December 5, 2021

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On Thursday, I looked for a safe place to watch the King Tide on this part of the beach. I found a path that leads to the top of the dunes and is accessed from a pullout on 101. I was able to observe Thursday's 9.2 feet tide and watch the ocean periodically roar up to the base of the dunes. I came back today to this same path to start the walk of the mile. On the beach near this path, there was a section of the sand that was very dark in coloration. There were many areas where the beach grass roots were exposed on the fore dune. There were also large logs protruding from the fore dune which appeared to have been this way for a while. As I walked along the base of the dunes, there were quite a few slippery spots. I determined it was moon jellies buried in the sand. In fact, most of the beach debris was buried in the sand. I only saw one dead bird and very little trash. I did notice some handmade stairs made from sticks leading up the side of the dune. After walking north on the east side of the beach to Patterson Creek, I turned south and walked near the ocean. The cold morning didn't deter walkers and joggers from enjoying the beach. The latest tide line contained broken shells, some seaweed mixed in with sticks and what looked like dune grass stems and roots. I also saw some pieces of wood and larger sticks. At the south end of this mile is a drainage pipe which I make sure to check every walk. This morning, it had just a trickle of water coming out.