After yesterday's adventures, we decided to have a low key day. I posted a few pictures to Facebook and wrote, "Taking a vacation from our vacation." This is kinda true. We go go go on these trips, and while I really do love the experiences we have, it can be exhausting. Since we knew we have another full day tomorrow to explore some more redwoods, we went to a beach literally around the corner from our cabin.
We went to a place called Tolowa Dunes State Park. It is maybe two miles, just west of where we are staying. It was fabulous! Very pretty with mountains to the north, coast going on and on to the south, and dunes facing the water. The beach was a mix of very soft sand and a strip of these great, smooth rocks. They were mostly hues of blue and grey, and some even had zig zag stripes. Fun to look for neat ones to take home.
Today was a really nice day here, getting up to about 70 and mostly sunny. I talked to Mike, our cabin's owner, who said this is pretty typical weather. He said they may get into the 80s at some point in the summer, but high 60s, low 70s is pretty typical. He said in the winter it will get down to freezing at night but the days are usually in the 50s.
At the beach, it felt a bit cooler with the breeze and water. I had no desire to go in the water, or really take off my jean jacket, but the kids got in their suits right away. It didn't take long for them to dive into the water and splash around. Funny how kids don't seem to get cold. I sat against a piece of driftwood and finished the memoir I've been reading, Jesus Land. (I recommend it...great find at the used book store.) The kids played and played, building sandcastles with our empty yogurt and salsa containers (who needs buckets?!), and Will observed from the surf.
At one point, Will spoke to a fisherman on the beach. He and his wife have an RV and spend a couple months traveling every summer. He is from California but 5 hours south. He had caught a perch and Will and the kids went to see. Apparently, they got more than they bargained for and had a little sex ed lesson as well. The perch was pregnant, and the man squeezed the minnows right out of the mama fish, in front of our kids. As Eleanor proclaimed to me later, "Yeah, Mom, he squeezed the fish and babies came right out of its butt!!!" Awesome.
Other than a few fisherman and some small families, the beach was pretty deserted. Around 1:30, we finally dragged the kids out of there, but only after we promised to return after lunch (fine by me!). We all refueled and were back by 3 or so. This time, Ethan went even further into the waves and witnessed the power of the Pacific. He got knocked down at one point and drank a bit of the ocean.
Eleanor had her own first as well: she pooped in the dunes. She had complained of needing to go when we first got to the beach after lunch. I drove her back to the cabin only to have her pee and tell me she doesn't have to poop after all. This is VERY typical. (Our first full day of this trip, I took her no less than 7 times to the bathroom- 3 times in REI alone - only to have it be a false alarm.) Shortly after I brought her back to the beach, she complained of needing to go again. Will has been keeping a roll of toilet paper in the car because sometimes the bathrooms in the national parks don't have any. So, he took her up to the dune and she did her business, if you will. She was quite satisfied with herself, and Will is quite sure he doesn't want a dog any time soon.
Another fun thing about this beach is that I randomly had cell phone service. I don't have it in town at all, but I had it next to the ocean. Weird. I was able to receive texts I've been missing, send some texts, and even make phone calls. Will spoke to his parents and I called mine, as well.
We left the beach around 5:30 and the kids went right to the shower. Eleanor's bathing suit has sand inside the fibers. Not sure it will ever be sand free. We grilled chicken, potatoes, and asparagus and had dinner watching The Tour de France. Kids went to sleep a few minutes ago.
Tomorrow, we plan to visit some more redwoods, this time closer to us by the Smith River. Mike showed us on a map where to find a nice little beach by the river for the kids to swim in. We will also do a bit of hiking, too. And, this time, we will have water and a compass with us, no matter how short the hike is supposed to be!
1 comment:
Yay Eleanor!!!
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