Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge

wanting to see different aspects of our beautiful pacific northwest, we ventured out to sequim [pronounced Sk-wim] to hike on dungeness spit. dungeness spit is the longest sand spit in america [five miles long] and has an operating lighthouse on the tip. we set out to walk the five miles, but we were frozen out after only one mile. we hope to return this summer to finish the trek.

there was a lot of quality driftwood...

we conquered it all!

though cold, our spirits were not wrangled.

here are some of the finest pacific ocean seashells [aka pebbles]!

this photo genuinely captures the formidable climate.

as we were walking, we kept an eye on these two friends.

we had to investigate.

i'm sure the lady nell is missing these treasures.

after our chilling adventure on the sand, we headed to the 3 crabs to recharge.

what a great way to finish our walk on the beach:
steamed dungeness crab and a bottle of slug killer!

...and grilled cheese!

after getting full of crab, beer, grilled cheese, and cokes with floating mermaids, we headed back to the bluffs over looking the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Dungeness Spit to watch the sunset.

we read some books, talked and goofed off for about two and

a half hours; waiting for the sun to dip down a little closer to

russia.

for those practicing amateur photography, nothing beats
evening lighting. the sun gets diffused by all the particles in
the atmosphere that hang close to the surface of earth. this
makes for great soft lighting. turn your flash off, hold your
camera still, and shoot away.

from the bluffs down to the beach. as we sat and watched
the sun melt, a bald eagle swooped down in front of us and
on to it's airie in a nearby tree. i think he was just
making sure we were putting ourselves in the right
perspective.

i know i've said that cincinnati has some of the best,
most overlooked sunsets [maybe because there is so
much humidity... and crap in the air], but so far nothing
beats the intensity of the pacific sun. it'll blind you!

back at our campsite, with the air dropping a good fifteen degrees, we got the campfire roaring and lit the pipe. we read and smoked the evening down. when the darkness consumed us, we broke out the tripod and camera for some long exposure shots.

6 second exposure.

6 second exposure.

10 second exposure.

13 second exposure.

the next morning we woke to almost clear skies and a warm sun. we headed back to the bluffs to take in the views of the olympic mountains and brew some coffee; our new camping vice. we got a titanium french press for our wedding, and are putting it to good use!

while sipping our morning coffee and gazing across the ocean, we met an older couple who were 'traveling' through. we love meeting new people on the road. they both lost close family members who all said 'we wish we would have.' they immediately sold their home, left successful jobs, purchased an rv and took to life.they work odd jobs in the 'off season' and other than that, they travel and live. heading here and there for weeks,sometimes months. they don't want to pass and say, 'we wish we would have.' we don't either.

the next day on our way home, we stopped in port townsend for a few hours. we walked the streets, listened to street buskers, and pondered the 'we wish we would have' comment from the previous day. talking through the vastness of the cosmos [let alone our own country] and how small our lives are, andrea looked up and saw a rainbow halo. we took it as God putting us into perspective.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'
-Mark Twain