Oregon Coast: Camping on the Beach

I don't want this blog to sound redundant, but Oregon is hard to beat. Last night, David and I met at Otter Rock for a sunset surf and camped on the beach. There was

a) nobody there,
b) no wind,
c) excellent surf if small (3 ft. swell),
d) it was completely clear,
e) I was wearing a t-shirt until almost 11 pm.

This is all contrary to popular opinion of the Oregon coast, and rightly so, because it isn't always that nice. But we've been lucky this year.

In any case, I think I've found my sport. Surfing it requires relatively little gear, can be accomplished in less than half a day, is low impact, elegant, profound, can be intense, rewarding, and puts a wider grin on my face than (almost:) any other activity.

Let me put in a plug here for Xcel wetsuits, and let me thank everyone that recommended the Xcel 5/4/3 hooded suit. I've come to the conclusion that it's the best piece of gear I've ever owned: no matter what the water temp, wind velocity, or weather pattern, it feels like you're in the tropics, and I'm often sweating in it.

We finished off the evening by having a bonfire and drinking beer. From the looks of this picture it could have been a wild night.

A few more pictures here.