The Ocean’s Edge

One of the most exciting and delicious moments of traveling occurs late in the afternoon, after a full day of adventure, when you pull into the place you hope will be your home for the night…perhaps you’ve read about this place in a book, perhaps you’ve found it on the map but know little else, perhaps a friendly local has dropped a piece of beta just big enough to sink your teeth into and get your bearings… perhaps it’s perfect… and so it went for Joe and I this late afternoon, after waking up perched high in the Northern Cascades, after crossing a mountain pass amid fall foliage and flurries on the high peaks, after arriving at the Pacific Ocean and picnicking inside Kody watching kite boarders off the coast. A friendly local- in no rush at all- answered my query about a campground I’d found on a map by saying, “That’s a nice place, and so is Washington Park… there’s a nice scenic loop at the end of a peninsula, and the camping will be cheaper out that way….” It was exactly what I’d been fishing for…. the insider’s tip.
And so with such lovely butterflies that I put two pigtails in my hair and began to dance as soon as we rounded the corner out of the mellow local’s sight, the McCaffrey Clan end up nuzzled into a verdant, soft and peaceful grove of the largest old growth we’ve seen yet. So excited, we hook up the camper, crank down his feet and tear down a trail heading right into the setting sun. The ocean at last!
Looking out on the San Juan Islands, with the ferry chugging by, I feel so at home, and favorite childhood books rise from my memory; The Island Boy (Barbara Cooney) and that one about the silkies… No sooner had I returned to those pages, than a seal popped its rounded and smooth head above the waves to peak at us!
As the sunset colors fade and a FULL moon rises in the east, Joe and Cooper lead me back home for fajitas and to pack…. for Orcas Isle awaits tomorrow and a new home for the night, maybe two…. and another delicious moment to come. ~Z~

And so ends the first leg of our journey- The Mountain Stage
And begins the second leg- The Ocean’s Edge

We send so much love to all those reading…and send a special blessing to Christina and Marcio who prepare to soon give birth. We are with you dear ones. May the passage be grounded, blessed and so, so awake. Also to Caitlin and Jeff who prepare to receive their adopted baby boy! We so look forward to meeting him! xoxo