Jim and Mel planned a list-minute trip to a condo that someone in their ward owns at Otter Rock and invited us to join - of course we said yes!
We started Saturday morning off with a nice run - straight up to Otter Crest's scenic viewpoint. It was a super steep climb! Fortunately, on an out-and-back run with a steep climb, that means a big, speedy downhill on the way back.
The rest of the day we spent on the beach. We started the day while the tide was out exploring tide pools, hiking a long ways up the beach. We went a long ways watching waves crash and exploring.
In the tide pools, the water was super clear and we saw lots of sea urchins, colorful purple starfish and hermit crabs.
This area of the Oregon coast was quite rugged and had cliffs in both directions, north and south. Our morning exploration took us north towards where we had run that morning, and our later exploration took us south.
There were sea lions out sunning on the edges of the tide pools.
We kept hiking down the beach until we got to a tall waterfall.
After our hike, we set up next to a little pool of water that had been left in the sand when the tide went out. We built sand castles, waded in (it was still cold!), and then waded into the ocean to play in the waves a little (Jim always talks Jared into going out further). We played some Spikeball as well.
Jim had recently gotten a trick kite and was flying it. It was fun to watch, and Jared got to try it, too. It could really pull you as it caught the wind. Then, another guy with a trick kite came and was also flying - and gave Jim a chance to fly his kite. It was bigger and more powerful, and the guy had fashioned a harness to put around yourself.
Our setup was near Devil's punchbowl, so we went in and explored. There were some interesting caverns in the areas surrounding that we could explore because the water was low. As the tide started to rise, these were some of the first places to get water.
By the time we left, the water level had risen quite a bit, and some areas required wading through some water. The Pacific Ocean is COLD!
Later that evening, we went back to see what it looked like at higher tide.
We had cookies and watched a super quality movie (Angry Birds).
Though we had planned on staying until Sunday, we decided to head back home Saturday night after the beautiful sunset! We were glad we did because by the time we were getting home, Liam was feeling sick (and not just car sick).
