I had yhis need to find a beautiful rugged mostly empty beach.  Sand was optional but it did need rocks jutting out of the water hinting at tide pools. It needed a soft forested path with ferns, maybe a creek, lots of trees with views that play peek-a-boo. I wanted to explore something that was close to being wild. The kids each had other things they wanted to do so John and I took the opportunity to explore on our own. Originally our destination was Hug Point and Arch Cape. When we had visited this beach years ago, maybe even 10 years, the beach was practically deserted even though it was steps from the parking lot. This day was not a repeat, instead the parking lot was full with cars waiting in line for a spot while the beach was flooded with adults, kids and dogs.  I didn't begrudge them the beach, it was nice but it wasn't for us. So on we went driving ever farther south. Oswald State Park was next and despite the fact that there were large parking lots on each side of the highway they weren't full. I think it was far enough from a town that people weren't willing to drive even 5 more miles. It was a quick walk but it had everything I wanted, a soft forested path, a creek and cliffs and rocks.  Last year we had hiked to a promontory point overlooking this beach. Once on the beach we picked a spot and set up camp, pulled out books and just relaxed. After a while I picked up my camera, making my way along the beach. There were so many things that caught my eye and I wanted to enjoy each one. The flowers that bloomed at the edge of the forest, the surfers who huffed their surfboards and gear down the tree, the little forts  built with drift wood and stones, the moss covering the rocks and the wind swept grass.