The subject of the very low tides came up and how this guest had been intrigued with all the people (including himself) clammoring to the beach to look for agates. My family and I have been doing it for over thirty-five years, and we never tire of looking for those unique see through rocks.
My wife is a "native" Oregonian and informed me when we married that she would never live so far away from the Oregon Coast that she couln't get there in one days time. So when her aunt called back in the mid 70s to tell us that her husband and she had just purchased an RV park on the beach, we were ecstatic. We had two small girls and began making frequent weekend trips to the Sea And Sand RV Park just north of Depoe Bay, Oregon.
We found that at very low tides the sandy beach transformed into vast areas of rock like shelving with lots of tide pools. One early morning we walked about a half mile south when the tide was at its lowest. The girls never complained about the beach walks and I would carry one and then the other piggy-back. This particular day, we began to find agates, lots of agates---lots of BIG AGATES! We had nothing but our pant and jacket pockets to carry them in, but we made back to our trailer with our bounty with a smile on all our faces.
Since that time some thirty-five years ago, we have found buckets of beautiful agates on the more than seven mile stretch of beach at the Sea And Sand RV Park. Numerous agates we found have been very large in size,
and one is as large as my own fist. Although they have no particular value, an agate is like finding a diamond in the ruff, and polished by a tumbler, they
are quite beautiful.
For me, wandering the beach at low tide looking for agates is pure and simple "therapy". Next week I will get to take my grandchildren, and I can
hardly wait. Whether it is pant and jacket pockets, a bucket, or a zip-lock
bag, the fun is being at the beach with your family and filling them with those agates!
