Ruby Beach and more

We've been here before - and probably even taken this exact same picture before! (In my defense... well, I have no defense, I just can't help it.) Ruby Beach is on the far west side of the state, fully exposed to the wild ravages of the northern Pacific Ocean. The seastacks stand as testament to that force. This beach has everything - tide pools, sand, skipping rocks, sea critters, logs to sit on, windows in the rocks through which you can watch the sunset... I love this place. And yes, with a little bit of fog rolling around and a cloudy sky - this is just the way it should be seen!

Putting on my tour guide hat here, the beach is pretty far from civilization, but to get here you pass by the Hoh Rain Forest, Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Hot Springs and Falls, all not-to-be-missed sites on the Peninsula.

And that was all on Saturday. On Sunday we wanted to hike to the New Dungeness Lighthouse. Through a slight miscalculation on my part, the hike was a bit longer than we'd anticipated or prepared for - 11 miles total. The first half mile (and the last) was through another beautiful forest. Then it was on to the beach for a 5 mile trek to the lighthouse that is way on the end of the Dungeness Spit. Now why would they put a lighthouse way out there???

So, the picture doesn't really tell the tale unless you look really, really close. On the right side on the horizon, right up close by where the trees are in the 'close' range, there is a little dot of white that is the lighthouse, way out on the end of the to-the-right curve of sand which has, at that distance, become indistinguishable from the water. It's just under the branch of the tree that is right above the horizon:

Do we get points? We didn't even get sore or stiff! A little sunburned though. We were pretty proud - 11 miles of slogging along a beach is a lot for old fat people.

And there was just one more treat - we encountered this little thing on our way out of the forest - and almost had to nudge her to get by on the trail!