4 sisters and 3 beaches

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

What a day! After staying up til 3:15, I got up at 7:45 and hauled my sleepy self out of bed and into the shower. Then I headed out to pick up sisters 2, 3 and 4. We were going on an adventure!

I spoke about growing up in Neah Bay. Though we had no brothers, we girls grew up wild in the untamed wilderness that exists out there. Our home was at the edge of the Olympic Forest and we spent a good portion of our time walking deep into the woods and exploring our corner of the world. But the forest was just one of our loves - we also lived within a mile of the Pacific Ocean and spent countless days/hours roaming all the beaches in the area.

3 of our favorites were First Beach, Second Beach, and Third Beach. This google maps link shows where these beaches are located in relation to the town. First Beach lies on the left, Second in the middle, and Third on the right (the largest of the three). First Beach is accessible by rounding the point right before it and climbing over a few hundred yards of rocks. This was best done during low tides. And Third Beach is only accessible via the rocks during low tide. To get there, you had to walk on ledges, tummy glued to the rocks, hands gripped above and feet holding on for dear life. Should our poor mother have ever seen where we were going during our childhood years, the first visit to Third Beach would have also been our last. It was a very dangerous trek to make for young girls.

So anyway, today the 4 of us decided to head back out to Neah Bay and visit our favorite beaches. My first mistake of the day was not getting enough sleep. The second was wearing Crocs. Climbing on rocks with Crocs? NOT a good idea. I'm glad I made it home alive and in one, unbroken piece. Haha!

We opted to skip Third Beach during this trip. With my Crocs and getting there at the apex of the low tide, we didn't want to get stuck there and have to phone the Coast Guard for help. It was a great time though. The dogs had a blast and we had a frolicking good time reminiscing about old times and our growing up years.

After this, we headed out to Hobuck Beach on the Pacific Ocean side of Neah Bay. The fog was rolling in and it was misting so we stayed in the car and ate our lunch as we looked at the view.

Enjoy the photos and as always, the remainder of the photos can be seen in smugmug gallery.




Heading down the trail on our hike down to the beach.


Sister #3 heads down the rope.


And there goes sister #4.


View upon landing on the beach - end of the trail.


Beginning our walk down First Beach.


Low tide exposes a rock shelf with boatloads of seaweed and hundreds of small tide pools.


Joey sits in a hole in a wall. What a cutie!


Roxie and Joey play near the surf on Second Beach.


What a nice message!


The view from my Crocs.


Roxie during 2 of her 10 seconds of standing still time she had during the day.


Sister #2 looks for shells in the pockets of pebbles/shells found all over the place.


A l-o-n-g tide pool on the rocks between First and Second beach.


The view once you first step onto Second Beach.


Further down the beach on Second Beach.


A deep tidal pool on the rocks between Second and Third Beaches. An *amazing* spot to scuba dive.


A series of rock caves in the area between Second and Third Beach.


Amazing. A perfectly round tide pool in the rocks. A mini aqua world exists in these small pools once the tide has gone out.


Another tide pool - crabs, fish, starfish - all kinds of things existing together in their little world.


Wind and water worn rocks between 2nd and 3rd.


A view of Third Beach. You have to crawl along the rock wall to get there. Only accessible via the rocks during low-tide.


Sister #2 takes a break on the rocks.


Heading back to First Beach from Second. This is where all the tide pools exist.


Back on First Beach - looking at Second.


Sisters #2 and #3 look for shells.


Shooting Sister #4 as she shoots the view.


Extremely slippery seaweed covering the rocks.


Overlooking Hobuck Beach and the Soess River. The fog was rolling in - just gorgeous.


Though foggy and somewhat chilly, the flowers were still vibrant and happy.


Looking at Neah Bay from the breakwater.


Remnants of the old docks that used to be at the breakwater.


All that's left of the dock.


The castaways collapse after a long day hiking and scampering about on rocks.


Sister #3 is wiped out. As is Roxie.


Sister #2 sound asleep.


Sister #4, fashionable while resting.


A view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and some wild grasses. Love the contrast between the two.