Geo 365: Jan. 4, Day 4: 20,000

The dock ripped out of a Japanese harbor by the tsunami following the Tohoku earthquake. It crossed the Pacific Ocean in the following year, and grounded late last spring at Agate beach, at the north end of Newport, Oregon. Dana and I visited it in July. Yaquina Head dominates the background, and the road down to the quarry cove "tidepools" can be seen over the left end of the dock.

I was not prepared for my reaction to seeing this; I kept tearing up, and had a difficult time speaking without my voice cracking. My comment to another visitor was "20,000 people died to send us this message. We should pay attention to it."

Photo unprocessed. July 10, 2012. FlashEarth location (approximate; dock has been removed now. Some sections have been saved to display as memorials.)

Followup, 6:13 PM PST: There's another dock ashore near Forks, Washington. This one is not as accessible, and it's on a rocky shore rather than a sandy beach. The winter waves are not being kind to it. A photo gallery was just posted.