It’s always a wonder what can be found on an Oregon beach.
On Tuesday, beach walkers found an old vehicle – possibly a truck – that had been swallowed by the ocean near the mouth of Big Creek between Yachats and Waldport.
Shifting sand finally exposed the rust bucket, laying on its back, wheels up.
Speculation by nearby residents on social media indicated it had been there undisturbed for decades. Judging from the remnants, that’s a good estimate.
Oregon State Police got a call about the vehicle early Tuesday, said Doug Sestrich, central coast beach ranger for the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department. Police went down, and then called Sestrich to come take a look.
All that was exposed were four tires sticking out of the sand.
To make sure there wasn’t a body inside, police asked state parks to dig it out. Crews from Road & Driveway in Newport waited until a minus tide Tuesday evening to remove it out with a backhoe.
There was no body. The remnants – four tires and wheels, parts of the frame, rear axle, transmission and engine and other rusting parts — were taken to the parking lot at Beachside State Park’s day use area.
“Based on the shape of the vehicle it’s easy to say the vehicle has been buried on the beach for at least the past 20 years,” said central coast parks manager Dylan Anderson. “The vehicle ended up in hundreds of pieces after removal, but we weren’t able to identify the make or year.”
Dave Reeker of Bend was staying with his wife at Tillicum Beach Campground and saw the retrieval Tuesday evening. He stopped by Beachside on Wednesday to examine the recovery. Based on what was there and the size of the axles, he speculated that it looked like an old truck.
While the vehicle might have been exposed briefly in years past, Sestrich said nowadays state parks tries to get such junk off or out of the sand.
“The interesting thing is how long the rubber lasts … the tires are in pretty good shape for being out there so long,” Sestrich said. “It’s good to get it off the beach.”
But, Sestrich said, the vehicle succumbing to the water decades ago and then reappearing this week is a good reminder that “the ocean does what it wants to do.”
Parks employees recycled the metal Thursday.
