the ocean breathes salty

So, after my last post, I went to Canon Beach. It felt so good.... I can't tell you what I did, or I will surely have to kill you. But, I have pictures. Ok, I'll tell you some of it. It was a crazy whimsical adventure, featuring your heroes, Chris Roberts and Leigh Ann Weidlich, at Ecola State Park. Hmmm... it's a long story, but I'll make it short and leave out big lofty words: Ok, so the Oregon coast is the most beautiful coast in the world. However, it's a more textured terrain than, say, California. So, at Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach, there are massive cliffs, and you can only get easy beach access at specific spots. Well, We park at the top parking lot on a cliff, and found a gorgeous hiking trail, going over this cliff. It was about a mile, and ended at a lower part of the park, with beach access. So, I was like, "Instead of going back on the trail, let's just walk on the beach for a mile, and then climb back up the cliff!"... yeah, but even though we could see from the trail, I guess I forgot how rocky the beach was, and walking a straight mile is hardly a stroll (especially with the tide in.)... Well, it took HOURS and HOURS and we got wet and I fell in the ocean, and we had to climb mountainous rocks, and it was miserable and it was beautiful. Here is the evidence:

 (mushrooms)

 (That moss has taken a "lichen" to that tree!)

 (Little did we know, in an hour, we'd be stuck on that rock)

(so we got off the cliff, and walked on the beach)

 (wuss)

 (not a wuss)

 (OK, now we're walking on the rocks, and will be for, like, the rest of the day)

  (pretty tide pools, though)

(still HOURS away, but I thought I was close)

 (Hours later, I realize we don't know where we are and can't see the parking lot on the cliff)

 (I promise we didn't step on any of these little guys)

(Resting by an eroded cliff. I think I had already fallen in the tide.)

 (Wow! That's an amazing sun-star!)

 (YEAH!)

Ok, so we saw some people walk down that cliff, so we knew there had to be something (uhh... maybe like a parking lot with our car in it?) up that way, but something compelled us to climb over another set of rocks, and keep walking like a half a mile. After it got dark, we finially concluded that the waterfall must be the only way up. We climbed it, and alas, there was a rugged, steep trail up to the park.

I broke a nail.