Trip Report - Day 3 - Fort Bragg

I've always been a beachcomber at heart. So when I received the itinerary for this trip and saw that we were staying overnight in Fort Bragg, California (not to be confused with Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a major military base), I knew right away that this was the location of the famous "sea glass beach".  This beach gets its fame from the fact that it is covered in sea glass pieces, the result of years of garbage dumping near the coastline in the past (described best in this Wikipedia entry).

Usually when you're walking on a beach, you find the occasional piece of glass.  As you can see from the photo below, there are several pieces of glass within a very small area.  It is very easy to find!

We had arrived in Fort Bragg after dark the night before and we were leaving immediately after breakfast the next morning.  As a result, I got myself up at 5 a.m. and was packed and out the door by 5:45, leaving my suitcase near the bus and walking 10 minutes or so to the beach.

There were a few other humans around, a couple of joggers waved as they went past, but I pretty much had the place to myself at that early hour of the morning.  I had checked the tide schedule and knew it was just after low tide, so no worries on that score. It is a very rocky coastline and it was a grey morning, with rain approaching. 

Some of the glass pieces were quite large, as you can see from the photo below, and worn smooth from the waves.

The rocks were quite interesting as well, especially this one, with its unusual indentations and colouring.

I was delighted to find this heart-shaped rock.

And almost immediately after, a heart-shaped piece of glass!

You're not allowed to remove the glass. The beach is part of a national park and it's against the law.  I found this collection of pieces on a rock, someone else had left it behind.

I only got to see a tiny bit of the area as my time was limited, I had to get back to meet the group for breakfast before the bus left town.  I would definitely like to go back to Fort Bragg and spend more time exploring this coastline.  Hopefully some day soon!

Day 81/100 - #100dayproject