Weekend At Kalaloch

And since that day, Raven has never been bored. In fact, at times he has almost regretted bringing the first men and women together. From the strong muscles of the clam and the soft lips of the Chiton, from the pairing of these first people came the first families. Children were born, some strong and male, some soft and female. Many generations have been born, have grown and flourished, have built and created or fought and destroyed. Many have blamed the Raven for playing a terrible joke on humanity, for often men and women just barely get along, but somehow from this strange combination of reason and intuition, of muscle and emotion arose that which was needed for the race to survive the storms of life on the shores.

Raven himself felt strange protective urges for these first people. Though a glutton and trickster by nature, he would again and again provide for these creatures he found in the clamshell. In time he would bring them the Sun, Moon and Stars; Fire; Salmon and Cedar, teach them the secrets of hunting, and the world. Raven would watch these weak creatures become both strong and loving, courageous and compassionate, able to fend for themselves and survive.

And their children were no timid shell-dwellers, but they continued to be children of the wild coast, of the stormy shores between the land and the sea. They challenged the strength of the stormy north Pacific wresting their livelihoods from the sea even as they made their homes on its shores.

-Excerpt from Haida creation myth

Screw ravens. I went camping this weekend at Kalaloch. The ravens were messing with me. I expect they are not pleased with me and certain of my, shall we say, proclivities? I was sitting in my camp chair reading a book and just digging the whole beach panorama groovebuzz when I noticed the pesky bastards kept flying by me and mock diving at one who apparently they were not happy with. This ridiculous spectacle continued for some time and I recall watching one glide by slowly and imagining how easy it would be to plant a bb or pellet into its fat body from my sitting position.

So I imagined that and went back to my book and not 2 or 3 minutes later I get SHAT ON by one of the fuckers. Seriously splattered on my thankfully windbreaker clad arm. My first thought when this spray of white splashed on and about me was there was some freakish storm of liquid hail (seriously thought this) before I realized to my disgusted horror that one of these loathsome birds nailed me.  That happened yesterday in the evening. This morning after hiking down to Ruby Beach, I returned to my jeep to see the fender and hood got SHAT ON by another one. Jerks. 

Anyway, I prefer Blue Jays even if they are thieving bastards. I fed that one (in the pic) the crust from my lunch sandwich yesterday. The Quinault, the tribe that inhabited the Kalaloch area, substituted the Blue Jay for the Raven in their transformer myths (bird that would transform into humans). Who can blame them? Blue Jays are cute. Ravens are evil shitbirds.

The next pic (as always these are thumbnails and if you click on them they get HUGE per the miracle of modern thumbnail technology) is some fishing rope net crap that washed up.

The next is a shot of the driftwood that is ubiquitous and a troublesome pain in the ass for hiking over on Northern Pacific beaches in Washington state.

Mi casa su casa. My Kelty tent. I slept like crap last night, tossing and turning and it was REALLY cold, like mid 30s. Good tent though, I'm just not in camping mode yet.

My camp chair on a little bluff which was part of my campsite. It was way cool having a site that gave direct access and view to the beach below. E-5 if you're even at Kalaloch.

Seastack thinger at Ruby Beach. I went to Ruby Beach this morning as it's far prettier than Kalaloch, which isn't bad actually, but Ruby is a must visit when I'm in the area.

Shot down Ruby Beach to the south. Rugged rocky beach, very cool. No ravens.

Pawprints of something. I am thinking maybe a raccoon, who in my personal mythology is the mortal enemy of the Raven and can kill them with mind rays.

Weird scary cave thing under a massive eroded cliffside. It had cool rocks in it that had recently washed or rockslided down from the cliff above. I wanted to go in and explore them but I am a chickenshit when it comes to caveish things under massive eroded dangerous cliffs. Call me chicken!

Ruby Beach from the trail. Pretty ain't it.

Loathsome bird devil. They have so much demonic power they sent out blurry unfocused force fields to keep my camera from focusing on their hideous visages.

My jeep loaded up on the way home. I took out the rear seat and could pack everything in. Pretty full though.

Fun trip, loves me some ocean.

Comments

[Pixie]

My favorite pic is of the fishnet and driftwood... not sure why... the colors I think.

{{{Bob}}}

I'm glad you had such an awesome weekend. Did you take Ho? ;)

[Bob]

Please don't talk that way about Poetivity!

No, she was in California this weekend, besides, she dumped me because I won't move to Portland.

[Pixie]

Dude. I was talking about your fish.

*smack!*

[mik]

Raven brings you the sun and the moon and the stars. Then you DISS him/her? And you wonder that you are shat upon? Raven knows, Bob.

Looks like you had a wonderful time at the ocean. Great pics. I love that area. Haven't been there for a time.

[glynis]

beautiful place! i can't wait to see the ocean again. me'thinks your raccoon looks like a.... dog.