Ruby Beach

My boyfriend and I decided to take a day road trip around the highway 101 loop. Something both of us have been wanting to do, but never taken the time. It’s quite the trip to make in one day, but nice to catch a glimpse of some places that we might want to plan a full-length trip to at a later time.

My favorite stop along the route that day was Ruby Beach. We stopped in on a whim, thinking it looked like a cool place on the map. Yes, we had to use a REAL paper map due to the lack of cell reception on that highway. You know, the kind that you have to unfold and then figure out how to look at it without blinding the driver? Yeah, one of those. It was great, and I was pleased to find that I still knew how to use one properly. We didn’t even get lost!

So, back to Ruby Beach. It was beyond beautiful. We pulled in just before sunset, so there were not many people, and the tide was out. We practically had the beach all to ourselves, so we took our time strolling along and taking pictures. I would love to come back and enjoy this beautiful piece of Pacific Ocean beach.

Tolmie State Park

Tolmie State Park is another one of my favorite places to go to when I just need to wind down… I visited this beautiful little park the same day as as my previous post about the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. The sun was shining, and I spent the day clearing my mind by looking at the world through my lens for the day. It is therapeutic for me, and always sets my soul at ease.

On this day I was lucky enough to have a Great Blue Heron grace me with his presence. These magnificent birds have always been one of my favorites. They remind me of when my dad used to take me fishing as a child…

He kept close for quite some time, not seeming to mind my lens pointing at him most of the time I was there!

You can almost hear the seagulls…

A beautiful end to a wonderful day!