Valla Beach Deep Creek

Our destination was the ocean but on our way we found Deep Creek first.  The
bridge leads across the creek and to the narrow strip of land on the other side.

Much of the creek is shallow, so instead of taking the bridge we decided to walk
up the creek - or at least walk as far as we could go without getting too wet!

At low tide, much of the creek is only ankle-deep at best.  However, we did
have to navigate the deeper parts of Deep Creek to keep our shorts dry.

Looking out toward the next sandbar

Looking back toward the bridge

The sand here was soft and dry, and none of the crab holes we saw in the
wet sand near the shallows.

The water on either side of this sandbar was quite deep.  We saw
several kayakers in the deeper waters.

A long and wide sandbar.  The tide was low so our trek up the creek only
involved crossing the shallows to this sandbar and then this sandbar
to the beach on the other side.

The water between the sandbar and the beach was quite deep, however, and
was tricky to navigate to find a route shallow enough to cross.

There was no one else on this part of the beach.

Standing on the beach, looking toward the ocean.

All you could see was sand and sky.

Looking down the beach,to the south.  It was tremendously windy and our
footprints were blown into indistinguishable divots as we returned.

The tide was coming in so we could not cross the last
channel to the opposite beach: it was too deep!

To the right: from whence we came; to the left: to where we were going.

We walked back along the beach instead of taking the creek back,
not wanting to get caught in higher waters.

Wildflowers beneath the dunes.

The view from the trail, heading back toward the bridge over Deep Creek.

The view from the bridge up the creek  The water here was still shallow, but
with the tide coming in it was noticeably deeper than when we started.