Who doesn't love building sand castles in the sand? Cannon Beach had its 47th annual sand contest this year and it was fun, even if it did rain steadily all morning! The rain didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd who poured out of town to come down to the beach for the chance to see the sand sculptures. They let you drive your car right down to the beach and give you a couple of hours before you have to get off the beach as the next tide starts creeping in. There were over 100 cars parked on the beach today to view the contest. We parked somewhat near Haystack Rock and walked a little ways to view the sand artistry.
The contest starts as soon as the morning high tide is out and ends when the next tide comes in. The projects are judged on the final sculpture AND on the enthusiasm and teamwork shown. The contestants get a 20' X 20' plot to sculpt, and they can't add any sand or take any away.
One of my favorites was "Ecola Rocks"! A reference to Ecola State Park, I assume. Love the guitar and the strings! (You have to use natural materials that you find on your plot to decorate your sculpture.) Nice job, guys and gals! Some of the sculptures were a mystery to us as to why they were chosen, but I'm sure they had a special meaning to others or were references to pop culture that we aren't familiar with....
The rain didn't let up, so it was difficult to take photos--I had to keep wiping my camera lens dry and hiding it inside my jacket, then I whipped it out to try and get a photo before the rain and mist hit the lens. Some of the sculptures were quite elaborate, and some were quite simple....but it was great to be out and about on Cannon Beach on a rainy day and see all the support the locals give this event. And while the tide was out, I took a quick look around the base rocks at Haystack Rock to see what sea life was in the low tide pools...not as much visible today as the other day, but still cool! We really enjoyed it! Cannon Beach is a cool beach and a cool town to explore. I'm sure we will go back again while we are staying in the area. See you tomorrow!
Love the colors in the last picture. Some kind of sea urchin I guess..
ReplyDeleteWow great sand sculptures. Lucky you to have been there. Hope they didn't get damaged in the rain after all that work. I'd love to see a sand sculpture contest. I think I'll skip the ice sculpture ones in the North. :-)
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