A Visit to Ocean Shores Beach

Last month, on one of our first springlike days on the Washington coast, I visited the beach in the Ocean Shores.

Ocean Shores is a tourist town on the Point Brown peninsula, about 25 miles from my hometown of Hoquiam. I was killing time that afternoon, waiting to catch a bus after my housekeeping shift at one of the hotels there. Of course, I had noticed the way the weather was shaping up when I left for work that morning, and had brought my camera, so I was glad to have about an hour and a half to wait.

Lots of people had the same idea I did that afternoon. And the beach is drivable here, so there were a fair number of cars cluttering up the scenery. But I thought these motorcycles made for some interesting shots.

The scope of this place is remarkable. Perhaps it's good that the cars are there, to help give a sense of the scale.

Some of the drivers were feeling creative, and used their vehicles as a stylus.

I was keen to find some 'natural' landscape views, so I spent a portion of my time in a swath of dunes between the beach and the line of hotels on the boulevard.

The vegetation gets more interesting as you move back toward the hotels.

Back on the beach, people were flying kites, and exploring.

I noticed a large dark area in the sand, with a lot of birds around it. It was getting time to go catch my bus, but I had to go check it out.

It was a large skim of bark and sticks that I suppose had been left by the tide. Who knows where it came from; I find it amazing that it stuck together, from wherever it originated, through the ocean to make it as a whole to the beach.

I guess things do tend to glom together like that in water.

The water had made little rivers and tributaries through the wood.

Between the wood skim and the lapping waves, a line of shorebirds (I think dunlins) was busy feasting out of the mud, too busy to notice me.

As a wave came in, they ran from the advancing water line.

I took a few more photos after this, but it was really getting time for the bus to arrive. I didn't know for sure, since I didn't have a timepiece on me; it just felt like it. I hurried walking back, and good thing: as I made my way from the beach up the quarter mile access road, the bus pulled up and I had to run the rest of the way.

I'm glad I had to run, though, because it meant I delayed long enough to catch this seagull, strutting in a perfect parting shot.

Thanks for viewing and have a great day!

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This trip to the beach was taken especially for @blackberryskunk, who said she was excited to see some beach photos.

This post is also my entry in the #BeachWednesday contest. If you'd like to participate in the contest, check out the entry guidelines here.