The Pacific Ocean as seen by an Atlantic Girl

We couldn't come this far west without putting feet in the North Pacific Ocean.  Having grown up around the North Atlantic, this seems like the ultimate cross country adventure.

After leaving San Francisco we drove to a fairly isolated stretch of oceanfront called Drake's Beach.

Flowers along the beach path

 I love the sound of the waves crashing on shore and could stand there for a long time just watching and listening to them...very hypnotic.

Lloyd and Joyce thought the water was too cold for wading so they
sat on a log beside a tidepool and talked while I soaked my feet
in the ocean.  Did you know of the therapeutic benefits of standing knee
deep in a cold ocean...numbed my legs so that I barely felt the
arthritis in my knees.  Bonus!

From there, we drove further down the shore to Point Reyes Lighthouse.  It was on a promontory that was almost unaccessible.  We hiked up above the lighthouse and took pictures of it from that vantage point.

The visitor's center was closed by the time we got there so we weren't
able to go all the way down to the lighthouse.

I like how you can see the curve of the horizon here

A close up of the lighthouse complex

The trees up there were beautifully shaped by the prevailing winds

The winds bent the trees in a tunnel formation over the path.

From here we headed down to Surprise, Arizona, where we'll stay until the end of the month.  In this case, the journey was worth the time and effort.  Now we will rest.