Ocean Shores--good, bad and the ugly (Seattle, Tacoma: for sale, rentals, hotel)

[beach_cruiser]

I have no idea why polluting vehicles would be allowed on a beach and the State and local parks department would rally behind this. They promote it like it’s a good thing. Then we wonder why nobody wants to invest in property or invest in making the communities more attractive. Nobody wants to visit a beautiful beach that looks like the I5 on any given day of the week.

[Diana Holbrook]

Allowing vehicles on the beach allows for people to usefully access the beach. When the tide is out, there is a wide stretch of hard sand that is quite easy to drive on (JUST STAY ON THE HARD PACK!) and there are miles of beach for people to spread out on instead of concentrating everyone at a few, relatively undeveloped parking areas.

If people had to walk in, far fewer would be able to use it. It is not easy to walk out, carrying all the things people would need to have a fun family day at the beach. From an equality of access point of view, it makes the beach accessible to all, instead of only the young and fit. There is in fact, a stretch of beach it is legal to land and takeoff airplanes from. That's a pretty neat and unusual feature for an area.

There isn't really any harm from it, as the tide cleans up all tracks every night. Every morning, the beach is new and clean. There is probably *less* garbage left behind if people have their car right there, than if they had to pack it all out by hand. Many in fact cruise the beach picking up garbage as a hobby. Some is just garbage, some is treasures, brought in by the tide from far away places.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Allowing vehicles on the beach allows for people to usefully access the beach. When the tide is out, there is a wide stretch of hard sand that is quite easy to drive on (JUST STAY ON THE HARD PACK!) and there are miles of beach for people to spread out on instead of concentrating everyone at a few, relatively undeveloped parking areas.

If people had to walk in, far fewer would be able to use it. It is not easy to walk out, carrying all the things people would need to have a fun family day at the beach. From an equality of access point of view, it makes the beach accessible to all, instead of only the young and fit. There is in fact, a stretch of beach it is legal to land and takeoff airplanes from. That's a pretty neat and unusual feature for an area.

There isn't really any harm from it, as the tide cleans up all tracks every night. Every morning, the beach is new and clean. There is probably *less* garbage left behind if people have their car right there, than if they had to pack it all out by hand. Many in fact cruise the beach picking up garbage as a hobby. Some is just garbage, some is treasures, brought in by the tide from far away places.

Oregon beaches are surely empty because of this carrying stuff hardship you mention.

[Diana Holbrook]

Oregon is a different place. There are developed beach communities with boardwalks, resorts and services near the beach. Washington's oceanfront is more undeveloped and self-serve. Cruise up both with Google Earth, for a snapshot of each, and their usage. I think each way has it's plusses and minuses and fans and detractors. Variety... It's a good thing.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Oregon is a different place. There are developed beach communities with boardwalks, resorts and services near the beach. Washington's oceanfront is more undeveloped and self-serve. Cruise up both with Google Earth, for a snapshot of each, and their usage. I think each way has it's plusses and minuses and fans and detractors. Variety... It's a good thing.

No need to use google earth as I’ve visited both dozens of times. I find it preferable to have no vehicles by town, and allow vehicles away from town in certain areas.
Wouldn’t variety require nice towns with no cars as well?

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by simply1

No need to use google earth as I’ve visited both dozens of times. I find it preferable to have no vehicles by town, and allow vehicles away from town in certain areas.
Wouldn’t variety require nice towns with no cars as well?

Sure.... make it happen.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Sure.... make it happen.

So you’re done talking about the merits, take care and don’t bother replying next time. The passive aggressive look isn’t a good one.

[Diana Holbrook]

No, I told you why I like the way it is. I like that we can drive out on to the beach.

I understand you disagree. You think there should be more places off limits to cars.

Fine! If you feel strongly about this, you should do something to make that happen.

Washington has a lot of miles of beach... maybe we could even have both. (I think we do in fact, have both)

[texasdiver]

We lived in Texas for about a decade and I used to despise vehicles on the beach. Port Aransas allowed it, South Padre did not. Difference was night and day for visiting. On weekends, Port Aransas could be such a drunken mess (because people with big trucks could haul enormous parties down with them) and it was unsafe to even let your kids wander for fear of getting run over by a drunk college student. South Padre was far more family-friendly. But I guess WA beaches are not that crowded.

Port Aransas



South Padre

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

No, I told you why I like the way it is. I like that we can drive out on to the beach.

I understand you disagree. You think there should be more places off limits to cars.

Fine! If you feel strongly about this, you should do something to make that happen.

Washington has a lot of miles of beach... maybe we could even have both. (I think we do in fact, have both)

Is WA for some reason unfamiliar with the concept of a parking lot running parallel to the beach, but set back at a distance? There are several such spots along Lake Washington in Seattle. That's how many California beaches are set up. No one has to drive onto the beach. Most, if not all, the beaches in CA are state parks, anyway, so it's not allowed.