Shhhh . . . . it's a secret!

One of our favorite spots in all the world is a secret.  Secret beach.

It is a pristine little beach next to Little Whale Cove on the Oregon Coast. All beaches in Oregon are public, but this one is basically private by default. It can only be accessed from one of two housing developments, and then only by scaling down a pretty steep cliff.

But, oh, it is so worth it. We have very rarely seen any other visitors to the beach, so when we have visited it has been our private playground.  

We spent a beautiful August day at the beach.

 

 

 Joseph tried to talk Dan and Brandon into exploring this watery cave with him.

 Bailey suntanned while working on her AP English summer assignment.
 

 

Eventually, we regretfully packed up our sand toys and headed back home for dinner, climbing the steep cliff with the help of a big rope and then walking down the little hill and through the pebble beach.
 

Oh, but wait . . . .there's more!

The next day the kids and I decided to go for an exploration walk while Dan was taking a nap.  Brandon and Angela headed off in the direction of the benches along the ocean, and Bailey, Aubrey, and Joseph followed me through the forest paths. Joseph was still in the early stages of riding his bike, so he practiced pedaling as we explored.

I love the forest paths at least as much as the ocean. They feel primeval and tranquil.

Eventually, we parked the bikes and took off exploring a really cool part of Little Whale Cove. There is a boardwalk which winds through a marshy part of the forest. It has totally different vegetation than the surrounding area. Along the way, we saw an old still which was used to make alcohol during the Prohibition.

 We stopped here and there, including this swing which overlooks a pretty view.

Eventually we wound our way back to the "long way to secret beach".  I hadn't taken this route in many years, not since Grandpa Springer led us there about a decade ago. But, we were up for the challenge. This route took us through another housing development. So, technically we trespassed when we tiptoed past a few houses and to a back entrance to the beach. The only way to descend was with a ladder. 

 We found that the tide was entirely out, leaving a large swath of beach and driftwood.

We explored, climbed, ran, jumped, balanced, and had a perfectly wonderful afternoon.

 

Then, we walked to where we had parked our bikes and wound our way home. On the way we took pictures of the sunset again. Aaaaaah. I feel relaxed just looking at these pictures.

 I'm grateful for such a beautiful world and for the privilege of spending time on the Oregon Coast.