As any dedicated beachcomber can tell you, the best on the sea’s treasure comes ashore right after a major storm and an particularly large tide. You’ll come across lovely driftwood, agates, shells, sea creatures, fishing boat equipment, and if you’re lucky, a Japanese fishing float shaken loose through the seaweedy depths, or a multi-colored handblown float from Lincoln City’s Glass Floats Finders Keepers Event. The mighty Pacific provides up treasures, big and small, for Lincoln Town beachcombers who have the patience and luck to find them.
For some, there’s no prize like an agate. The semi-transparent stones are pieces of quartz, carnelian, chalcedony and jasper that come loose from your headlands in the course of storms and are left behind when the waves recede at low tide. Agates are available in all colors, but most of them are clear or milky. Some even contain tiny fossils.
Japanese glass fishing floats are extremely valued by dedicated beachcombers. Some of these absorbingly lovely finds are huge, as much as two and three feet in diameter; most, on the other hand, are among four inches and a foot wide. They come in numerous shapes, colors and sizes, but the most frequent are ball-shaped and are blue or green. They’re becoming increasingly rare as fishing boats around the earth convert to modern materials like plastic or Styrofoam to float their nets. When the glass versions do appear, they’re commonly incredibly old and have spent numerous years drifting inside the Pacific Ocean.
But floats and agates are only the beginning. Aspect from the fun of beachcombing is discovering a mystery, a piece of a thing that could be flora or fauna, man-made or naturally occurring. Old bits of ocean-worn glass, boat equipment from around the earth, netting, rope and other curiosities abound.
Maybe one of the most fruitful season for beachcombing could be the winter, following a particularly higher tide and following a massive storm. But beware: that’s also probably the most hazardous time to be for the beach. When searching for fine points for the Oregon coast, be on your guard. Keep a sharp watch for so-called “sneaker waves” that can sweep the unwary out into the surf. Also, stay away from logs and timber that might be caught by the waves.
Walking the beaches of Oregon can yield a treasure trove – agates, shells, nets, driftwood, a multitude of gifts from the sea. But in Lincoln Metropolis, beachcombers can also discover brand-new art glass floats, gifts from the Town of Lincoln Metropolis as component of its yearly Glass Floats Finders Keepers Event.
For Lincoln City Hotels try:
The Coho Oceanfront Lodge
1635 NW Harbor Ave
Lincoln City, OR 97367
(541) 994-3684