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Beach Connection website grows like a monster
By KT
Writer André Hagestedt covers the Oregon Coast.
He is dedicating his life to searching out every little niche, every
little bit of information about the Oregon Coast that’s humanly possible.
If he finds one interesting thing on one trip, he finds two more
the next time.
His website, www.beachconnection.net is a massive storehouse
of scientific, social and psychic, accurate, first-hand stories,
many beautiful photographs with a short story on each. Also featured
are maps, lodging information, weather, strange and wonderful natural
and unnatural events and locations.
Hagestedt is a juggernaut of Oregon Coastal full-bodied investigation
and documentation. He says he is so obsessed with the Oregon Coast
that he risks receiving a restraining order. No mere scrap of paper
could restrain this “mad scientist of the Oregon Coast.”
Hagestedt grew up in Salem, and admittedly hated going to the coast
in his childhood because his mom always took him to the same spot.
He no longer stops there. Then, a friend took him to Oceanside, a
little coastal town north of Tillamook. Ever since, he visits the
coast regularly. He claims that he “gets cranky” if he is not at
the coast during any month.
Hagestedt is well-known for his work as music writer for the Salem
Statesman-Journal and editor of the Oregon Coast Guide.
He says “It was my job to go to the beach.”
He studies, writes about and photographs items of history,
scientific weirdness, geology and various other science aspects of
a 180-mile stretch of Oregon coast. He is an expert on the Oregon
Coast in general; he is equally well-versed in lodgings, beach access,
tours, items and activities of interest, as well as “beach secrets.”
The web page, www.beachconnection.net, currently holds 800
pages of information; new articles and news bits are added daily.
For example, a live shark was washed up on the beach recently, and
now lives at the Seaside Aquarium. Hagestedt’s upcoming talk on the
strange, wonderful and mythical aspects of the Oregon Coast is at
the aquarium, adjacent to the room with the shark tanks. He says
that when light shines in, the sharks’ eyes glow. This is anticipated
to add a frisson of spookiness to the scene.
This writer spent more than an hour just looking at the web
page, following links like a vagabond on vacation, marveling at the
wonderful photos and scoping out off-season camping and day trips.
This website is like the world’s biggest online amusement
park. It just doesn’t quit. Of special interest is the section on “55
Reasons to Come to the Coast” during the off-season (more reasons
added constantly). There’s a list of interesting, seasonal events,
the lodging is generally cheaper and there’s not as many “bad days” as
people think. Hagestedt says that parts of the
coast are warmer in December than they are in June, including nearly
14 warm days in February. In January, Cannon Beach hosts a Mystery
Weekend and joins Seaside, Lincoln City and many others in beautiful
Christmas displays.
Hagestedt advises that visitors come prepared to spend a little more
time, snoop around more, relax more, stroll through lovely neighborhoods,
investigate book stores. Local wisdom is that coastal thrift stores
have more “cool stuff” at better prices because it hasn’t been sieved
out by hip urbanites. He also states that this approach, the “vida
loca” style, is the new trend in vacationing. There is much to see,
do and wonder about, beyond the regular touristy fare.
One example of the stranger-than-truth topics to be featured
in Hagestedt’s Oct. and Nov. talks
is his explanation of a “Wheeler Moment.” The town of Wheeler, near
Nehalem Bay, has a special cachet, where people experience positive
effects that are more than mere chance; Hagestedt describes it as “serendipity on steroids.”
Whatever you might be thinking of or wishing about appears
to just drop in out of the blue. A local B&B owner had a problem
with a bad plumbing leak and was unsure of its outcome. The next
guest to come in to register just happened to be a plumber, who was
happy to help out.
Newest owners of the old Wheeler Hotel (said to be haunted)
were immersed in a remodeling project, a truly scary idea! A certain
wall space was the best spot for a door and speculation began on
what it would take to cut in, relocate structural and electrical
pieces, etc. Further inspection revealed that there used to be a
door in that exact spot, so re-opening it was no problem after all!
In general, many coastal spots have a paranormal aspect, such
as Mary’s Peak, reputed to welcome UFO visits and Neskowin, a “spiritual
spot.”
One mystical legend recently put to rest was the story of
the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. In the 1800s, a Mr. Higgins reputedly
became intoxicated and fell to his death on the stairway. His co-workers
would not use the stairway in fear of meeting Mr. Higgins’ ghost.
The Bureau of Land Management provides news from Higgins’ descendants,
stating that Mr. Higgins actually moved to Portland and became a
dock worker. He passed away in 1930 of natural causes. So…..this
writer is inclined to ask, “Then who’s the ghost in the lighthouse?”
Whether you love and are familiar with the Oregon Coast, or
find it a new invitation, visit Hagestedt’s website first. Take the virtual tours, read all
about it and you will be enticed to plan a trip right then! This
writer advises first making a list or outline of what you want from
your coastal visit, because the Beach Connection website is a lot
like the coast itself: winding, maze-like, scenic, always changing,
breathtakingly beautiful and amazingly lush with forests, sand dunes,
ocean, lakes, sheer cliffs, raging waves, long flat beaches and relaxing
expansiveness. Adventure through the website, then take it to the
beach!
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