Sand Dollar Beach

I was beginning to feel trapped indoors and needed to get outside.  So we went to Sand Dollar Beach.  It was chilly out, but well worth the trip.  Thankfully, the wind had died down for the first time in days and low tide occurred during hours of daylight.  Below are photos from our icy adventure.

Though we placed the first footprints into the snow, people on ATVs beat us to the beach.

I heart our new boots.  We walked through a lot of small tide pools and discovered new things.  Another benefit of having waterproofed feet was being able to walk absentmindedly through water, while listening to the ocean.

Nate beach combing.  There are so many different kinds of rocks, items that wash up from other places, and best of all hunks of petrified wood to find.

Blue Mussels.  We grabbed handfuls of them to cook up tonight but decided not to eat them after reading warnings of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).  Apparently, these little guys eat algae and absorb a lethal toxin in their delicious little bodies.  Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if the mussels are full of yummers or lights-out bad for you stuff.

A small sponge that the tide left behind.  The sponge was about 1.5 inches long and felt practically weightless.  It was a little squishy and had no smell--I checked.  

The little drips that we noticed in the summer produced this in the winter.

have always been fascinated with ice climbing.  Whether we get into that or not, it sure is cool.  Up close those icicles were deadly looking daggers.

When we got back home we treated ourselves to beer battered cod, cheese curds, and onion rings.  The cheese curds did not quite match those of Wisconsin but were a very close second.  This was our first homemade deep fried fish here.

A piece of petrified wood atop a wooden cutting board to show the contrast.  There are pieces to be found on the beach every time the tide goes out.   Small pieces that range in size up to ones that are too heavy to move. On an island near Popof Island, the one we are on now, is a petrified forest.  I can't wait to get over there.