Day 30 – June 30th – Wandering Retirees

Today was super relaxed. Connie and I walked the south-facing beach in front of our lodgings this morning. On top of the wonderful sounds and smells of the shore, there’s a great abundance of drift wood. That’s stating it too mildly. There’s a veritable forest of washed up trees strewn everywhere along the high water line: trees that were undercut along riverbanks and numbered trees that got away from loggers. They’re all here in their gigantic, bleached-bone glory. It’s beautiful and a little bit eerie. There are islands just off shore, remnants of this coast’s violent geologic past, that wear toupees of tall pine. The only place on the east coast like this (that we can think of is in Acadia Nat’l Park in Maine).

We’ve been blessed with some great weather – it has not been raining much. The temps have hovered in the 60’s and low 70’s. The water, though, is so cold that no one goes in without a wet suit.

This afternoon Connie, Pat, Judy and I took a leisurely stroll along Rialto Beach that extends from the Quillayute River north in an area preserved by the Nat’l Park Service. If you’re adventurous there’s a great little hike of about 5 miles along and above beach. If you were like us, there are dozens of delightful spots to set a spell, enjoy some snacks and watch. We saw gulls in their cast of thousands, cormorants diving, seals and a couple of bald eagles, one perched and one gliding overhead. Very cool.

We came back to the apartment and had dinner, some drinks and good conversation. Great day.

Some random thoughts. Connie and I met a couple on the beach this morning who are traveling by RV. We asked how long they’ve been on the road and they said, “We haven’t had a permanent address for two years.” Took a second for that to sink in. Their last home was in San Diego but when they retired, off they went through all of the mainland US and Canada. We were amazed. What a story! We didn’t ask about family or details on how this works. We just appreciated the story. We know that’s not for us – we actually like to be around family and friends more regularly. But to imagine the possibilities….

I met Vishot and Areev, (not sure of the spelling, I’m afraid) an uncle and nephew, on the beach today. I noticed that Vishot wore a N.Y. Giants hat and congratulated him on his good taste in teams. Turns out that they are from the Minneapolis area and we’re visiting the Olympic Peninsula again with family. It was about that time the seals appeared, one of whom was floating on his back eating a fish he’d just caught. That got Areev going about seaweed and other foods that are naturally disgusting per the wisdom 8-year olds everywhere. Which got us going (uncle and I) about how would you know you don’t like something if you don’t try it? We enjoyed the conversation for a couple hundred yards before they had to catch up with the rest of their family. Loved the conversation but never found out how this Giants fan ended up in Minnesota. Wondering if sushi might lie in Areev’s dining future. Inquiring minds may never know.

Tomorrow it’s off to the Hoh Valley, an unusual temperate rain forest nearby. Can’t wait.

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Sunset, June 29