Oregon Chainsaw Sculpting Championship

Coincidentally, our rally at Winchester Bay happened to be over the Father's Day weekend and the 16th Annual Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpting Competition held in Reedsport.

Chainsaw carving, I learned, is an art form that was adopted in the Pacific Northwest in the mid 1950's. The Cascade Chainsaw Sculptor's Guild, formed in 1986, initiated a West Coast Carving Contest Circuit. Reedsport, just a few miles north of Winchester Bay, is the home venue for the Oregon Divisional competition. This weekend marked the 16th competition and we went to see what this very different art form is all about.
It was most fascinating.

There are two main events. The Quick Carves are daily contests in which the artists have 90 minutes to complete a sculpture. The Master carving spans four days during which the artists complete their main sculpture.

We arrived just as that day's Quick Carve commenced. The program listed 26 professional artists, 10 semi-professional artists, and 4 international artists from Canada, Italy, and Japan. At the appointed time, everyone fired up their chainsaws and tackled their respective logs. Amidst clouds of sawdust, the buzzing saws carved into the wood.  We walked around, observing the men and women busily sawing away, wondering what shape would eventually emerge from each log.
This was certainly a novel but also very noisy endeavor. The din never let up, and with so many saws running, the crescendos came in waves. The artists wore ear protection. Had I known, I could have brought ear plugs for us.

Eventually we began to see a shape forming - a head, ears, face. We wandered from stall to stall, and with each round, a little more detail was carefully carved away.  

The artists proceeded to smooth, etch, notch or burnish the last remaining details as their vision became a realistic and recognizable form - a bear, a horse head (my favorite), a bird.
Afterwards, the sculptures were auctioned off in the big tent.

    

It was really quite amazing to observe the process from start to finish, the transformation from raw block of wood into a striking sculpture. I thought of Michelangelo, and how he chipped away at a block of hard marble for months, and wondered what he would think about this method of creating a sculpture in 90 minutes, while wielding a heavy, noisy, and dangerous chain saw.
The end result may not adorn a church interior or even a gallery, but it is a sculpture in its own right, one that will be perfect in a garden setting or in a town square, for everyone to enjoy and admire outdoors.
And if you live in an area where trees and wood are plentiful, what better medium to mold a striking sculpture out of material indigenous to your geographical area.
Here are the final sculptures of the day that were auctioned off later:

These are a few of the other completed sculptures for sale - 

mountain goats 

goldfish created by one of the Japanese chainsaw artists

perhaps this one must surely be Smok who lives at the base of the castle in Krakow

this one is for my elephant-loving daughters

I detest these reptiles but can't help admiring the intricate
detail carved by this artist

the detail on this octopus is remarkable        

the bear is a creation of Flavio Favaro from Italy (this one is
for you Grazia!)

One of the chainsaw artists is also a new Alpine owner.  Bob King will be joining our group at Winchester Bay after the competition. He is also the one who was instrumental in proposing his hometown of Reedsport to become the venue for the annual competitions.

So many Alpines, all in a row

that's us, fourth from the left

There are 31 Alpines at Winchester Bay RV Resort. What a terrific sight to see us all lined up across the bay.

The NoWaca group is a fun and friendly crowd, equally passionate and proud of their Alpines.

The rally hosts, the Smiths and Hallenders, have worked hard to create and prepare the program of happy hours, pot luck dinners, and breakfasts. 

And of course there is plenty of time in between to meet and get to know the folks at the rally, exchange travel stories, and for the guys to chat about various technical information regarding those "boy parts" that make the coach run and function. 

Alpine noses all the way to the very end

just a bunch of retirees having fun

Winchester Bay, Oregon

Before we left for Winchester Bay, we went to the beach one last time this morning. Michael had the bright idea to climb the gigantic sand dune to take some video and stills from the top. As is typical with coastal areas, there was, however, a veil of mist that enveloped us this morning so that we could not even see Haystack Rock. 

But even as we approached the gigantic sand dune, the sun was penetrating and scattering the mist. 
I took a deep breath, and proceeded to bravely ascend that gigantic dune. Let me just say that this was better than any workout at the gym, better than any stair-step machine. I had brought my walking poles along and quite frankly, without the aid of those extra "legs" I doubt that I would have been able to make it to the top. I huffed and I puffed my way, plodding three or four steps, sliding back two, in the deep soft sand that spilled over my sneakers, stopping to catch my breath before continuing. There was a mother with her three young sons already up there and they were taking turns sledding down on a boogie board, their excited dog chasing after them. I persevered and crested the 230 foot high dune(with a little final encouragement and help towards the end, from my uber-buff Hub who had already reached the top) . 

Made it!

The mist stubbornly hung on but we were now able to make out the cars below and the Dories preparing to launch out into the waves.

a selfie at the top of the gigantic sand dune

Around 11AM, we were on the road, heading south along coastal route 101. Winchester Bay was only about 120 miles away, but it took about three hours along this very scenic but also winding road that hugs the coastline and passes through several towns. 

Though we have traveled this route a few times, it was a first in Alpine. The scenery remains spectacular with breathtaking ocean views. The road took us in and out of the Siuslaw National Forest and then hugged the edge of the cliffs as we twisted and wound our way along. 

As we left, the mist still hung over waterways

part of the route took us through the Siuslaw National Forest

an eerie scene with the lingering morning mist over the water

back in the Siuslaw National Forest

driving along the very edge of the west coast

boat returning to marina in Depoe Bay

more forested road as we veer slightly inland again

sheer drops below.... on the passenger side of course!

miles of golden sand

folks enjoying the beach as we drive on by

that lingering mist in some spots

sand, boulders and ocean

hugging the coastline

Devils' Punch Bowl area

more sheer drops

magnificent cliffs

that's rather faaaar down

breathtaking scenery

and some more

Heceta Head lighthouse

approaching Oregon's famous coastal dunes 

Eventually we arrived at Winchester Bay RV Resort and fell in with the other Alpines that had already arrived and set up. We were eager to meet our fellow Northwest region Alpine buddies. The next several days will be busy with various planned activities. I will post again as time allows.

Winchester Bay is the dot below Reedsport, marked as number 5