A 4th of July Minus Tide

For the 4th of July, I was thrilled to explore Salt Creek, the best tidepools in the Pacific Northwest. Walking through the campground in a forest, the view of the beach below reminded me of Point Lobos, my favorite place on Earth. It's that beautiful! The difference is that Canada is right across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Even wearing the high boots favored by naturalists up here, the masses of slippery seaweed were challenging to traverse with a minus tide. What a relief to step upon rocks covered with California Mussels and be relatively sure-footed again. Thanks to my friend Anita, I found many creatures new to me- the Giant Green Anemone, two sea stars, two chitons, miniscule crabs, and a black-green seaweed called Dead Man's Fingers (Codium fragile). Salt Creek is more amazing to me than any fireworks could possibly be!