The Salt Creek Campground is just a short walk from some popular tide pools on Tongue Point. So once we got situated, that was where I headed.
I timed my visit at low tide so I could hopefully see some critters in the aforementioned tide pools. And the critters that were the most obvious were California Mussels, which covered many of the exposed rocks.
The area was crowded, which was not surprising for a summer afternoon. So when I found this composition I waited patiently for other visitors to leave the scene, then quickly shot my shot. You can't see the steam rising off the sand as well in the image as I could in person.
I walked up to the sea stack to get a closer look, and really like this view back towards the point.
I enjoyed searching the tide pools, and eventually figured out which ones were most likely to be active. I was mainly hoping to catch sight of starfish and anemones, and got one of the two when I spotted this Giant Green Anemone.
This pool was a delight, full of small fish and crabs. The red item intrigued me -- I wasn't sure if it was a living creature or not. It looked a bit like a red tennis ball that had been sliced open. Turns out that it's a Painted Anemone!
Purple Shore Crabs are quite small, and very well camouflaged against the rocks. It was challenging to watch this one scurry about.
I never did see a starfish, but I even enjoyed just seeing the plant life growing in the pools. I just haven't spent a lot of time on sea coasts in my life, so I found it fascinating.
I left and came back towards dusk to try and shoot the sunset. Unfortunately, there were clouds with other plans. This would prove to be a recurring theme on our trip whenever we were along the coast. Still, being much closer to high tide and with a bit of a breeze the sea stack had a very different look.
The clouds grew thicker, and the scene grew creepier -- and frankly, more what I'd expected of the Pacific Northwest. So despite the absence of the sunset I sought, I still had what I had built up in my mind as a quintessential coastal experience.
More from the Olympic Peninsula:
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