July 2-5 July 6 July 7 July 8 July 9 July 10 July 11 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 16 July 17 July 18-21	Thursday, July 9 I woke up about 6 and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I got dressed and drove down to Rialto Beach to see if I could get to the closest tide pools while the tide was low. I got to the right place, but the rocks were pretty slippery and very rugged. I could see some sea stars, but wasn’t sure enough of my footing to know where to put my foot next, so I turned back. I wasn’t sure my knees and balance could handle the rocks in this area. Getting older is for the birds. Besides, no one knew where I was. If I fell and hurt myself, who knows when they'd find me... So, I climbed the small bluff by the nearby breakwater and took some photos of the sea stacks visible from there and of some rocks on driftwood. The three photos above were taken this morning. The left and center photos show the sea stacks near this end of Rialto Beach from the small bluff I climbed. The right photo shows some seaweed and a rock that had gotten caught on some driftwood. Then I hurried back to the cabin to get some breakfast before the morning session. It was a short session with some shared photos from home, then we all scattered for the day. I planned on spending most of the day at Rialto Beach, but first drove to town (Forks) to fill the gas tank. They're really playing up their connection to the Twilight movies and books (about teenagers and vampires). Crazy! I also stopped at the Logging Museum while I was in Forks. It was a complete waste of time and money. Luckily, admission was only $3... So, on to Rialto Beach. I ate my lunch sitting on a driftwood log watching the water. I was almost finished when a group of sisters there for a reunion asked me to take their picture. As a matter of fact, I took several people's pictures this trip - all with their own cameras... The photo on the left shows a portion of Rialto Beach and one of the large driftwood logs. This one is almost three feet in diameter. After lunch, I walked back to the car to get my camera gear - I think I've finally learned the easiest route between the parking lot and the beach itself without having to climb over any of the huge driftwood logs that have piled up over the years. I walked up almost to Hole in the Rock, which is 1.5 miles north of the parking lot. It was high tide, so some of the beach was not too easy to walk on, especially where the waves were reaching the driftwood logs. The waves got me twice. Nothing serious, the boots kept my socks dry. The sun is trying to shine. However, walking on wet sand is tiring and the hike was almost 3 miles total, including fording a small stream. There were logs across the stream, which helped (they were gone by the next morning, however). The three photos above show some of the patterns I saw in the driftwood logs. The three photos above were taken on this afternoon walk. The photo on the left shows a piece of driftwood with a seaweed lei. The center photo reminded me of canyon walls in the southwest portion of the US. The photo on the right shows a rock nestled in a piece of driftwood with waves visible in the background. . The photo to the left shows some wave action near a driftwood log. The light was too bright to blur the motion much. This shows a recently retreated wave and the bubbles it leaves on the sand. . The two photos above were taken just seconds apart and show some of the wave action over a rock in the sand. . These two photos were taken near Hole in the Rock on the north end of Rialto Beach. The one on the left shows an unnamed sea stack with a lone tree growing near the top. The one on the right shows the two halves of Split Rock, a nearby sea stack that looks like a broken one. . So, I returned to the cabin for a rest. After downloading today’s images and getting the labeling caught up, I laid down for a few minutes, just to rest my eyes. Two hours later.... I got up quickly and went to get some dinner. Dinner was at the Smokehouse tonight (fish and chips - I've had better - on this trip!). My clam chowder had just arrived when one of the men in our group walked in and asked if I wanted company. We had a nice chat through dinner, getting better acquainted. Two others in our group rushed in for a quick bite, also, and didn't stay long. Then it was back to the cabin to grab my camera gear. Clear blue skies!!! So, I hurried back to Rialto Beach for sunset. . Most of our group was on the beach somewhere. There was also a dead seal on the beach, as shown in these two photos. . The three photos above are the best of the sunset photos from today. I left the beach before the afterglow (which I could see over the treetops - it was gorgeous). I’m still bushed. Think I’ll crash early. I did walk over to the lodge to talk with the rest of group for a while. We will meet later in the morning tomorrow, giving people (including me!) a chance to get out to Hole in the Rock at low tide (about 9 am) for tide pool shooting and still have time for sharing stuff. Next...