Harris Beach State Park

(+5 Insets!) (Sorry this is really long...scroll down to "Today's Picture" for info about my presentation today) What a Difference a Year Makes Last year we'd just started to seriously plan our upcoming RV trip when Covid hit. We would eventually leave three months later and had a fabulous season of adventures. This year we didn't have to wait! A couple of months ago the state park reservation system changed to allow bookings six months ahead and we jumped on the opportunity. It took hours that day but we locked in nearly 3.5 months of our season! From then on, we slowly prepared and began packing a few things. Steve worked on upgrade projects as weather permitted--it gets very cold here in the winter and our shop isn't heated so he worked on days that were warmer. Steve kept last year's preparations in mind and this year he didn't hurt himself just as we were about to leave. Both of us were very careful because we learned what a total bummer it was to be trailer-ridden and unable to hike, cycle or enjoy the beautiful setting we were in. We Could Hardly Wait to Leave on our Adventure As April rounded the corner, we got increasingly excited because our first reservation would be on April 6 at a hugely popular campground we never thought we'd get into--Harris Beach State Park. Amazingly, we got a full two weeks at a perfect site for our large rig! Steve and I worked very hard all the way until the very moment we left and then it was showtime! Our live-in house guest arrived--just as excited to move in as we were to move out! He loves staying at our place and we don't blame him--the outdoor activities and beauty of this area are so nice. But traveling around in a "home on wheels" is even better! :D Topping this with a win-win situation is so perfect, isn't it?! Off and Away! I walked down to the gate, opened it up and waited for Steve to make his way through. As our rig passed by, I couldn't help but watch and think of the past fun we'd had in the last couple of years. This season we were set up for almost six months of camping, YIPPEE!! NO MORE WAITING! It was time to GO!!! I pulled the gate shut, locked it and trotted across the road to hop into our fabulous truck. Steve and I shared a face-to-face grin and high-fived. LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!! What a Wonderful Drive Driving out to the Oregon coast, we took a route that many RV and trailer owners have openly worried about online. The two-way road gets very narrow in places and at a few points there are some very tight curves combined with rocky walls which encroach on the road. To make matters even worse, there were areas where trees used to lean over the road with branches that hung low enough to be a real concern. We were happy to learn that the trees were gone and it turned out that we had no problems with the curves or the rock walls, though we did go cautiously through those spots. We enjoyed a beautiful three hour drive through redwoods, past verdant meadows and farmland, and finally we reached the gorgeous coast! All the while Steve and I chatted about our trip and Pumpkin supervised from her Lucite travel cage braced between my knees. Munching on her food and whistling joyfully, she couldn't be happier either----she adores travelling and camping too! Once we arrived at the campground, Steve had no problems backing into our site. We'd learned to make sure the sites we reserved would be easy to get into--we've had our share of stressful parking memories! Upon parking, we hopped out of our truck to congratulate each other with a big hug. Our happy Cheshire Cat smiles couldn't be bigger! Our very first site was HARRIS BEACH!!! YAHOO!!! What a way to start our 2021 camping trip! Today's Picture We arrived and set up early enough that we could walk a quick 5-minutes out to one of the nearby vistas to take sunset pictures! Can you say "drop-dead gorgeous"? WOWZERS!! You can see a silhouette of Goat Island offshore--it happens to be Oregon's largest island, though a mere 21 acres. It's been a National Wildlife Refuge since 1936 and is one of the largest nesting sites in the state, home to 11 species and over 100,000 seabirds during breeding season! Today's Insets Looking south is rugged coastline including tide pools and lots of driftwood. I couldn't stop appreciating the huge boulders around us and then Steve pointed out a plane above us complete with jet trails! I also got a picture of the evening's warm sunlight showing of the side of a pair of large boulders beyond which one can see both a small butte and a sliver of beach with drift wood at the top of the beach. The second row of pictures show a panorama I took the next morning from the shore of North Harris Beach. Finally, the butte shown in my third inset has a trail that emerges out to a jaw-dropping view... my last panorama is a view up the coast from Harris Butte. :) I hope everyone is doing well! Steve and I got our first vaccine shot yesterday, hooray!! Explored on 4/17/21; highest placement #2.

(+5 insets) (Please view large...so pretty!) The experience of strolling up North Harris Beach is mind-boggling in its beauty. The views are amazing, whether looking out to sea or up and down the coastline. The reason this campground is booked solid all summer long is obvious the moment one looks out on the coast and sets foot on its glorious beaches. How we were lucky enough to reserve a solid two weeks (the limit) is beyond us but we have enjoyed and deeply appreciated each and every precious day here! Today's Pictures My main picture is taken looking northward on North Harris Beach. The view is totally spectacular and please do treat yourself to the larger size so you get a better understanding of this awesome view! :) Today's Insets Inset #1 is a panorama looking down the coast, just above the roughly paved trail down to South Harris Beach. Totally incredible view! Inset #2 is a natural doorway through boulders on the zig-zag trail down to North Harris Beach. You can see Goat Island off in the distance. Inset #3 shows part of the Sunset Point Trail, which parallels the main campground road but meanders in and out of the forest and features jaw-dropping peeks of the coast here and there, along with benches to sit and enjoy the view. Inset #4 is what I've named "Triangle Rock" and like here, it often has a seagull perched on top. It's been fun to experience the tides fully here, and there are times when there's no water surrounding the beach-side of the rock. I can't resist walking over to touch the rock when I have the opportunity! Inset #5 shows a stream emptying out on North Harris Beach, creating a dramatic edge between the water and sand as it makes it way to the sea. Have a super day everyone!! Explored on 4/20/21; highest placement #2.

(+6 insets) We've Finally Arrived Back at Our House! We're home from our RV trip, safe and sound! It's been nearly two weeks since we arrived, and boy, does it take time to readjust to living in a house that doesn't move. I know that my silence has caused some concern and I'm sorry for not posting sooner...all is well! Our 2021 Adventure--Six Months on the Road! This trip was our longest yet--we left on April 6, returned for 18 days at the beginning of July, and then headed out until October 19. We rolled the dice when we made all of our reservations and stayed out as late as we thought the weather would hold. Somehow we got incredibly lucky and managed to get a pair of six's! Literally the very next day a storm rolled through our area, making the gravel road up to our house soggy and the area we maneuver the truck and trailer totally muddy with sticky clay. Since then it's been stormy off and on and we can't stop giggling at our good fortune. WHAT A TRIP! WHAT ADVENTURES! What an enormous glut of photos!! 321 GIGS of photos, AHHHHHHHHH!!! How in the world did I amass THAT MUCH data?!! Suffice to say, I took a lot of pictures, WOW! Honestly, until I looked just now, I really had no idea the glut of images I'd gathered throughout our trip. Well, I think I did a good job documenting each place we visited. The entire trip took us to 20 destinations in Oregon--some of which we would visit twice during our trip. Once again we didn't get to the far-eastern areas of the state, but visited many spots in central and coastal Oregon we'd not seen before. We started our trip with a new truck to go with our year-old trailer. We had to admit that our previous truck wasn't quite up to the task of pulling our rig up sizable grades and that meant biting the bullet and moving up to a newer, more powerful Chevy. It did the trick and in so doing, completely removed the anxiety and worry we'd had with our excellent, but not powerful-enough Dodge. We also got fully-vaccinated during the trip, what a relief! The second wave of the virus, thanks to Delta, caused enough concern that we returned to wearing masks when out in public areas, but all-in-all, we are so much more confident and less anxious than we were. This trip was such an incredible experience and we are so fortunate that we could manage to go for such a long time! I know I won't be able to process all of the cool things I photographed but I will do my best to share the gist of our adventures as time goes on! Today's Pictures Seeing as it's Monday, why don't we start with a bench picture for Happy Bench Monday? I'm only going to post a couple of pictures today but I've got to start somewhere so here we go! :) This inviting bench can be found along the Sunset Trail at Harris Beach State Park, and I can testify that it is, indeed, a great spot to sit as the sun sinks into the sea off the rugged coast of coastal Oregon. By the way, if you'd like to see some other pictures I took, posted back when we started our trip, you can visit either of thes links: Sunset at Harris Beach State Park Rock-Strewn North Harris Beach Today's Insets Harris Beach State Park is hugely popular for a good reason. There are incredible beach walks adorned by massive boulders and tidal pools, lovely trails that take you from one end of the park to the other, and there's even a little butte to hike up to for an unbelievable view far up and down the coast. I'm including a couple of beach pictures to enjoy, but I'm also including map graphics that show the stops we made on both of our trips this year. Thanks for your visits and the letters you wrote to make sure I was ok! I'm going to visit everyone as time permits…I've missed you all so much! I hope you've all been ok while we've been out of touch! Explored on 11/1/21; highest placement #4.

(+5 insets) (clicking on this picture is recommended! :D) Lovely Walks at Harris Beach State Park My morning routine is to get up, shower, have my coffee and vitamin mix, and pop out the door for a walk which is ideally three miles or longer. Yet another reason this park is so perfect is that I designed a walk which is 3.5 miles and full of plenty of cardio, along with jaw-dropping scenery. I almost always take my phone with me, but sometimes I bring my Canon with 100mm 2.8L lens for some macro fun, and other times I bring my Sony bridge camera for zooming in on wildlife or fun activities that I find along the way. Today's Picture This lovely unfurling fern was just one of the masses of glowing spring growth that I saw everywhere on my walks. It's November as I post this, but it was the beginning of April when we started our trip and I really enjoyed seeing what budding springtime was like out on the coast. Today's Insets I got so many wonderful pictures with all three of my cameras while we were here! Today's handful of insets include a lovely mushroom, a pair of colorful ivy leaves, a playful collage showing a Mountain Chickadee, a bunny that I saw many times on my walks, and finally, a weathered whale skull mounted on a stand visible along one of the campground loops. Thank You For the Visits and Welcoming Home! I hope everyone is doing well! I have really enjoyed your visits and comments, and I'm making my rounds as time permits. Wow, it's so nice to be back!! I'm going to try to post every couple of days so I can get more pictures posted…there are so many that I've processed, and so so so many that are waiting for my attention! I hope I'll be able to share lots and lots, and I hope also to catch up with everyone too! Explored on 11/3/21; highest placement #1.

You Never Know When You'll See a Classic Car…Even if it's a Replica! My morning walk takes me on a complete tour of Harris Beach State Park, which makes it extremely satisfying. All-told, it's about 3 miles and has everything--the campground loops so I can peek in at the visitor vignettes as I walk by, there are many trails I traverse, I walk two beaches and I even get to the top of the park's small butte that overlooks the coast! I other words, it's a pretty darned awesome way to start the day! At one point I emerge from the campground's nature trail at a small parking area just above South Harris Beach. One day I crossed the road and spotted an old classic car parked in one of the spots. Hooray!! I don't know about you but every time I see an old car I get excited! AND, I just happened to have my Canon with me! I got a bunch of different angles as I moved around it, appreciating all of its interesting lines and details. I read the car's logo--Morgan--and was intrigued because I'd never heard of this kind of car. When I got home I looked it up and found out that Morgan cars have been around since 1905 and today they are in the business of recreating one of their older models with contemporary engines so people today can enjoy them without needing to be a professional classic car renovator. What a great idea! Imagine being able to own an old car with today's technology?! Today's Picture and Insets I thought this front view with some creative processing was the right choice for my main image, but I'm also including a 3/4 view and the company's cool logo. One of the other two insets is an ocean view from the Sunset Trail which runs parallel to the park's main road and there's also a trail shot to enjoy. The last image shows a man who was walking his dog, Toby. When I went down to South Harris Beach, I saw a fellow throwing a stick for his very happy, enthusiastic dog. It was great fun watching them enjoy the morning out on the sandy shore. After I left, I continued my walk back up to the road, along Sunset Trail and then down a zigzag trail leading to North Harris Beach. As I headed down to the beach, I ran into the man and his dog! They'd walked up South Beach, through the tide pool area and made their way to the trail I was on! We said hello, I got to pet Toby and I took this picture before we parted ways. Thank You For the Visits! I hope you're all having a good week! We had a power outage last night due to high winds in the area, but happily it was just a few seconds--thank goodness! Stay safe, dry and warm! Explored on 11/9/21; highest placement #6.

(+7 insets) (Please scroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info) Notes Written During our Trip: What a Difference a Year Makes! When 2020 began, we'd just started to seriously plan our upcoming RV trip when Covid hit. We would eventually leave three months later and had a fabulous season of adventures. This year we didn't have to wait! And to make things easier the state park reservation system changed to allow bookings six months ahead and we jumped on the opportunity. It took hours that day but we locked in nearly 3.5 months of our season! From then on, we slowly prepared and began packing a few things. Steve worked on upgrade projects as weather permitted--it gets very cold here in the winter and our shop isn't heated so he worked on days that were warmer. Steve kept last year's preparations in mind and this year he didn't hurt himself just as we were about to leave. (He'd slipped off our ladder, landing on a knee and hurting it badly--it would be more than a month before he could really use it.) Both of us were very careful because we learned what a total bummer it was to be trailer-ridden and unable to hike, cycle or enjoy the beautiful setting we were in. We Could Hardly Wait to Leave on our Adventure! As April rounded the corner, we got increasingly excited because our first reservation would be on April 6 at a hugely popular campground we never thought we'd get into--Harris Beach State Park. Amazingly, we got a full two weeks at a perfect site for our large rig! Steve and I worked very hard all the way until the very moment we left and then it was showtime! Off and Away! On the morning we left, I walked down to the gate, opened it and waited for Steve to make his way through. As our rig passed by, I couldn't help but watch and think of the past fun we'd had in the last couple of years. This season we were set up for almost six months of camping! NO MORE WAITING! It was time to GO!!! I pulled the gate shut, locked it and trotted across the road to hop into our fabulous new truck. Steve and I shared a face-to-face grin and high-fived. LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!! What a Wonderful Drive! Driving out to the Oregon coast, we took a route that many RV and trailer owners have openly worried about online. The two-way road gets very narrow in places with some very tight curves combined with rocky walls encroaching on the road. Trees are reported to lean over the road with low-hanging branches that cause a real concern. However, we were happy to learn that the trees were gone and we had no problems with the curves or the rock walls, though we did go cautiously through those spots. We enjoyed a beautiful three-hour drive through redwoods, past verdant meadows and farmland, and finally we reached the gorgeous coast! All the while Steve and I chatted about our trip and Pumpkin supervised from her Lucite travel cage braced between my knees. Munching on her food and whistling joyfully, she couldn't be happier either----she adores travelling and camping too! Once we arrived at the campground, Steve had no problems backing into our site. We'd learned to check reserved sites online to make sure they would be easy to get into--we've had our share of stressful parking memories! Upon parking, we hopped out of our truck to congratulate each other with a big hug. Our happy Cheshire Cat smiles couldn't be bigger! Our very first site was HARRIS BEACH!!! YAHOO!!! What a way to start our 2021 camping trip! Today's Picture There seems to be no end to the gorgeous macro opportunities at Harris Beach State Park, and I found some lovely African Daisies planted in a landscaped area which were exploding in blooms of white and magenta. This flower was a perfect choice for a square-format close-up! Today's Insets I'm also including a macro that shows the heart of that flower with all of its beautiful details. Other insets include a Candy Flower with cool bokeh, a wide-format shot showing a wild cucumber tendril clinging to a thorny blackberry stem, a fuzzy wild cucumber blossom (they are perfectly smooth when viewed normally!), a pair of willow catkins, a crinkly thimbleberry blossom, and finally, an unfurling fern (Lady Fern?) Thank You For Stopping By! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed my classic car pictures posted a couple of days ago, that was such a treat! Have a great start to your weekend! Explored on 11/11/21; highest placement #1.

(+5 insets) (Please view large!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info) Notes Written During our Trip: Houston, We Have a Problem!! Whenever you go on an adventure, it's best to go with the understanding that things are bound to go wrong at some point. After all, how can you possibly be prepared for stuff you aren't even aware of? We've learned that taking care of problems as they arise without getting freaked out is the best policy and this has made our lives so much happier when we're out on the road. Case in Point: Um, the TV Isn't Supposed to Look Like That… Every night, Steve and I curl up in bed with Pumpkin and watch an episode of a tv show or part of a movie. Pumpkin gets a chance to settle down, preen her feathers and cuddle with us before we tuck her into her sleeping tent. On our first night away from home at lovely Harris Beach, I was getting things put away in the kitchen when I heard Steve call from his bedroom, "Janet, we have a problem." I walked back to find out what was going on and he pointed at our tv screen on the wall. What I saw made me cringe. Instead of having a lovely image to look at, abstract rays of lines criss-crossed the screen, originating from a single impact point. Somehow in the midst of one of Steve's many projects around the trailer he must have smacked the screen with something pointed. We stared at the screen for a moment with rather amazed expressions on our faces. Just to put an obvious point on the situation, one of us said, "Well, that tv is toast." Thankfully, televisions don't cost much these days so it wouldn't be expensive to replace. The bigger problem was getting our hands on a new one. Given our location, this presented an issue because we were hours from a Costco (big warehouse store) or any place that might carry a tv that didn't break the bank. If you're thinking, "Big deal, just read a book!", that wasn't an option. Our nightly routine with Pumpkin is set in stone and something we can't just not do--she would never understand! For the time-being, setting up a laptop on the bed between us would suffice, so that's what we did. To our great relief, it worked out fine! Pumpkin was able to do her nightly preening and cuddling with us before settling down for bed, and we were able to watch a show like we normally do. An Unfortunate Situation Met with a Great Attitude! Before we watched our show though, we did some research online. We wondered how far Steve would have to go to find a store with a proper tv. Unfortunately, we determined with groans of unhappiness, that it would require a 2.5 hour drive all the way back to Medford. There just wasn't enough need for big stores that carried appliances on the Oregon coast. BUMMER. Instead of getting upset about this unforeseen catastrophe, Steve was good with it. Problems are bound to come up and the drive back is beautiful. Plus, if there were any items we forgot at home, he would swing by and pick them up. All good. What a trooper. The next day Steve departed after breakfast, leaving me at the trailer to hang out and be with Pumpkin. Calling with updates, I learned the drive was sunny and beautiful. Later, he arrived at Costco and found a very nice replacement for our tv that was the same size and cost less than the one we had! How nice that electronics prices are so much better these days--I still remember paying $800 for my first 30-inch television (more than twice the price of our new huge wall-mounted tv)! It was also nice that he could stop by the house because we'd forgotten our griddle (pancakes!!!) and a few other things. We could have lived without them but now we didn't have to…yay! It would be nearly 6pm before Steve pulled up at the trailer and he was absolutely done for after his adventure. Before we had dinner, Steve had the tv set up and it was perfect. Hooray! It's safe to say that we got to bed extra early and Steve slept in late the next morning! Today's Picture This is my second set of tide pool pictures and today's main image shows a cluster of goose-necked barnacles, retracted at low tide When the tide comes in they extend their long "goose neck" stalks which help them reach more food. Aren't they bizarre-looking?! I was really happy when I found this photogenic group. The angle and position was just right to get some background bokeh along with crisp details of these crazy barnacles! Did you know they are edible? In fact, these extremely expensive crustaceans are supposed to taste like a cross between lobsters and clams…YUMM!! Today's Insets I have some other neat pictures to share today, naturally! There's a really interesting translucent seaweed macro that almost looks like some strange creature. A cluster of Bay Mussels sitting on a rock encrusted with barnacles A pair of starfish in tones of red and purple. A marvelous still life featuring anemones, whelks, barnacles, limpets and a bit of kelp. Finally, another view of this incredible tidal zone, brimming with life and at the lowest tidal point. Thank You For Stopping By! It's wonderful to read your comments and find out what you liked the most. I am very touched and humbled because I find your photography so incredible! What fun to explore the world through each other's photos, to see through your eyes and to learn so many things we didn't know about. I hope your weekend has been wonderful! Enjoy the day/night/morning! :) Explored on 11/13/21; highest placement #2.

(+5 insets) (seeing larger is better!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info) Notes Written on the Road: Morning Light at Harris Beach State Park It's hard to beat that gorgeous golden glow from Magic Hour. It gets me up and out of the trailer in anticipation of marvelous oohs and ahhs as I walk along, discovering one lovely sight after another. I was heading towards the far end of the campground loops when I was stopped in my tracks by what I saw. Some folks had started a campfire and the smoke was drifting softly through the trees. The sun shone down through the branches and created those magical beams of light we all love so much. In front of me was the dappled shadows on the pavement and grass and the star of the show was a camper van tucked under a tree at the side of the magical beams of light. I thought to myself, "WOW! That looks like an ad for Reserve America Campgrounds!" What a beautiful sight! I stood and stared for a moment when I noticed a bit of movement next to the van. I'd missed spotting a picnic table there but now I could see a woman, bundled up and contentedly reading a book, puffs of chilly breath rising up around her. Normally I would pass by quietly so as to not disturb her reverie but this time I had to intrude. "Good morning!" I called, and stepped close enough that she could see me around the bushes obscuring the table and campsite. She looked up in surprise and said, "Oh! Good morning!" "I'm sorry to disturb you but if you enjoy taking pictures of your campsites, there is a very magical view here from where I'm standing. The sunlight is creating beautiful shafts of light which make your van and campsite look amazing!" She put her book down, stood and turned to smile in excitement. "YES! Oh, THANK YOU! I'll go get my camera!" She clapped her mitten-covered hands and rushed to get into her van. Grinning back at her I departed with, "ENJOY! And have a lovely day!" She called back, "YOU TOO!!" As I continued my walk I felt so happy that I was able to share that moment! Today's Picture My main image shows the photo I took on my walk that I described above. Sometimes everything is just right and you are lucky enough to have a camera with you to capture the magic moment! Today's Insets I'm also including another group of images showing some of the neat things I've found on my morning walk… * Another view of the rugged coast at one of the Sunset Trail's benches… * The gorgeous dappling on the trail that leads down to South Harris Beach… * A collage of bunny pictures that show the fluffy little friend who I frequented on that path down to South Harris Beach… * A man enjoying a walk on South Harris Beach with his two very boisterous buddies… * And finally, the silly face I spotted on a tree trunk along Sunset Trail! Thank You For Stopping By! It is very humbling to get so many kind remarks from all of you who take the time to visit my pictures! There's no feeling like the waves of joy I feel, knowing that I've accomplished my goal: to make people happy with a gift I am so fortunate to have. At the same time, it's a very powerful experience to visit all of the incredible photography that you all share with us here on ipernity. I'm so glad to be part of this community. You're my online family and I couldn't be luckier to be a part of this fine group! Hope all of you are doing well on "Hump Day"! :) Explored on 11/17/21; highest placement #1.

(+7 insets) (seeing larger shows some fun fence detail!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info) Notes Written on the Road: You Never Know What You'll Find when Hiking! One day I was riding my bike around the campground loops when I saw what appeared to be a pet cat walking across the road. Couldn't be, I thought. I'd seen cats taken along on camping trips but they always had a harness and leash attached to a carefully attentive owner. And, anyone who's put a harness on a cat knows that such contraptions are mostly there for show…if a cat wants to escape, it can almost always contort its way easily out of a harness faster than Houdini! The reality of a missing cat on a road trip would be a total nightmare…just thinking about it makes me shudder. And yet, as I rode by, I confirmed what I saw: a lovely grey tabby strolling along with its tail held high over its back. I was amazed! Could there be a long-term host who had their cat with them? Something to ponder about. Later, Steve and I were walking around the loops with Pumpkin when we saw the cat again. Steve had seen it previously as well, and we both talked to it as we went by. The kitty was friendly enough that it didn't run away but couldn't be bothered to come over and visit. Fine by us, we had Pumpkin with us and didn't want it to approach anyway. The next morning I was on my walk, heading down the trail leading to North Harris Beach when I saw a couple of ladies with their dogs enjoying the view. Suddenly I saw a flash of movement--the cat! What was this?!! Was this their cat? A CAT going on a WALK?!! NO WAY!! I exclaimed in excitement, "I can't believe my eyes! Never in my life have I seen a CAT going on a WALK!" The two of them turned and laughed, nodding their heads. One said, "This is Whiskey! She really is amazing! Seriously--the first time we opened the door to let her out we thought, 'That's the last time we'll see the cat, she'll take off and never come back.' But she was fine!" I whooped my surprise as she continued, "She goes out and comes right back when we call! And when we go on walks, she comes with us! People are so surprised that they've been taking pictures of her and post them online--she's actually got her own Instagram account!" With another amazed, "WOW!!", I shook my head and stared in wonder as Whisky came running over when I knelt down to say hi. Running my hands over her soft, luxurious coat, I rubbed her ears and skritched under her chin as she rubbed up against me. I was in love--what a sweetheart! I learned that the ladies were sisters, traveling in their RV to Washington-one lived there, the other had joined her for this adventure from her home in California. "I always wanted to go on one of my sister's RV trips, and it's such fun that I'm going to figure out how to do it myself, full-time!" I told them about our adventures and plans, agreeing wholeheartedly that RV life is wonderful. Finally it was time to continue my walk, but before I did I asked them if I could take a picture of Whiskey and they couldn't be happier to say yes! :) What a wonderful encounter. :) Today's Picture We've been lucky enough to stay at a bunch of coastal campgrounds but Harris Beach is one of the best for dramatic, huge rocks. This battalion of boulders leading out to the sea also features unique and interesting shapes along with lovely coloring. And…what's that? There is a fence there, meant to keep curious kids off this sensitive and dangerous area. (The fence is at the beach-side of the park's day use parking area and includes a sign that asks people not to climb there.) Do you see the OTHER fence? This aerie's nest location marks the top of Harris Beach's little butte. It includes a jaw-dropping view of the coastline for all who make their way up the energizing trail to the top! (see inset!) Today's Insets The first inset shows the amazing view from the top of Harris Butte, featuring Goat Island, the largest island off the Oregon Coast and an important bird sanctuary. Other insets from my adventures here include: • A picture of Whisky for you to see--such a beautiful, dear cat! • An inviting beach driftwood fire on its way out (though the people left and should have doused it completely!) • South Harris Beach at low tide (that triangular rock is surrounded by waves at high tide!) • A picture of Steve enjoying photography on North Harris Beach • Extreme wind one day blew the tops of waves into a mist, shown here against a boulder off the coast • I saw a number of beautiful Yellow Spotted Millipedes on the beach and couldn't help getting this view, with my phone, no less! Thank You For Stopping By! It's sure been wonderful to get your blush-worthy comments and happy remarks--this never fails to make me feel very honored and lucky to be part of such a warm community of friends. When Steve and I are away in our RV, our internet is so inconsistent that trying to visit everyone is a trial in frustration, so I gave up. That being said, it's hard to be away and so now that we're home I've really enjoyed catching up with everyone! Here's hoping you guys have a lovely weekend! Explored on 11/20/21; highest placement #8.