Back on Route 101 from the Otter Crest Loop, the view down to Beverly Beach was pretty hazy, but the cloud line where moist coastal air was being pushed up the mountainside was very clear. Seeing the clouds forming like this helps clarify why the coast gets so much more rain than we do: here the air is rising. On the valley side of the Coast Range, the air is descending. We have plenty of gloomy, damp weather in Corvallis, but our actual precipitation rate annually is fairly moderate, at just over 40 inches. The actual coast gets 100 to 120 inches per year, and higher areas up near the Coast Range crest can get up to 160 inches or more.
Speaking of the Loop road, I meant to mention that its northern portion is one-way, north to south, and much of it is single lane. There are lots of bikers and pedestrians, so take it slow. But it's a beautiful few-mile drive I hadn't done before, and very much worth while.
Photo unmodified. May 6, 2013.
FlashEarth location.
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