Indigenous Peoples Day weekend brought fog to Sunset Beach. We posted up anyway—because when has weather ever stopped us?
The raccoons. That's what everyone remembers. A whole family living in the tree above our site—mama and three pups—bold as anything once the sun went down. We locked every cooler, closed every car, and the kids were half-thrilled, half-terrified watching them prowl. It became our running joke for the entire weekend. "Did you secure the snacks?" "The raccoons are coming."
The group site sat removed from everything else, and our kids claimed every inch. Climbing trees. Digging in dirt. Running wild while we just... breathed. The beach stayed foggy but nobody cared. We played in sand and water anyway, built castles, searched for shells, got thoroughly wet and sandy.
One family brought cake to celebrate their kid's birthday. We had glow-in-the-dark face paint—butterflies, superheroes, animals—glowing as kids ran around shrieking with joy in the darkness. The fire crackled. Glow sticks and s'mores.
Marine layer at the beach, raccoon raids, birthday cake, glow-in-the-dark butterflies—all of it camping.