And the historic aspect?

“I won a rally in México, Canada and now America,” said the three-time NACAM champion. “I think I’m the first person to do that. This has been a great event: fantastic people, such a nice ambiance and some really cool, fast stages – I will be back next year.”

Having started the day trailing Javi Olivares, Albert got by the Fiesta on Sunday’s second test, Shadowbuck. Regularly fastest of the crews still in the overall fight, Albert set his sights on P1. While he nibbled at the Rally2 car ahead, any hopes of taking chunks of time were spoiled by a busy afternoon.

“You name it, it got thrown at us this afternoon,” Albert told DirtFish. “I’ve got to thank the crew on the car, they’ve busted their a***s all day long. We got two punctures, a broken control arm and a collapsing cooling duct. The control arm was interesting: every time we braked the car pulled off the road. The only way to slow down was with the handbrake.

“In a straight line, it was OK, so we said to each other, “What do we do? Should we just gun it? Yeah, let’s gun it.” We just slowed down early for the corners and by some magical physics the wheel stayed on.

Oregon Route 126 is closed east of Florence Sunday afternoon following a traffic accident, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

The closure was reported around 3 p.m. on Sunday, about six miles east of Mapleton, between Florence and Eugene. On-scene reports indicate that the accident involved at least two vehicles. The number of injuries was unknown as of 3:30 p.m.

The highway, a major route in the area, was busier than usual due to the popular “Rhody Fest” Rhododendron Festival in Florence, which had been expected to draw increased traffic volume on the highway.

ODOT officials urged drivers to seek alternative routes and expect delays as emergency responders work to clear the scene and investigate the incident. There was no estimated time for when the highway would reopen.

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

It always pays to keep one eye on the ocean and one eye on the sand when you’re walking along the beach at the Oregon Coast, a lesson reinforced by some Cannon Beach beachcombers who discovered a rare deep-sea angler fish known as a Pacific football fish (Himantoliphus sagamius) south of town.

In a press release, Seaside Aquarium said the fish, which used a phosphorescent bulb attached to its forehead to attract prey, is believed to be the first of its species to ever be found in Oregon. Only 31 other specimens have been recorded around the world, in places like New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Hawaii and California.

Pacific football fish live at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet in the Pacific Ocean. Because food is scarce at that depth where sunlight cannot reach, the fish has evolved to eat anything that it can lure into its mouth.

Not much is known about this species that lives in the very dark depths of the ocean, but according to the Seaside Aquarium, “Only females actively hunt as the males are actually more like parasites.”

The male fish are 10 times smaller than females and to survive, must fuse themselves to a female. There, they lose their eyes and internal organs, the aquarium said, and get all their nutrients from the female, while providing her with a dependable source of sperm.

– Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com or @lizzzyacker

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