This weekend, we made a long overdue trip to the beach. It was a little cold (thought not too cold) a little rainy (no one here minds the rain) and foggy like you wouldn't believe.
Check out these shots.
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That's the same stretch of beach we almost always go to. We would have spent all day there, but the rip current was pretty strong and Thea is not the most buoyant dog around. Visions of her being pulled into the briny deep made us uneasy.
We thought the day might be shot, after about a half hour, but we decided to do a little hiking to make the long drive worth the while.
Off we went to Ecola State Park, where we had nearly the whole trail to ourselves. The fog made the view look like a fantasy.
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By comparison, this is how it looked the first time we went.
But I think there's a pretty good reason why we had the whole trail to ourselves. By the end of the hike, the four of us were coated in mud.
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We learned that Panda would make every effort to go around giant puddles of mud, while Thea would aim for them. Either way, there was no keeping clean, but we definitely appreciated Panda's efforts to stay clean.
We had to put the girls in the car, however we decided that a dip in the ocean before we leave would be much preferred to a bath, when we got home. So we headed back to Seaside and played a wee bit of fetch.
It was good to see their beautiful white coats again.
As we were clipping on everyone's leash, someone nearby said, "Did you see the elk?" and pointed to the hill ahead. I looked up and saw three little heads, just showing above the ledge. Leo had the the good sense to go put the dogs in the car, and I walked over to where a small crowd had formed, a safe distance from the herd.
We've seen our share of elk at the coast, but never this many at once. Such a great way to end a fantastic ocean trip.
Our day wasn't over with the ocean, though. My sweet guy treated me to a delicious meal to celebrate our 8 year anniversary.
It was a great meal, beautiful view and, of course, perfect company. And for the toast, he said "Here's to 8 years, 8 years more and nothing more."
Of course, I refused to toast to that nonsense, so he said, ok, well, what if we lay the second 8 on its side?"
Cute.
There's a reason I keep him around.
It's a shame to have this lovely long weekend end, but it was great while it lasted.
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Comments (8)
Interesting forest with fog - looked almost mystical.
Posted by Ginger aka Beethoven | December 3, 2008 2:32 AM
Posted on December 3, 2008 02:32
Sounds like a wonderful weekend! I was sad to see it come to an end as well.
Happy Anniversary! :)
Posted by Nonnahs | December 1, 2008 5:28 PM
Posted on December 1, 2008 17:28
I like that - turn the 2nd 8 on its' side! Gorgeous photos as always.
Posted by Donna | December 1, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on December 1, 2008 14:39
Awesome pics (as usual!) That must have been neat to see that many Elk! Congrats on your Anniversary. When I golf with my dad he tells me I can't get more than an 8 on it's side per hole, or it'll take infinity to finish ;) haha Thankfully, I don't take many of those anymore.
Posted by Alicia | December 1, 2008 1:19 PM
Posted on December 1, 2008 13:19
happy anniversary! leo is definitely a keeper :) what a sweet toast!
i love the doggy photos as usual - the fog made everything look so cool. i don't think i could handle going home without a bath after all that mud and ocean water! and i can't believe how many elk there were! so awesome.
Posted by mai | December 1, 2008 8:26 AM
Posted on December 1, 2008 08:26
The elk herds of Rocky Mountain State Park are legendary- by this time they've broken back up, but you still can't miss the things and they'll wander through the nearby town, Estes Park, all winter.
I always see your beach pictures and think "Ooo, I wish I had something that pretty nearby!" Then I go "Wait a minute... Rocky Mountains." Maybe I'll head to the hills this week.
Posted by Corvus | December 1, 2008 6:42 AM
Posted on December 1, 2008 06:42
Congratulations to infinity and beyond!
Beautiful ghostly foggy pics. And all those big girls, whoa!
Nick ran across a huge herd of bulls in the fog the other day, I guess their racks were huge. Heh, heh, racks.
I love elk, those freaky huge deer-cows. I love the way Tahoe licks his lips when he sees them, as if he's got any chance of getting a piece of that before they get all of him.
Posted by Wendy | November 30, 2008 8:12 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 20:12
it looks like you had a fabulous weekend.
congrats on the 8 years! you should keep that guy around, he's a funny one.
Posted by lori z | November 30, 2008 7:22 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 19:22