The second day, at the Bay Ocean House in Tillamook, Oregon had started out very wonderfully for us, with our Equines last week. The gorgeous morning had us Hand grazing in our pajamas!
The sunrises on the bay are heavenly...this time, very misty, with a bite of frost ~
( to see any photo larger in detail, simply CLICK the image)
Eagles had been calling out and flying above us, and we noticed a nest in the craggy tree they favored. This eagle had a pesky bird daunting it.
The day ahead of us held some horseback riding on the beach and later, working in the yard to prepare for a rental party of 10 people with Equines.This wonderful Rental Property has many takers for the enjoyment that is to be had...but sometimes we must travel down ahead of them (oh darn) and make sure the Temporary horse fences are set up properly. Last year a group
knowingly disobeyed the owners wishes, and put it up in the yard, next to the house. There will always be someone, it seems, that feels they deserve something different than what is offered, and just Takes it!
Romeo seemed a little pensive to enter the dune trail to the beach..but he did go forth!
I shot no pictures during the dune trail ride... just in case of another dashing event!
Wa was very buddy sour this day..and I was forced to stay rather close, instead of our usual jaunting off here and there.
When I tried to go ahead or somewhere else, she totally acted out.. the near 70 degree day-though windy on the ocean front here, I think caused her to be in High season as well.
I decided to get her attention a much safer way, by dismounting and doing groundwork up the beach.
We did side passes and change of direction moves... Some circles with me asking for bend...which she really took offence to! I do think her mind was mush after the day before's events and the season thing...this attitude on the beach- was a first for us. Some fear can go along way.
We finally made it to the Jetti of the spit and bay to get off the beach and out of the wind!
Calm Romeo before he lost his mind.....
Romeo Now, decided to Jig and be high energy man...Oh what a day!
We were hearing the Coast Guard Chopper overhead and we thought, " Hope no one capsized in the ocean at the Jetti".... just our luck they'd fly closely around the corner and spook the horses...so we prayed for whatever outcome would avail us, and others, safe.
My mare spotted the chopper , I could barely see it at the tippy most of the lowest branch- at right-here~
Heading home now..with the rising tide, starting to fill up the bay on the right~
Little did we know...what lay in store for us as we returned home again!!!!
We rounded the last corner before the driveway...and wow...so many cars were there!!
And one was directly in the driveway entrance, blocking us .
They were apparently seized by the sight of something -IN THE BAY!
To the naked eye...it looked like a large log or overturned brown boat....
I put the camera on top of the Telescope and this is what I saw...
WHOA- ELK!
There were many Cows and many males too....and this little guy...An albino calf!
So the story goes....they entered the bay through a slew near the top, close to the some of the Tillamook dairy cows fields. It is the opposite direction from the Ocean. They have done this thing, walking on the sand bars at LOW tide, several times before. Always they exit somewhere down by the spit..where we just came from.
Yet..this day...being warm and sunny, The cars of Gawkers were a plenty...seemingly blocking them from an exit route! The tide was rising fast, and they had calves.
But, they seemed to be going ahead with the trek...farther and farther from view they got~
Till...wait...they turned around and headed back our way!
I don't know why, maybe the rising tide was too much for the calves, maybe the route was blocked?
They stood for HOURS- right out in the middle-on a sand bar, till the tide began to lower~
I was helping my friend make the Temp stalls in between monitoring the elk...I would come back and they would be moving, but always not too far, as the tide was definitely in!
Some 4 hours had passed and the tide was now receding..I felt terrible for them having stood in the water for so long! Now they had about an hour and a half, before sunset and dark falling on the bay~
The Little Albino had come out to the edge for us to see!
It must have felt very good, getting some warmer sun on the body...but they tarried sooo long before moving again!
Finally, at 6:30pm they started again, toward the Bay spit and Ocean~
I watched them, happily thinking they were finally going to get out of the water to safety, there were plenty of limping stragglers now~
While they were strung out like this..I counted 30 Elk!
I thought that this would be my last shot of them..the light was fading and they were almost beyond my view!
OH!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! They had gotten spooked again..and turned around- with only just time to get themselves out before dark!
So this is where I really had a difficult time...they came all the way back up to where we had seen them at 1pm in the afternoon. But, this time, they were much closer to the bay than before.
There was NO-WAY they could make the 6-7 mile bay swim now!
I had a good cry and pleading prayer to the Lord for He cares for all His creatures...even if they had listened to an
old cow and went into the bay, forgetting the tide table!
I had no idea that the mornings sunrise all beautiful & calm, would not be that way now for my heart.
I came in the house, after it had gotten darker and lamented.
I decided to TXT all my friends to pray for these creatures that had gotten themselves into a weirdo predicament. It was now about 9pm.
At 10 pm, I had gone outside to the furthest tip of the deck, to try to receive any TXT's back..the reception is better there.
I started to get some!! People where praying and.....and....I heard noise!
I heard Geese really chattering , at the top of the bay. AND then...I heard splashing sounds!
I called my girlfriend out from her resting position on the couch, and then we saw them! Shadows in the dark light...Elk bodies, coming out of the bay to the hillside of Timberlands, behind her house!
They made it!
From noon till 10 at night..those Elk had been traversing the Tillamook Bay!
Bet they slept all of the next day and ate grass right where they lay~
Next morning, we finished the fencing project...we enjoyed the sunshine, allowing the horses to graze~
Everywhere we looked, colorful spring was blooming~
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