Thursday, September 27, 2018

You'll Never Find Your Gold on a Sandy Beach



... but you can find solitude.

And that's what we did when we went to Point Reyes two weeks ago. After our beautiful hike to Chimney Rock we felt a walk on the beach might be just the ticket. Drakes Beach is easily accessible and we thought it might be very crowded on this warm day, but to our surprise there weren't many people there. We were almost on our own here and pretty much had the beach all to ourselves.




It was so nice walking on the sand, listening to the waves and feeling the sun on our faces. I was looking for shells but mainly found empty crab shells as leftover from some seagull dinner, and even a jellyfish. We usually don't see too many jellies here.

We watched the sea playing with this - thing? I have no idea what it is, and if you know I would appreciate if you told me. There are quite a lot of these long marine plants (I assume) to be found on our beaches, they are lightweight and have some kind of seaweed attached to it.
Update: A friend told me on Facebook that it is Giant Sea Kelp. I actually should have known that...



Even here in this kind of protected bay a lot of driftwood has been washed ashore, and the ice plant is gently covering it.


Finally, we went to a beach further to the North, McClures Beach. Here you actually have to descend the cliffs through a canyon - it's about a 15 minutes walk and the reward is an almost empty beach. However, the weather has changed as it so often does on the coast in Northern California. Gone was the sun and the blue skies, somewhere above the marine layer that spread over the coast.



The walk along the beach was still beautiful, though.


Until we happened about this crab. The waves had washed it up, but strangely enough the seagulls that were close by weren't interested in it. We assumed that they don't like live crabs since they can't figure out how to avoid getting pinched by the claws. That poor crab was helplessly wiggling its legs and starting to blow bubbles. Another wave threw it further up on the sand. The "beast" was pretty big and I wondered how to grab it to save its life. Just when I had asked the Geek this question the crab got on its hind legs and stared at me.


Don't you think it's pleading with me to save it? So I grabbed it around its shell, running with it towards the waves and throwing it back into the ocean (and, of course, getting wet while doing that). It never turned up again, so I guess it made it - and I was happy about that.

After that heroic deed we had to climb back up the cliffs and into the fog.




*******





12 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you. Very much.
For both the beautiful restorative beach wander, and for saving the crab.

Michelle said...

Nothing like a walk on a quiet beach. Beautiful shots.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Lovely photos and what beautiful beaches, so tranquil and private. This must have been a very restorative day.

Peace Thyme said...

Beautiful, wonderful, peaceful photos. Lovely.

I have lived in California twice. Once in the 80's, when they said that the fog was rolling out or in, depending on the time of day. And again in the 2015 timeframe when they proclaimed that fog would hereafter and forever be known as the marine layer!

Magdalena said...

Liebe Carola, das sind ja phantastische Bilder. Wenn man den Strand fast für sich hat, das ist immer etwas Besonderes.
LG
Magdalena

John's Island said...

Hi Carola, These are wonderful beach photos! I enjoyed all of them. A beautiful place for sure and the solitude ... wow, I would love that. As an old retired teacher I would give you an A for all the photos, and several would get A+ including the very first one, and number 7. Thank you for sharing all this and for you kind words on my blog as well. Have a happy weekend!

Suburban Girl said...

Quite a few finds on the beach! I bet it is so peaceful off season.

Magic Love Crow said...

Bless your heart, saving the crab!!! Good for you!
Thank you for these gorgeous photos!! LOVE them all!
Big Hugs!

Karen Lakis said...

I may be strange, but I think I'd rather find solitude than gold. I love walking the beach off season for this very reason. Your photos are beautiful - I feel as though I'm experiencing the sound of the waves and the feeling of serenity.

Michelle B said...

Two beautiful hike posts in a row!! The beach looks gorgeous. I can almost feel the wind in my hair and sand between my toes. :) You live in such a beautiful part of the country.

Sarah Huizenga said...

I love the complexity of your beachscape. I also love that you saved the crab, it is always a good feeling to make a difference.

Bohemian said...

You have taken me along with you to this Beach, Thank You. We had intended to visit the Ocean this year for a mini vacay but never made it there, so this is the next best thing... and one of the reasons I Love the Land of Blog!