The small two lane street at the north end of town ends at a dead end but before that there is a right turn that leads to Ecola State Park. This road quickly becomes barely wide enough for one car. It quickly leaves town and winds through a typical Pacific Northwest Forest with towering trees, lush ferns and under brush and teasingly points of the ocean peaking through the branches every now and then. The speed limit is slow due to the pot holes and curves and bends the road takes around the hills to the end point where you are spit out into a long slim parking lot at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. We come here to this beach every year and the key is to show up early, make the trek so as to find a parking spot. Once parked, we empty the back of the van, grass mats, towels, wet suits, food, boogie boards, skim boards, cameras, tripods, frisbees, soccer balls, smash ball and more. We load it up on our backs and arms and make the short little walk down to the beach which google has tagged "intimate ocean hangout with tide pools".  It isn't very intimate as every surfer and their dog is down there. Fires are built all along this sandy beach so surfers and boogie boarders can warm up after being in the frigid waters trying to catch waves.  The south end offers rocky tide pools and a view of Tillamock Rock Lighthouse. While the others are busy at our staked out bit of beach, two of us set off for the south end where the hills come down to dip into the water. We scamper over rocks, peaking beneath the water at the life that wasn't pulled back to the ocean, chatting about nothing and everything in general. I cajole this man cub into taking photos and wonder what adventures and life lessons he will encounter this upcoming year.