October, 2022
Let’s get back down to that beach for a closer look, ok? Let’s get down those switchback roads!
I took both photos below while driving down those switchbacks (from up on the hill where the campground was to down on the beach). I was looking out my truck’s side window out over the hill … the cliff … that led down to the beach WAY below.
You can’t see the beach, or the salt water, but it’s down there, way down there.
The photo below was my first view of the water from those switchback roads. This part of the road was the last, the very bottom section of the switchbacks. With tight turns!
How gorgeous.
And a little further down that last incline of road there was a view of the dock/pier, below.
And finally I got down to the parking lot … wow, LOW tide. The water was way out. That’s cool, more beach to see.
Some of you may already have noticed that the big white truck is parked over to the left in the parking lot. So, yes, I drove down, parked, and then walked partway back up the road to get these two photos. 🙂
You might also notice in the photos above that there is a boat ramp (the large “V” of fence) leading off that parking lot and down onto the beach and into the water.
Hmmm, well, ok except that the tide was WAY out when I was there this day … way out! So the boat ramp was useless. The end of the boat ramp was no where near the water. Anyone trying to launch a boat right now would have the wheels of the boat trailer sink into that sand, not a good idea. But I sure got to see the beach … mud and rocks and seaweed and the black holes where geoduck clams lived. That’s geoduck, pronounced gooey-duck, honestly, cross my heart, that’s how that word is pronounced.
That sailboat out there was anchored. It seemed awfully close to shore. Of course, maybe the owner had anchored when the tide was in and there was lots more water, but right now, today, it seemed like it was in really shallow water. And yet, what a beautiful place to be.
So then I walked up onto that pier and walked part way out to the end. Then turned and simply stood and stared and watched the birds and the water, and listened to the sounds of everything. So beautiful. And warm, inordinately warm for October here, in the mid 70’s.
Oh, but there’s that sailboat. From this perspective (out on the pier), the sailboat has plenty of water and plenty of room. Kind of reminds me not to judge things from just one perspective, yes?
Yes, that’s my shadow in the photo below. Hi everyone!
This state park had very nice, clean restroom facilities, garbage, recycle, even a fish cleaning station with a place to dump your fish waste … all with either stairs or a ramp for access.
Behind the restoom was the beginning of a path that led up the hill, back up to the campground area. Keep in mind that there were at least four seriously tight switchbacks by car on this steep hill. I looked at that path for a few moments, was tempted for a second or two, and then realized what the climb up that hill would entail. I walked to my big white truck in that parking lot, got in, and drove up those switchbacks, thanking my big white truck profusely.
And yet … it sure seemed like a nice trail to follow. Maybe another day. 🙂
After taking the photo above, before I drove back up to the campground, I spent another hour walking on the beach, sitting on a log, chatting with a few folks, and enjoying all of it. I highly recommend “doing nothing” like this, which is actually doing a lot for yourself.