Two beaches on Tuesday

Dave's back is a bit ouchy today, so we took it easy.  Coffee/tea in the sun in front of Beluga looking at the golf course - all organic, JoAnn, no chemicals used here.  We were planning on going to Bowpicker for lunch, but it is closed on Tuesdays - what are the chances!  I look forward to it tomorrow.

So, after lunch and exercises we left the dogs in Beluga and set out to look for a UPS store where we could pack up the camera and send it on its way to El Segundo.  I feel positively naked, gnudi, without the little silver box attached to my wrist.  I see wonderful shots to take and share everywhere...Sigh.

Thirty five dollars later, we were off to explore.  The mouth of the mighty Columbia River was our first stop. We climbed an observation deck on a long jetty between the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia.   Quite a vista on a sunny day.  We walked a long way back along the river on a wide sandy beach and watched fishermen (and women) search the waters for salmon.  Perfect weather, warm in the sun and cool in the shade with quite a fresh wind.

Next, we drove a bit south on the Clapsock Spit to an Ocean beach access.  We left our shoes in the car so we wouldn't have to carry them along the beach.  Mistake.....To get to the water we had to climb up a sand path over a huge dune (Dave says 50 feet high)  The sand is so beautiful, taupe colored and very sparkly in the sun.  Taupe in the sun equals HOT.  Blisters on the feet HOT and no where to go but forward and up over the dune to the cold water.  Now I know I can pass a treadmill stress test.  I could barely breathe and my heart was beating like crazy as I raced for the ocean to cool my feet....

The wide, empty flat ribbon of sand didn't disappoint - no one in sight, sun sparkling on the waves, soft powdery sand and cool water.  My favorite thing.

Tomorrow we'll try to play a round of golf and get lunch at Bowpicker. (There is only one thing on the menu - Albacore fish and chips with malt vinegar, Mmmm)  The waterfront in Astoria is calling us, ships, fishing boats, a great maritime museum.  We've only one more day here, so we'll absolutely have to come back to do all the Lewis and Clark things.