Golden Coyote Wetlands

In the 1840's, gold was discovered on Coyote Creek, and the rush was on! Speculative prospectors flocked to the small creek and eventually the town of Golden sprung up in response to the sudden influx. Although two churches were constructed, amazingly there were no taverns or saloons in the town of Golden. Makes me wonder what they did on a Saturday night to blow off some steam. Anyway, a subsequent gold rush on distant Salmon River lured gold miners away from Golden. Chinese miners then moved in to mine Coyote Creek, but when the Salmon River gold rush went dry, the original Goldenites returned and drove out the Chinese miners. At its peak, Golden had a whopping 150 residents but by 1920, the post office closed and Golden was abandoned.

A forest sprouts on a pile of mining debris

The ghost town then languished over the intervening decades and in 2011, the State of Oregon acquired the property and designated Golden as a State Heritage Site. Several of the old historical buildings remain, including the Golden Community Church, and one can wander around and get a glimpse into Oregon's gold mining era. Across Coyote Creek Road, one can also get a glimpse of the dubious environmental "heritage" left by the very same mining history.

Wetland pond

They did placer mining on Coyote Creek, meaning the alluvial deposits in the actual creek bed was mined for gold, and piles of mining debris are still clearly visible today. In 1993, a non-profit group managed the Coyote Creek area and I'm not sure if the site is still being managed by the non-profit group, Josephine County, the state, or none of the above. At any rate, ponds were created and hiking paths were installed and when I visited this area in 2011, I was impressed with the wetlands project. However, based on this visit, I unfortunately got the feeling that the wetlands are falling into disuse.

A two-holer made for social pooping

I had an idea about leading a hike here for the hiking club and needed to see if I could squeeze 5 or 6 miles of trail out of the wetlands. Luna, my dog, didn't care about all that, she was just mindlessly happy to accompany her incredibly handsome master on a hike. We cruised through the old buildings and relics in the Heritage Site before crossing the road and walking into the wetlands. It was interesting to see a two-hole privy which always makes me wonder. I just can't imagine dropping a deuce next to another dude doing the same, but I digress.

Blackberry, going scarlet

The path down to the first pond was in good shape and we startled some ducks who flew away in quacking panic. The pond was ringed with yellow-leaved willows, and blackberry vines were offering scarlet leaves to the gray sky. So far, so good!

Road next to Coyote Creek

On the other side of the pond, a gravel road was our route down Coyote Creek. On my 2011 visit, paths ringed a series of ponds but today, the ponds were empty and the paths severely overgrown. So, we just followed the road, stepping around the frequent mud puddles in the way. Well, I stepped around while Luna happily frolicked through. 

A mushroom emerges

The wetlands have not been feeling the love lately and there was all kinds of trash strewn about. Signs are posted banning motor vehicles but you could see tire tracks on the piles of mining debris. There were even a couple of burned out autos rusting next to the creek. But it wasn't all bad, either. Coyote Creek was always nearby, mushrooms sprouted underneath the pines and firs, and there was still plenty of autumn color on the trees and shrubs. 

I bushwhacked a little bit and found a berm where an old mining ditch had diverted some of Coyote Creek's flow back in the day. A pile of old boards was decaying nearby, indicating some kind of structure or building had collapsed here years ago. This trail wound up being about a 3 mile round trip amble, so I won't be returning here with the hiking club, it's too short of a hike. This walk wound up being more photo shoot than hike, but still, it was an interesting little peek into Oregon's past. 

Coyote Creek

For more pictures of this hike, please visit the Flickr album.

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Cape Arago (lite)

Grandson Daweson surprised us with an unexpected overnight visit but I gladly returned my backpack to the hanger in the basement. I can always do a coast weekender some other time, weather permitting. In a giving mood, I added Daweson's cousins Aiden and Coral Rae to the mix and we headed off to Cape Arago for a kiddie hike.

The little darlings

When the kiddies got restless, which was only about 5 minutes into the drive, I trotted out the old tongue-twister "I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit..." Peals of laughter broke out every time one of them inadvertently said the bad word that particular tongue-twister is designed to elicit. Juvenile and puerile and not my proudest moment as a grandfather, but on the other hand that particular activity kept them engaged for the rest of the trip.  I didn't have to hear one whiny "How much longer?" on the two hour drive

Calm, just like me after the lobotomy

Starting out at Sunset Bay, the boys were off and running down the trail while Coral Rae stayed with me, prattling on about unicorns, princesses, sparkly dresses, and such. As a Cape Arago veteran, I'm always amazed at the how much of the park's acreage and trail system has been gobbled up by the ocean over the last 5 years or so. At one point, a fence herds hikers off onto the new trail system that works its way inland and away from the cliffs. Safer, but the old trail used to be so cool. The boys saw the fence and immediately climbed over to see what was on the other side, earning a stern admonishment from their grandfather.

Atop the shoreline cliffs

I was nervous as we hiked on the unfenced trail that hugs the cliffs above the restless ocean below but by this time the kids had gotten the message and they sensibly saved the horseplay for a safer stretch of trail. From the cliffs we had nice view of Sunset Bay and all the islands and shoals dotting the surf. The Cape Arago lighthouse was eminently visible on the largest island across the turquoise waters.

A concretion in the sandstone

At the site of the old (and eroding) tennis courts belonging to the old Simpson estate, the waves crashing over the reefs have eroded the inclined sandstone layers into all sorts of phantasmagorical shapes that resemble a herd of macabre sea lions. Despite it being high tide, the sea was as uncharacteristically calm as a mountain lake at dawn. The boys were off and scrambling up and down the rocky shoals and exploring the tide pools.

Stinky calamari, anyone?

After a lunch at the whale observation building, we continued on to Simpson Beach which wound up being the highlight for the kids. There was much wading, splashing, swimming, followed by a body-burying session in the warm sand. Aiden found a squid tentacle that smelled atrocious and Coral Rae filled her pockets with shell and rock treasures.

Golden gods 

After the hike, I treated them to burgers, soda,  and ice cream.  Fully sugared up and confined in a cramped car on the way home, they quickly became bored and restless.  It was time to trot out "I'm not the pheasant plucker, I am the pheasant plucker's son; I just pluck pheasants until the pheasant plucker comes"  I'm either the best or the worst grandfather, ever.

Mer-girl

For more pictures of scenic Cape Arago, see the Flickr album.