the Aviation facility by explaining about daily life and the job as a coast guard pilot. Then he and the crew took the group to the hanger. The crew gave us a grand tour of the bright orange helicopters that are used in sea rescues and other coast guard endeavors. They also showed us their dry suits, harnesses, and rescue baskets. Some of the grandchildren tried on the inflatable life vest that the “Swimmer” uses in sea rescues. After taking some pictures in the helicopter, we headed back to the college to eat lunch and prepare for our afternoon hike in the dunes.
Gracie wearing the inflatable swimmer vest
Lieutenant Frye with Lucas
After lunch, we met Marty Giles in Lakeside, Oregon at the John Dellenback Trailhead. Marty again did a wonderful job showing and explaining the wildlife and geology of the sand dune ecosystem. We walked through sand dune marshes and forests, after which we finally emerged on the huge dunes themselves.
Posing at the top of the dunes
Walking up these tall dunes was quite a challenge, but it was quite a rewarding view. The grandchildren and grandparents had fun running, rolling, and sliding down the dunes. We took some sand samples and learned about the composition of sand and how it varies from beach to beach.
Climbing uphill – pretty steep!
- rolling down the dune!
We returned once more to the college and first went to clean up – after rolling down sand dunes, we were pretty messy. Then it was off to dinner, and after dinner we built and decorated kites. Tomorrow we will give those kites their maiden voyage by flying them at Shore Acres State Park! We ended a little early since it was a long day and we will be up early in the morning to go tide pooling.
Sue and Adam making kites!
Thanks for reading – we’ll post more tomorrow!
~Julie
oregon road scholar 