7/14 Pacific Beach SP, Washington

Yes, I have been very lazy lately about posting, but that is because I have been enjoying my ocean-front site in one of my favorite campgrounds in the Pacific Northwest.  Most of the state parks in Washington and Oregon are separated from the beach by hundreds of feet of dunes, but here, if you get your reservations in eight months ahead of time, you can get a site right on the beach, or at least on the beach overlooking the small river that dumps into the ocean.  

In addition, because of this little river continually dumping out sand, this is the widest beach I have seen anywhere. My camping spot is the same one I have had the last couple of times I have been here. 

For those campers without a clear view of the ocean, this little area provides places to picnic and a ramp down to the beach. 

 Obviously, it is busy this time of year, but the beautiful ocean wind and the sun make up for the number of neighbors.

I have no idea what all these piers were for.  The river water is clear, by the way, but stained a little by the forest it came through.  It is perfectly fine for swimming, but very shallow.

These next photos were taken during low tide.  Since the beach is so flat, the tidal area is also very wide. 

Looking back toward the campgound.  My motorhome is the multicolored one, fourth from the right. 

A clam must live here. 

This very young gull's feathers are being blown back by the strong wind.  You can tell he is still a juvenile by his brownish feathers. 

 Can you see the sand move?

The next photos were taken a couple of days later, after the wind had blown the sand into large ripples.  

In between the mini-dunes, the wind had blown the loose sand down to an older level that was more hard-packed. 

 Another day it was foggy.

 

But it cleared up by the end of the day.  Always windy, however, as you can see by the tethered kite next to my motorhome.