"The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn't non-denominational - it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago."
Friday, 17 July 2009
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Agates and Urchins
Today we had a wonderful guided walk through the Cape Perpetua historical area. Ours led us down to the ocean, passing pioneer remnants and Native American artifacts. I now also know that I have some edible berries in my yard after our guide showed us all the berries natives ate, as well as some that natives used to color their hair!
Taken from the top of Cape Perpetua, the highest view point on the Oregon Coast.
From Wikipedia:
For at least 6,000 years Native Americans hunted for mussels, crabs, sea urchins, and clams along the coast near Cape Perpetua. Evidence of their lives can still be found in the huge piles of discarded mussel shells that lay along the shore near the Cape Perpetua Visitors' Center.
These are called middens. The Native Americans who left the one we saw, were called Alsi. I hope to walk down tomorrow and get a picture of it. Here a picture and some more info because I am a nerd like that:
To see this one bigger click on it, and zoom your screen :)
Tide pooling treasure:
Sea urchins. I love those! We may need to have a glass blown treasure float made to keep these in... We love going here and watching Bob blow glass. Last year, he made us a float while we were watching and the kids chose the colors and all. Aaron loves glass blowing himself, and I can see Rachel getting into bead making one day!
Then we took a little hike to Cape Cove to go agate hunting.
Cape Cove Agate. A tiny piece. Native Americans used this to make arrow heads. Agates are beautiful, translucent rocks. Before the Ice Ages, silicates, oxides and metals were squeezed into existing earth forms to create these quartzes, also known as chalcedony. More oxides and minerals create the red, amber and blue tones, sometimes forming a banded or mottled pattern. Some agates contain fossilized clams, snails and shark's teeth.
About the name Perpetua:Several early explorers sailed past the cape. The first recorded passage was by Bartolome Ferrelo in 1543; then came Sir Frances Drake in 1575 and Martin d'Aguilar in 1605. The cape was named by Captain James Cook on March 7, 1778 as he searched for the Pacific entrance to a Northwest Passage. Cook named the cape Perpetua because it was sighted on St. Perpetua's Day.
I think an Orthodox Chapel there is in order! The guide was very happy to know that St. Perpetua was still commemorated.
In 1933, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was built at the foot of the cape just north of Cape Creek near where the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center is located today. The CCC constructed Cape Perpetua campground, a network of trails, and the West Shelter observation point near the top of cape.
The CCC boys at Cape Perpetua completed a number of projects within the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area including construction of the campground and numerous trails. The most well known CCC project completed is the West Shelter located on top of Cape Perpetua. The stone shelter was built for recreational purposes, as it provides a spectacular view of the Oregon coastline. Today, it is a popular viewpoint for whale watching.
So much more to read about the history of this area. I love it. We have been coming here every year for 6 years now and each year we learn more and more. The kids are really getting into it as well now that they are getting older. They loved the guided tour and the info.
Some more pics of our days were added here. Click on next to see a pic of us in the canoe and us hunting for agates. Thomas was once again naked...
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