Today we did 17 km total - 2 km on the beach, 8 km on the road getting around Nestucca Spit, and then another 7 km on the sand. These were our last footsteps on the beach as tomorrow will be all road and trail. I had mixed feelings about it, but I think the overall sentiment was "thank goodness". Sand walking was a new experience for all of us and I think it was an eye-opener. The effort required is probably a third to a half more than normal trail walking. This was not budgeted for in our trip planning, and made for some long days.
The mood as we started the road walk was pretty low. I think all of us would have gladly accepted a ride had anybody stopped, but nobody did. It ended up being a little more interesting than we thought. We learned that there is a brotherhood or kinship between VW or Westafalia van owners and hikers/backpackers. Pretty much every one that went by us in either direction honked and waved. The highlight was when from behind us we heard a bellowing "WELL HELLO THERE!!!". It was a VW van with a loudspeaker on the front. He was leading a caravan of 35-40 VW vans and Bugs, all of which honked at us, waved, and gave us the thumbs up. It was hilarious and amazing all at the same time!!
After our feet took a beating on the pavement we were happy to get back on the beach. We met lots of curious and friendly people once again today which always made for a quick diversion and break from walking. Once we reached Proposal Rock at Neskowin we got back off the beach and stopped in at the local store for some cold drinks, and headed down the road a ways to our campsite for the night.
Ty, and Sam are in the pool as I type this, Ben is in the tent reading his book, and Mandy just finished drying some boots in the washroom, where she made friends with a lady - of course she did!! A guy overheard them chatting and it turns out he used to work both in Prince George, and Fort McMurray. Small world!
We are all looking forward to tomorrow. I think there will be some relief upon finishing in order to take care of a bunch of health issues:
Multiple blisters
One cold
One sliced thumb
Multiple sun burns
Two chaffed bums
One poison oak/ivy cut
One cold sore
One ingrown toenail
One upset tummy
It's a basic garage sale! Despite all of that, everybody has pushed through and done a great job finishing each day strong. Mandy and I have been very surprised with the boys' ability to find enough energy to horse around the campsites at night after all these walks. Who know where they get it.
Time for tea, coffee, and hot chocolate before settling in for the night. It should be quieter than last night so we should feel good and rested for our last walk.
Thanks for reading everybody. Goodnight!
Wow!! What an adventure. So great that the whole family was in on this one. So many amazing memories. I loved reading your blog. Thanks for sharing this experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following along, Lorna. Despite all of the hard work, I think we all had a great time.
ReplyDeleteTalk to you soon!!