OK, the work is done ... and so we are off again, checking out the local scenery. There was a bit of sunlight left and it was a beautiful day so we drove 7 miles south on Rt 101 to an access point for the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Siltcoos Beach).

Fabulous. Just what one needs at the end of a stressful week at work! The light was terrific for photos and Emma was happy to oblige as foreground in most of them, so I spent the next 90 minutes shooting until there was no light left.

These dunes are huge and gorgeous. Some are over 100 feet tall! You can drive on part of the beach to explore them, and the recreation area even has "sand camping" areas further down the road. I'm going to check those out, and see if we can camp at one of them this weekend.

The beach was dotted with little birds that I would call sandpipers but I don't really know their name. They are cute little things, scooting along the reflective wet sand so smoothly they look like a bunch of white ball bearings cut loose on oiled metal.

It was a spectacular walk and a terrific way to wrap up a working day. I think Eleanor and Emma agreed.

I'm already feeling refreshed. Tomorrow we will hitch up and head down the road in search of new adventures along the Pacific Coast. If you want to see more photos from our beach walk, check the Photo Album called "Oregon Dunes NRA"