Living at the Coast in the Winter

 Funny thing, somewhere along about the week of Halloween, 

The world suddenly transitions, in people's minds from Fall to deepest darkest winter. 

Now for a fact it does NOT help that we lose daylight savings time soon thereafter. Having the sun set before 430 PM, even though the sunsets are amazing

Does not allow for after work bike rides. Even I don't ride my bike on a dark HWY 101 here at the coast, that is just asking for trouble! 

And I should mention that as I type this, there are gale force winds blowing and sideways rain outside my window.

We here in the northwest, especially on the coast have a reputation for bad weather. Shoot, a couple of the first tourists ever, Lewis and Clark wrote:

William Clark used the phrase “that dismal little nitch” to describe the area in his journal, using his own distinctive approach to spelling for the word “niche.” On November 15, 1805, Clark also wrote, “The rainey weather Continued without a longer intermition than 2 hours at a time from the 5th in the morng. untill the 16th is eleven days rain, and the most disagreeable time I have experience

I will bet if you ask anyone from outside the northwest, they are convinced it rains all year round here. 

People who live here also lament the darkness. 

I found this quote attributed to a Christopher Pike (imagine my disappointment when the Christopher Pike they were referring to was NOT the one who was captain of the Star Ship Enterprise before Kirk) 

Darkness approaches from outside. I feel no light inside me strong enough to resist it.

Honestly, this is what I feel so many people think when winter is upon us. 

I am sure you won't be surprised when I tell ya I disagree! 

First, since I live at the coast, I can be at the beach at 335 PM any day I like, which is 5 minutes after the end of my work day. 

On Monday this is what greeted me when I got there. 

I am sure not calling that dark! These are late fall and winter colors for sure! 

You might be doing the math though...

I get there are 335, sun sets at 430 or now even sooner, that does not leave a lot of time for a beach walk. 

Ahhh, lads and lassies, Amazon shopping is a wonderful thing....  There are ways to push back the dark! 

Yep, no exaggeration here! This sucker turns night into day, and is an excellent tool for finding agates after sunset! This time of year, it rides in my regular bag pack right along with my binoculars, waterproof journal, Swiss army knife and camera! 

There is another trick though to deal with the darkness. Get outside during the day! OK, so there are 15 hours of dark during the shortest days of the year. That gives you 9 hours of light! Get your butts up and outside! Check out last Saturday! I was on the bike at 830 AM and enjoyed this. 

Blue sky and sunshine! A day like this will drive away the winter doldrums in a heartbeat! 

A wise man, may have even been me, once said, "Do your best NOT to waste a sunny day in November!" and I didn't.

OK, OK, I know there is still an elephant in the room...  The 600 lb gorilla....

It's cold outside! 

Oregon is not know for warm water nor warm beaches! I see people in fleece and even down coats in the middle of July! (I kinda snicker at them though) 

That wind can be a killer, and it will, if you let it, cut right through you! 

(For the record, I wear shorts almost exclusively down here, and on most days I am in sandals or flip flops! I hate long pants, shoes and socks, even in the wind) 

Going to the beach in the winter is NOT for the faint of heart...

But once again, a wise man (may have even been the same one from before!) a wise man said, "There is no such thing as bad weather, there are just poor clothing choices!"

Bust out the layers!!! 

First off cotton is a summer fabric, mountaineers have a saying, Cotton Kills! If it gets wet it will suck the warmth right out of you! 

So Hoodies? Not the choice on a wet day. 

I like to have a non cotton tshirt on the worst days, then a fleece vest, then a soft shell coat, and on really bad days a rain shell on top of it, 

For my head I bust out the waterproof baseball cap which is excellent in keeping my head warm in a cold wind and rain. It also helps keep me dry at the spotting horn. 

On REALLY rainy days, its the urban sombrero. 

I still wear those shorts though. I hate wet pants and bare legs dry faster. I have always found that as long as my top is warm, and this applies to walking the beach or hiking in the snow, as long as the top is warm, all of me is warm! 

I also  have the tall Hunter Rubber boots and wool socks for the beach to round out the ensemble! (yes the boots have seen better days! ) This keeps the feet warm and dryish. 

Ya know, one of may favorite movies ever is Silverado, Linda Hunt played a very diminutive saloon keeper. She had a ramp put in behind the bar so she was tall enough to serve drinks. She explained, "The world is what you make of it, if it doesn't fit, make alterations!" This applies to enjoying the outdoors as well. 

Winter weather comes every year. It's a rule. At the ocean it's our 'off season'.  That means the tuff and the brave can have the beach, watch the waves, enjoy the views, and the have agates all to themselves! 

Winter, no matter where you are, is such a fun time to go outside. 

Here at the Oregon Coast, it can actually be my favorite part of the year! 

So bundle up, go outside and enjoy yourself! Do NOT let the weather get you down!