After spending a couple of hours in Hoh Forest, Kristin and I decided to head to the beaches for the late afternoon, and hoped to catch a colorful sunset.  First up was Ruby Beach, about 25 minutes south of Forks. 

We were relieved (no pun intended) to find a rest room in the upper parking area….  until we got within about 10 feet of it.  Man, it was stinky But we used it anyway. 

We could hear the roar of the ocean as soon as we got out of the car.  I love that sound. There is a quarter mile trail to get down to the beach, and the first switchback gave a breathtaking view.   

And as we walked further down the path I spotted a bald eagle just before it landed in a VERY tall pine.   Even with my telephoto lens, this is as close as I could get, and not very crisp.  He sat there looking cool and posing for my camera for a good 10 minutes. 

The haystacks (big, off-shore rocks) were amazing – close to shore and very interesting.  I decided to shoot them in a way that got as many of them in as possible…..  took a bunch from this angle below.

It wasn’t til I was sorting through them back at the hotel that I noticed the rather unfortunate placement and prominence of the one the right.   It just looks very erect if you know what I mean.  It’s just a bit embarrassing.

We decided to see if we could make it back to First Beach in La Push before sunset. After a reluctant 2nd visit to the restroom/outhouse in the parking lot we sped north, wishing we had Edward Cullen to drive us at break-neck speed.

We arrived a little before dusk and had the beach to ourselves. Kristin scoured the beach for colorful rocks while I took pictures of big foam blobs the waves had left on the sand. The sky was pretty grey, but we were rewarded with some pink before it got dark.

For more pictures of the beaches, click here

After the sunset, we returned to Forks and stopped at the Forks Outfitters – combination Grocery and outdoor store.  They had a big display of Twilight books and a bunch of clever Twilight t-shirts and sweatshirts on sale.  Several businesses in town had signs like “Welcome Twilight Fans” and a clever motel’s sign said “Edward Cullen never slept here.”  Kristin got a picture of that one : ) She was reading book 3 at this point I believe…..

Next up – Sol Duc Trail & Falls….

    By the way – my hummingbird was back again today. 
    It’s getting COLD here!  He needs to fly south!