Saturday, 24-July-2021
I had a gloriously lazy weekend.
Had a gloriously lazy morning, too!
Around 3:00pm though, I started getting antsy and felt the need to go and get out of town. Kinda too late to do that, though, since I’d get back after midnight.
So, obviously, I jumped in the car and started driving out of town. Man, it’s a Saturday. Who cares it I get home after midnight??
My target was Hobbit Beach – I’d been there once or twice before, and the timing today was just right that I would be arriving a bit before sunset. I packed my book and some snacks, and planned on hanging out and watching / photographing the sun dipping below the horizon.
Of course, it was completely cloud-covered as I drove… but I’ve been around the block enough to know that if you don’t like the weather or conditions, then just wait 20min and it’ll change completely. Since I had a 3-hour drive ahead of me, I wasn’t particularly concerned about the weather – there’s no way it would be remotely similar once I arrived, so the best thing to do was just put the top down on the car, crank some music, and charge ahead toward the Pacific.
I was right, of course.
As I got closer and closer to the coast, the clouds thickened and the temperature dropped. It got darker, colder, and windier. I started considering ways to keep my dumb tee-shirt clad self warm; ways including wrapping my emergency blanket around me like a kilt, or using the self-heating ration pack in my trunk as a body warmer.
I mean, I could have stopped at a store for a sweater, or I could have given up, but… come on now. You know me better than that, right?
By the time I got to the trailhead, I’d already seen a massive shift in the conditions. It was warmer, the clouds had split to let the sun through, and any traces of traffic had been left far behind.
Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t actually warm yet… it was warmer, but still conditions where I debated lugging along the nice fleece blanket that I keep in the trunk.
I didn’t, though, and instead kept my warm hat on my head and promised myself I’d move quickly. Holding to that promise found me on the beach lickity-split, gazing in wonder at the clouds scraping over the coastal peaks to catch the red light of the sunset.
The wind was intense, and I was definitely not a particularly cozy camper… but thankfully I ran into a bit of luck, meeting a family who were quite cozy around their beach campfire. I don’t know the exact legalese for having a bonfire on the coast, but I’ll fully admit to being quite happy when they welcomed me to their fire circle and chatted with me as I warmed up my hands and toes (since I was barefoot, as I’m pretty confident that it is illegal to wear shoes on the beach).
I explored, took photos, debated re-warming myself by the fire, decided against it, and then headed back to the car after the sun had dipped down and I couldn’t quite feel my fingers anymore.
It was an excellent escape from town… and I even made it back home within 30min of midnight, if I recall correctly. I’ll take it all as an absolute win.
