3/23/24. 7 am. Was driving north on the 101 and had just passed Picture Windows Lane when about 100 yards in front of me a creature scrambles east across the highway. First thought was dog, then bear, but neither clicked with the shape or gait. It appeared black and slender with a bushy tail; it bounded with what seemed like a sense of determination. I decelerated and scanned the roadside, but it had vanished into the woods by the time I passed.
Over the past few days, this sighting stuck with me. Random animals would occur to me and I'd look at images to pinpoint what I saw. But ermine and mink are too small, a fox would be too dainty, badgers have different coat color, ditto with coyotes, cougars are unmistakable from any distance, sasquatches are nocturnal... Eventually figured it was a juvenile bear and I was too far away to identify it clearly.
And then I saw this today:
https://yachatsnews.com/wolverine-visits-coast/Which blew my mind because wolverine was my third thought and I immediately wrote it off because, well, they don't live at the coast. But that's EXACTLY what it looked like.
I guess the only problem is that rangers believe there's only one wolverine in the area and there was a confirmed sighting near Newport the day before my 'encounter'. So in lieu of a report to ODFW, I'm providing an OSP exclusive since here seems a better fit for subjective and unsubstantiated observations. Will be interesting if any more sightings pop up on the North Coast.
P.S Surf was ok. Some fun ones in the mix, but inconsistent, slight crumble, and crowded. Such is Spring.