May, 2024
After that interesting morning walk on the beach (with the ghost ship in the fog and other fun stuff), I enjoyed a quiet little lunch and a very uneventful nap in my trailer. When I finally got myself up and out of the trailer in order to take my last afternoon walk here, it was a glorious day! Still cloudy in part, but also clear blue skies in parts, depending on the wind way up there in the sky.
It was a wonderful, easy walk.
Just 50 feet or so north of my campsite there was easy access to the beach.
At first I thought the depression in the photo below was made by humans, but as I looked around there didn’t appear to be signs of humans except for one set of footprints that were simply going past the depression. At the end of my walk this afternoon, I checked in at the park Ranger station and found out that the depression is natural, kind of like a sink hole. Any time it rains (or the tide comes in that high), there’s a pool of water there that drains straight down into and through the sand rather than running down/across the beach to the ocean. Then another Ranger joined the conversation and both decided to cordon off the sink hole so no one could walk within 20 feet of it as some of these drain holes have been known to simply open up into a chasm without warning. Zounds! More weird stuff. They weren’t kidding me … I saw them less than an hour later walking out with stakes and mallets and large rolls of red/orange warning tape.
BUT … before I talked with the park Rangers and while I was still on the beach, I came across the small rivulet of water (below) making its way down from the hill behind it, down to the ocean. This one, in the photo below, didn’t make it all the way to the ocean. It simply got absorbed by the sand.
But THIS one (below) did make it all the way to the ocean. This one was further north than I had walked before. It’s not on any map (paper or online) that I could find. Maybe it’s another Joe Creek in the making, in its early stages.
Here’s the hill/land (below) that feeds fresh water to these rivulets. It’s quite a bluff or cliff, with the face of it close to straight up and down.
I wouldn’t want to build a home up there. Obviously, parts of the cliff have fallen off in the recent past, and probably have been doing that for thousands of years.
But below those cliffs, and above the high tide line, were lovely grasses and other plants.
At a few points along the way, there were berms of sand on which drift wood had collected, and even a few trees were growing.
Eventually, I turned to walk back south, heading back down to the campground at the town of Pacific Beach. What a beautiful afternoon, especially compared to the fog and wet and cold and wind this morning.
On the walk southward, I began noticing the different sorts of patterns and formations in the sand. I hadn’t noticed these the whole week I was here. They were fascinating.
I know which one of these sand photos is my favorite. Which one is your favorite?
And, of course, there was the ocean …
Back at my campsite, I then chatted with the park Rangers (as mentioned) about that sink hole, and about the holes in the sand that spurted water from them on this morning’s walk, and other things too. I always thank those people for what they do for all of us … for all of their work and their care and their willing communication with us that results in the rest of us getting to enjoy so much beauty that’s available in and around so many different campgrounds.
And then evening approached. I took the first photo below about 90 minutes before I took the last photo below. Notice the sky … that’s how quickly the clouds cleared out. It wasn’t particularly windy right down on the land where I was. I guess it must have been very windy higher up in the atmosphere.
Another beautiful sunset in paradise.
This was a fabulous week! One of my very favorite camping weeks. I’ll hitch up and head home tomorrow morning.
I sure appreciate that I’m able to do this, financially, and that I’m able to do the physical work necessary to go camping with a trailer. I also appreciate the state park campgrounds and employees and volunteers, and state and federal government agencies that provide these extraordinary ways for all of us to see the real world and who keep these areas as pristine as possible. I always scout around my campground before I leave and pick up the smallest of debris whether it’s mine or not. That might be a small thing in the larger picture of what damage could be done to our wild areas, but I’d like this area, and all areas like this, to be enjoyed by generations of people to come. We all have to do our part to make that happen. Our world is so precious.
Happy trails, everyone. 🙂 Thank you for riding along with me on this adventure.
We sure agree with you about the people that take care of state and federal land, campgrounds and all other land too, they are heroes! Hopefully the US will not go back to destroying, mining, tree-harvesting, etc, on those lands. As there are more and more people on the planet, there is less and less wild land. Let’s treausre it!
Amen, Marge! Time will tell. And let’s do all we can to help maintain our federal and state parks/lands.
Amen, Marge. I emailed my reps in Congress and my state and told them what I want. Hope everyone does that.
Great beach walk! Great weather! Great sunset! 🙂
I did too, Walt. Emailed all of them. I hear a phone call or a letter carries more weight, but emails will work too!
Glad you enjoyed the walk today, I sure did too! 🙂
What a nice walk. My favorite sand/beach photo of the six photos in a row is the second one, my second favorite (you didn’t ask for a second favorite!) is the fifth one down. I’ve not been to an ocean beach, I love this! I’m in Idaho and usually head east with my travel trailer in the summer. I need to head west!
Yes, head west!! Let me know you’re coming and I’ll share info and maybe even get to meet you on your trip. That would be cool, Susan.
#2 and #5 seem to be the winners, you were the first to vote. 🙂
Still love the ocean photos and videos the best since I haven’t seen the ocean in years.
Ok, sand photos … of the six photos, I like the fourth one down the best. But I also like the photos where you show water running down to the ocean across the sand. Here’s to a new Joe Creek … maybe “Ann’s Creek”. 🙂
I love that fourth photo too, Shawn. It might be my favorite. 🙂 And I like your idea of “Ann’s Creek”. That was nice.
I like the fifth photo the best, the artistic curves … the ocean did that?! wow. I HATE the sixth photo, it drives me nuts! makes me crazy. 🙂
That fifth photo is wonderful isn’t it? Yes the ocean did that. That sixth photo drives me nuts too. 🙂
Some years ago the Environment Agency placed a fence around a sink hole at Ryde Beach. It was considered there could be an underground waterway causing the problem.
Thank you Henry! With your information, I took another look online and do now find the Ryde Beach sinkhole, and the info that it might have been caused by an underwater drainage system from the nearby town. It sure makes sense and is something we all should be aware of.
Actually, I like the third photo from the very top, as far as sand goes — the photo with the grasses growing out of the sand. BUT, if I had to chose from the other six sand photos, then I would choose #2 and #5 of that group. 🙂 #6 makes me crazy looking at it, especially when I clicked on it and enlarged it, aaaack!
Love your photos, thank you for sharing.
Oh, Kinny, I love that third photo with the grasses too … might enlarge it and prop it up somewhere in my home. #2 and #5 … most votes so far.
#2 and #5. But I like that photo of the grasses in the sand even more. And the birth of a second Joe Creek. And the berm with grass and trees and driftwood. I did some research about sink holes in ocean beaches and they are often right out from a city or town and it’s thought (as Henry say) that maybe there’s a waterflow or drainage underground that is causing the sinkhole. But the tiny little town of Pacific Beach certainly doesn’t have that, does it? I did find reports of sink holes in ocean beach sand that are no where near towns. I hope you go back and find out.
#2 and #5 again! And a sideways vote for that third photo from the top with the sand and the grasses. 🙂
Good for you for reading and doing research from Henry’s info. And, yes, Pacific Beach (the town) is so small … and the sinkhole I found was quite a ways north of the town … that I don’t think a drainage system is creating the sinkhole that I found. When I go camping there again (and I will), I’ll be sure to check it out and see if the sinkhole is still there. Thanks Pat.
Ok, I like #4. I’m a radical. 🙂
And the ocean. And the sunset. The photos are gorgeous. I bet in full size they are stunning.
LOL! Yes, you are a radical, Wanda. I like that. 🙂 If you would like any photos in full size emailed to you, just say the word.
Your photos are always gorgeous. The subject of the photo is obvious, the exposure is perfect, they are always level (or not, if you want them not to be). I’ve taken lots of photography classes and my photos don’t compare to yours. Are you a pro? Is your camera super expensive? Are you a computer graphics genius? 🙂 If you have any hints or advice for the rest of us, I’d sure appreciate any info you’d like to share. If I had so many beautiful photos, my walls would be covered with them. Really love your blog.
Wow, thanks Bill. Makes me humble. I’ve never taken one photography class, just sort of learned by doing, and by watching what other people do, and by looking at photos that other people produce, and thinking about how I might choose to produce them differently. I do have a nice camera, tho it isn’t professional quality … it’s a (oops, gotta go look at it) it’s a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 and it cost me about $600 several years ago. So, no it’s not a high dollar camera, in the scheme of things, but I sure do love. The one thing that I might wish differently about it is that it has a built in lens, can’t change it, and I wish it had a longer telephoto lens. Other than that, I’m really happy with it and would buy it again … and in fact it is still made brand new and for sale brand new. It’s popular!
I started making a list of photos that I might enlarge and hang on my wall … the list is too long. I don’t have enough wall space. 🙂 Thank you for such nice comments!
I never knew about the sinkholes. Pretty scary! In all my years of walking beaches and I’ve never seen one. Admittedly I have walked mostly rocky beaches. The sand pictures are fascinating. The second and third one are certainly the most interesting to just stare at and see things in. Is the black line in the third one just seagrass or something or is it a string of holes. I looked for bird footprints to explain such a neat little string of holes, if they are holes. Perhaps they are just part of a stalk of something? Picture number four is my favorite for aesthetical reasons. Love the sweep of the lines in the sand created by the ocean waves and the retreating ocean tide. The sixth picture,… I don’t know quite what to make of it. It looks kind of like a quilt pattern. It doesn’t look natural. I wonder what could have made something that intricate and that consistent over such a large area.
Fritzi, the sinkhole seemed scary to me too, except that it was so obvious that it really didn’t pose any danger to someone who was paying attention. And you pay attention, I know that!
The tiny holes in those two photos are different than the other holes I’ve seen. They are not clam holes or crab holes as they have no buildup around them where someone spurted water out their hole. And the line is just a depression in the sand. Next time I’m camping here I’ll pay more attention and then ask the park Rangers. I love photo #4. Yes, #6 reminded me of a quilt pattern too, but it also messed with my brain if I looked at it too long, too stressful. That quilt pattern on that beach that day went on for a long way, obviously made by the ocean. The world is pretty wonderful eh?
My favorite is #6, though I like a lot of them. Ok all of them. And anything that involves an ocean. I often find it difficult to leave a camp site that I’ve enjoyed, or had an emotional moment or eight in. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to go back to a site again, but most of the time I’m on to new adventures. I have fond memories (and blog posts!) of any number of places I’ve sat and listened to the crickets or the wind or the waves or my pup. It’s all good.
#6! You are a radical. 🙂 I’ve gone back to a few campgrounds but mostly I’m like you, Dawn, and go see new things in new places. There’s so much in the world to explore! How can we do it all in one lifetime?