Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

October 1, 2013

Let Beachcombing Season Begin!

Now that it's cooled off and the tourists are gone, the beaches are once again empty, and also free.  During the summer, I will pay the $7 to park at Scusset if I really need a beach-fix, but I'll be damned if I pay $20 in Sandwich or Falmouth to park for an hour or so.  

I need a beachcombing fix bad, so I headed out one clear, cool morning.  Cleveland Ledge Lighthouse was so clear.

I'm not sure what those white spots/lines are.  If I had to guess, I'd say they are houses with their reflections in the water, but it looks like a mirage effect.





It was at this point, after I shot this, that my trip was cut short due to an emergency (don't worry, it's all fine).

So I went back 2 days later to finish my glass hunt.

Those green things are rusted and busted up garden tools.  I can't tell if they washed up or were used to make this fire pit.

It's soooo nice to have a camera with a clean sensor.  This picture would have been very spotty with the Pentax.

This doggy ran down the beach and over the jetties, then dashed into the woods.  He came back out at full bore, completely ignoring me, and plunged into the water for a quick dip, then ran off!  If you biggify this pic you can see his tongue sticking out!  

This looked better in real life...it's a crystal clear tidepool.  You can see the water ripples at the edges of the pic and around the large rocks.  Every stone glitters like a jewel.


On the way out, I pulled off on the side of the road to check out this beach.  

This part of the road is narrow with a harbour on one side and this narrow, crescent shaped beach on the other.  I didn't have high hopes of getting glass but I found a few pieces plus some great shells for glitter ornaments.  This screen cap of the map shows the narrow strip with the beach at the bottom and harbour at the top.




This stream ran out of a small salt marsh, across the beach and into the water.  I really, really wanted to take my shoes and socks off to play in the water and cross to the other side but I was too unprepared to do that. 


This is by far the largest piece of beach glass I've ever found.  It's actually worn too.  I have found bottles this big before, but they were fresh.  This one isn't. Epic. Score.

This is in the harbour on the other side of the road from the beach.

Then I parked at a little conservation area and took pics of another small harbour.


It's awesome to be surrounded by so many beaches.  I forgot how much I missed it.  To be honest, Puget Sound beaches really didn't cut it.  And to get to the WA or OR coastal beaches, it was a 3-5 hour drive depending upon where you were headed.  Even living in the Bay Area, except for when I was living in the Richmond District of SF, near Ocean Beach, it was a long drive to get to Pt. Reyes or Stinson or anywhere along Rte. 1.  

Oh and I did pretty well on the beach glass....mostly very small pieces, but still a total of 53, with one small cobalt blue and that big piece of green, plus some great shells & quartz rocks.

8 comments:

  1. Love your little trips. Photography at the beach hasn't been that great for us this year. It's been overcast and hazy many days. I can't believe the number of pieces of glass you find and that large piece you found is incredible. It's a real show piece on it's own. Adding the Google maps cap was a great idea. It really gave me a good idea of where you were.

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  2. Thanks for the beach photos! AAhhh! I needed that! How cool to find the beach glass!

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  3. Am I loving these photos. Your photos have actually reminded me of the times that I have been to the beaches on the west coast. The Sunshine Coast of British Columbia and a TV show named "The Beachcombers."

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  4. wonderful photos you are so lucky to have places like that nearby.

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  5. Seems to me it would be more fun to visit without the crowds and the price is sure right!

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  6. Seems to me it would be more fun to visit without the crowds and the price is sure right!

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  7. I can't believe you have to pay to go to the beach. That's just not right.

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  8. Really beautiful area you live in JoJo... that piece of beach glass is incredible! Great score - I hope you find a great way to showcase it in your collection.

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