South to South Beach

We left La Push at 10:30, gave the Motorhome and part of the car a shower at a self-serve car wash in Forks, and pulled into South Beach parking lot by 12:30…and got one of the last (3 left) spots.

South Beach is camping like we have never done before…it is like one large open camping area…but it over looks the Pacific.

    

Once all the spots are taken, things start to settle down.  It is the most unorganized campground situation we have been in…well, except for a few Passport America sites, once in awhile they can be a bit weird too.  As I was setting up the lady next door says, “you need to move to the other side of your table…you are in my spot…her small RV is on the other side of her table.  “I parked on the wrong side of my table,” she explains, “so your spot is the larger area on the other side of your table.”  So I moved..which allowed us to get the slide open because before I was at an angle and it would have hit our table.  Tino, the guy behind us, wondered if she was right…I moved anyway, and because everything here is a bit haphazard, all is fine.

The mood around here is very comfortable, and we get to listen to the waves crashing along the shore.  I went down to the sand and got this panoramic of the campground above.  South Beach is only open during the summer, and acts as an overflow for Kalaloch Campground which is the only campground in Olympic National Park which essentially requires a reservation during the summer…which I have not been able to get for the past 10 days.  South Beach costs $7.50 with senior discount, Kalaloch cost $11.  If you strike out on either, you have to go 30 to 40 miles north or south to get a spot somewhere else.

So far all of the Washington beaches we have seen have lots of dead, weathered trees on them.  

    

At least I found a use for that old tree that fell…it made a good frame for people on the other side who did not know they were having their picture taken.

Since I was down on the beach, and the sun was getting low, I decided to stay down there and take some more sunset pictures.  Tino (our neighbor) was trying to fish, with no luck, and gave up and came over to talk.  We talked for a good 45 minutes, he is a nice guy who has health problems.

But a couple other fishermen he knew walked by us and down to the water.  Tino said they come every sunset that the weather is good, catch perch, which he uses for catching crab.

Two casts, two catches…Tino went down to ask him what he was fishing with.  “Clams,” he said….Tino said he (Tino) did not have any live bait, but this guy will catch 7 perch a day before the light gives out.

It looked like he was bringing in his third as I took my last picture.  It sure is different being along the coast than being deep in those dark, enchanted forests.  Not better, not worse…it is just another great environment given to us to enjoy.  Tomorrow we will stay here, but we might move to another site if we can get an ocean view, and I heard the guy across the way from us say that he was probably moving on tomorrow.  Time will tell….