2009-09-01: Beach
We arrived in glorious weather and with the beach a short walk from the coach we tended to spend some time there.
2009-09-01: Flotsam Jetsam
On the path to the beach stands this flotsam-jetsam. I'm pretty sure they clean it off each year and then people begin adding to it again. After wandering down the beach, the path back to the campground would be difficult to find without this unique landmark.
2009-09-01: Sunset
This is an area of incredible sunsets.
2009-09-02: Kite
Today found us back on the beach trying to fly the little kite. We got it up but the wind was a little too strong for this wee kite.
2009-09-02: Moon
It's always fun to get photos of the moon as it rises in the sky - especially with beach grass in the foreground.
2009-09-03: Dinner
We met some of our neighbors yesterday and were then invited to a spaghetti feed. Unfortunately the weather got a bit cloudy and windy so we were forced inside. Luckily Sharon and Don, our hosts were able to accommodate us all in their motorhome.
2009-09-03: Colors
Even though it was cloudy, we did get a bit of color.
2009-09-04: Interpretive Center
The Ocean Shores Interpretive Center is the only nature interpretive center on Washington's outer coast. It is kind of a "grandma's attic" of exploration. The S.S. Catala, a freighter and tourist excursion ship, was built in 1925. It was decommissioned in 1958 and then restored as a hotel for the Seattle Worlds Fair in 1962. In 1965 a storm stranded the ship and the shipwreck became a tourist attraction. This stern section which is on display at the Interpretive Center is all that remains of the once proud ship.
2009-09-04: Ginoza Buoy
This 35-foot fishing buoy was found here on the beach in Ocean Shores in 2007. It had washed from its anchorage in Okinawa Japan in a 2005 typhoon. We were told that it made it here in record time. These buoys gather kelp in the rebar cone which creates a food chain to attract yellow fin tuna in about 30-days.
2009-09-04: Driftwood
We found this neat looking driftwood stump near the local marina.
2009-09-04: Beach Houses
Along the shore are many unique beach houses. Many have lighthouse like extensions which give them a view of the water.
2009-09-05: Beach Grass
We find ourselves wandering down to the beach since it's so close.
2009-09-06: Kelpers Parade
Today found us heading to Pacific Beach-Moclips for the Kelpers Parade. As you can probably tell, it was cloudy, windy and rainy but that didn't stop us (or the participants).
2009-09-06: Parade
Once the parade started we realized that it was worth the wait in the rain. It was a crazy, slow-moving parade with over-the-top floats that were low on budget but high on energy and creativity. Evidently this is the only free form - anything goes parade in the state of Washington. This is just a sampling of the many entrants. It began with this cute little dog in his very own firetruck...
2009-09-06: Pirate Bikes
...and then there were these pirate bikers,...
2009-09-06: Pirate Ship
...a pirate ship complete with very loud cannon that was actually fired (many times),...
2009-09-06: Party Float
...this party float,...
2009-09-06: King and Queen Clam
...the King and Queen Clam who we later met personally at lunch as they were crowning the new king and queen,...
2009-09-06: Hula Man
...this hula man with his shapely friend...
2009-09-06: Highway Patrol
...and this ancient highway patrol car (NOT). We were told that because of the free nature of this celebration, the police agree to stay away as long as there is no trouble.
2009-09-06: Bling
During the parade, there was candy and bling being thrown from the floats. Tryna and Lena were proud to pose with some of their goodies.
2009-09-07: Jetty
We were told we might see some whales spouting by the jetty so we went to explore. We didn't see whales but it was beautiful watching the waves crash into the jetty.
2009-09-07: Fishing Boat
There were many fishing boats in this area which led us to believe that this was a good area to catch fish. Hopefully you can see the fishing boat through the opening of this driftwood.
2009-09-07: Blue Blue
The water in one direction was kind of gray but in the other direction was a beautiful color blue. It's great to have the sun shining down on us again after an incredible amount of rain yesterday.
2009-09-07: Deer
On the path to the beach tonight Al spotted this deer grazing in the dunes.
2009-09-07: Sunset
It doesn't matter how many sunsets I see, I can always take the time to see another. This will be our last sunset here since it has now clouded over after a beautiful sunny day. The prediction is for more rain tonight and tomorrow-we'll see how the weather guessers do this time. Out for pizza tonight with our new friends and then we move a bit south into Oregon tomorrow.