Cape Lookout State Park - Day 5

Date: Thursday, 5th Jul 2012
Low Tide: 8:32am, -1.5

[Work in Progress - feedback are always welcome]

Early Beach Walk

Junior Ranger

Cape Lookout State Park Natural Trail

The nature trail gives you a close-up view of native trees and other plants. Numbered markers are keyed to a trail guide. -- Cape Lookout State Park site

Station A: Black Twin Berry

This plant has been known by many different names including bearberry, crowberry and inkberry. Black Twin Berry is a type of Honeysuckle that grows well in moist forests along creeks and the edge of dunes. The berry is very bitter and considered poisonous. Native American used it for paint, to induce vomiting, and as a black hair dye depending on the tribe and region. -- Cape Lookout State Park Pamphlet 

Station B: Tree Rings

The age of a tree can be determined by counting the growth rings as seen here in a cross section of a log.  Each rich represents one year's growth which will vary with the amount of rainfall, sunshine and temperature.  Growth rings are wider when weather conditions in a given year are favorable and thinner in times of poor growing conditions like a drought year.  Can you determine the good growth years on this log?  -- Cape Lookout State Park Pamphlet

Tree Rings

Station C: Slough Sedge

This plant is a sign of the change in the water table here at Cape Lookout.  It is the most commonm sedge in urban marshesm but also grows well in Shallowly flooded forests, and coastal swamps.  -- Cape Lookout State Park Pamphlet

Slough Sedge

Learning Time!

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Station I: Natural Grafting

The two trees here began their growth at about the same time, using the same fallen log for nutrients as they grew. The roots of the two grew together over time and formed the root bridge you see today. -- Cape Lookout State Park Pamphlet

Natural Grafting

Cape Trail

It was still early afternoon when we completed short nature trail hike, so started wondering about the 8K round-trip Cape Trail.  We checked with the park ranger on duty.  According to her, it's an easy hike, quote her - "a toddler can do it".  In addition, the view is stunning from the cape.  Trusting her words, we decided to go ahead.

Overall, it was a fun hike.  We had our youngest (a preschooler) led the way.  She had no problem completing the hike!  At the cape, we saw a bald eagle, a eaglet, a sea lion, lots of western gulls and common murres.

Round trip bewteen the 2 read dots.

My youngest leading the way

The cape

Middy Track!

Steep Slope - be very careful!

1/2 way back - covered 6km so far!

Saving banana Slug

Picking some berry

The video

Evening Ranger Program

The topic for tonight's evening ranger program is "Beaver". The park ranger started the session dancing away with the beaver song:

Beaver song

Beaver 1 Beaver All
Let's all do the Beaver Crawl (crawl with hands)
Beaver 2 Beaver 3
Let's all climb the beaver tree (climb tree with hands)
Beaver 4 Beaver 5
Let's all do the Beaver Jive (Saturday night fever point to ground then sky)
Beaver 6 Beaver 7
Let's all go to Beaver Heaven (Form hands as if in prayer and then sway back and forth)
Beaver 8 Beaver 9
(Yell) STOP! It's Beaver Time! (Do some rapper move that you know)

According to the ranger, there were some younger beavers who occasionally build up a dam on the creek in camp site D.  We went to check and they weren't there.

The session ended with all of us acting out on the Beaver Song.  The kids can still remember 1 week after...

Question: What is the main use of the Beaver tail? 

The Cape Lookout State Park Series

1. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 1 - Arriving
2. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 2 - Munson Creek State Natural Site
3. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 3 - Tillamook Factory, Lighthouse, Paragliding
4. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 4 - 4th Jul Celebration
5. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 5 - Cape Trail
6. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 6 - Oceanside beach, Skimboarding
7. Cape Lookout State Park - Day 7 - Departure