February 23, 2016.

4.5 mi | no ele. gain | 1:45 hr.

Today was a hike day for the Hike366 project and I had a fairly full schedule. Except for the early morning. So I got the idea to drive out to the coast before the sun came up to walk the beach and catch the sun rise at the beach.

I parked in the lot at the Newport Performing Arts Center near Nye Beach. It was a beach walk, so I took my shoes off, obviously, and started hiking around 6:10 am.

Immediately I was treated to a show: the full moon was crashing down towards the rippling ocean. What a beautiful sight. Looking over my other shoulder, the sun was rising over the bluffs in town. The sky flashed purple, pink, orange. It was glorious. I didn’t know where to turn my head!

By 7 am the color was fading in the sky and I turned my attention to the crows playing on the beach. I watched how the waves carved intricate channels into the soft sand. I noticed how the light reflected off the narrow pools of water trapped on the beach. And the seemingly out of place rocks, eroded by a long history of crashing waves. Before 8 am I found myself already back at the parking lot and on the road so I could make it to my daily appointments.

What a whirlwind of a morning and a spectacular way to start the day! Nearly 5 miles of walking, barefoot in the cold sand, the only viewer of the morning’s dance between sun and moon. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to blast out to the coast so quickly on a weekday morning. Will have to do this again.