Up over the first dune, Becky and Michael ran with Joseph chasing after them. His bare feet kicking up sand, his hat flying off his head, his jeans rolled almost to his knees, slipping and sliding, laughing out loud. Chad held my hand and helped me heave myself and The Belly up and over. We reached the top and stood for a moment before attacking the next dune. Each time we reached the crest of a dune, we expected to see ocean. Each time, we saw more dunes, more sand. We finally reached a point where we could see both the Bay and the ocean. I flopped into the silky sand and rested while everyone else started sliding and jumping off nearby dune cliffs into the softness of sand that rarely sees water.
When we were finally forced by hunger to walk back to the kayaks, everyone - except me - took turns running and jumping off each dune. I have a picture in my head. A wonderful picture.
I was at the bottom of a 10' dune. Becky, Michael and Joseph stood at the top. Silhouetted against the gray sky, they lined up, holding hands. Becky in her jean jacket, aviator sunglasses and her jeans rolled. Her green scarf flying in the breeze. Michael next to her in his comic book T-shirt, his jeans rolled almost to his knees. And Joseph, clutching Becky's hand pulling her along as they all jumped, as one into the air. For a split second, they hung in the air and then came down - a foot from the top of the dune - sinking almost calf-deep in sand. Joseph pulled Becky down and then started rolling the rest of the way to the bottom. Laughing as he came up, covered in sand. There was so much laughter. So much fun. It was a beautiful way to end our short time on the Strand.
We got back into the kayaks. The water was calmer, we were calmer. Chad and I borrowed Becky's paddle, letting her have a leisurely ride back to the dock. We started out and for some inexplicable reason couldn't go left. No matter how hard we tried, we drifted to the right and the only way we could head straight again was to paddle in a circle.
We also discovered why tandem kayaking is one of the leading causes of divorce in coastal communities. Chad's methodical paddling didn't jive with my intuitive paddling.
Side note: This is also the reason why we got so frustrated when we took ballroom dancing lessons. If Chad lost count, he'd just stop and wait for the music to catch up with where he was. I, on the other hand, rarely counted and just went with the flow of the music.
We made it back to the dock in less than 15 minutes. Exhausted, we headed back to our campsite for lunch and naps. Becky and Michael joined us before heading back to their place. Joseph and I cuddled under a quilt in the tent and drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of the wind in the trees.
After naps, we went to the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History. We barely made it before they closed, but we were able to look at all the exhibits. Joseph was fascinated by the birds suspended over our heads. It was still early so we went to a local park to let Joseph run off any energy he may have had left from his nap. He "sailed" the pirate ship and played on the equipment until the sun started to set.We went back to the campsite for burgers, potato salad and marshmallows. Joesph met a couple of new friends from Santa Barbara who played tee ball with him until it was time for showers and bed.
Chad stayed up a bit later than I did. Even after my nap, I was still exhausted. Must have been all that fresh air. We woke up early the next morning and broke camp. We'd originally planned on having breakfast in Morro Bay but decided to go to our favorite breakfast spot in Atascadero instead.It was a great last camping trip. Not the last one ever, of course, but definitely the last of the year. Chad was a little sad while breaking camp and looked over at me...
"I don't suppose you think you'd feel up to another trip in July..."
"Sorry, baby," I said as I hefted The Belly around the camping gear. "I think we're done until next year. But think how much fun it's going to be!"
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