Sunday, July 27 Rialto Beach, Ruby Beach Washington Coast

 Sun., July 27

We leave early this morning, heading for Rialto Beach and stopping in Forks for gas and coffee.  We  munch granola bars and arrive at the beach about 7:45, with temps around 60 and breezy.   The parking lot is not quite full, so we snag a good spot and hit the beach.  Low tide is at 9:10, so our timing is good as we set out for Hole-in-the-Wall, which is a mile and a half away and is where most of the tide pools are.

We spot a bald eagle on a fly-by, and a few pelicans.  Tons of driftwood and rocks. All the beaches along the coast have signs reminding people to watch for "sneaker" waves. These are sudden and unpredictable big waves which can go far up the beach and potentially wash people or objects into the ocean. They originate from distant storms in the Pacific but can arrive even on a calm day. "Don't turn your back on the ocean" is the mantra.

By the time we reach hole-in-the-wall, the tide is out and we can scramble among the rocks and tide pools.  Green sea anemones are most plentiful, along with an occasional urchin and many orange, red or purple sea stars (also called starfish, though they aren't fish).  Lots of barnacles, other small shells and even a few tiny crabs.  Some of the rocks are rough, some slippery with algae or sea grasses, so it is slow going for Beth.

There are many people, but thankfully the tidal pools cover a wide area, so it doesn't seem crowded. A few dogs here and there and everyone seems friendly.  Someone is thrilled to take our parking spot as we leave and head further down the coast.  Next stop, Ruby Beach. 

Ruby Beach has a lot of driftwood and logs that we clamber over and around to reach the shoreline.  More cool rock formations here and not so many tidal pools.

We continue south, stopping here and there for views. 

  We decide to go inland a bit to find a campsite for tonight.    Logging is big in this state and we've seen logging trucks.   We pass occasional barren areas where logging has taken place in the past.  The more recent areas, we assume,  are replanted with small trees.

We stop at the Ron Craig Boat Launch in South Bend along the Willapa River.  It is basically a parking lot with a dock and portable toilet, where they charge $10 for RV overnighting.  There are two other folks in RVs.  Not glamorous, but a decent spot. 

There are some folks on jet skis when we arrive but they soon depart.  Beth talks to a couple who are fishing from the dock and they say they just moved here from Utah and are checking out potential fishing spots.  They heard there are salmon, possibly sturgeon and bass here. 

We note this fishing boat passing by - looks like they have a big catch but we can't tell if it is mussels or oysters. 

Lots of flowers and wild berries nearby - trailing blackberries I think.  (Not confident enough to eat them.) 

Dinner is Tai Pei brand chicken fried rice from the freezer at our last grocery stop.  Quite good, or maybe we're just extra hungry 🤤.