Close your eyes and think of a favorite beach. Is it the rocky shore of a mountain lake like the one in Alan’s photo? Or is it the white sands of a tropical paradise like the Iles de Pins beach that we visited on a Seabourn Cruise in the South Pacific?
Growing up, my idea of a beach was the wide expanse of sand at Daytona in Florida where the action never seemed to slow down. From morning until dusk, a long line of beachgoers—mothers strolling babies, flirting teenagers, ice cream carts and even cars—streamed back and forth vying for attention of the people watchers stretched out on towels in the sand.
As an adult, I favor a more quiet scene, the less commercialized it is the better I like it. If you asked me about my current favorite beach, I’d point to Kiawah Island in South Carolina. The sand stretches for miles making for long, long walks and the water’s warm enough to ride the waves on a canvas float.
Alan has a special fondness for the Oregon coast where logs litter the sand and rocks decorate the coastline. These beaches are made for exploring, although swimming means a cold dip in water more suited for wetsuits than bikinis.
So back to the beach in this photo. It’s on the rocky shoreline of St. Mary Lake located on the east side of Glacier National Park in Montana. If you look closely, that’s Wild Goose Island seeming to mimic the jagged snowcapped mountain in the distance. It’s often windy here but how many beaches include potential sightings of badgers or maybe even an elk?
