I spent last night at the beach. These 24-hour expeditions are rewarding. Quick out and back. Set up my campsite (got a new Osprey backpack, a great design (way improved from my 20-yr-old Gregory pack). Then started worrying. What will I do from dark until bedtime? No internet/TV/electricity/other humans/book to read, etc. Well I needn’t have worried. Roasted mussels on fire, made freeeze-dried teriyaki chicken w. rice. Bit of tequila. Looking into the fire, listening to waves, checking the present unique skies, Jupiter and Venus and their gavotte with the moon, Mars rising later in its rosy redness, Orion, the Pleiades, my man Taurus. Civilization dropped away. This morning I found kind of cave, or grotto that was facing the morning sun, I scootched back into it, lay on my back on the sand, watched the waves and a couple of cruising seals, sun was warm, felt a great contentment.
Night on the Beach
Lloyd – curious how your better-half handles these expeditions. Complete understanding? Do you owe some time on the other side? Decades of training?
the night skies are spectacular Now … so many bright planets*!
How wonderful. I love "their gavotte with the moon" — not to mention roasting mussels on the fire, and watching cruising seals.
Sigh.
K
sounds wonderful,its amazing how long it seems when you do a quick overnighter,keep squeezing that juice out of life….
upriver,
The I Ching says something like "Let your horses run and they will return."
Sounds wonderful. One thing I love about the cabin this time of year is the quite. We rarely see a boat except a few logging ones heading up the lake in the early morning hours and down the lake at about 3:00 (quitting time). Sitting on the porch the only sounds are the lapping waters of the lake (if there's any wind), the spring birds calling in the trees, and waterfalls on Goat Island. Nice to be away from all those techie things that distract us from the important things in life. – Margy
Lloyd without giving away any secret spots, how do you select your overnight beach sites? I am only in Marin a couple of years and don't know quite how to navigate this kind of overnight. I am 70 and can certainly do a 24 hr overnight. Any advice to help me clear my mind.? After 35 years in Alaska, Marin crowds me mentally and I would love to do some quick escapes. Thanks and thanks for your excellent blog also. steve
Steve,
I've lived here for 40+years, so know the beaches pretty well. My advice is to take day walks exploring. Find a beach that requires walking for at least a half-hour from your car; this avoids hassles from the Rangers or sheriff. Just checking out various beaches will provide you some great adventures.