Journal Entry
I knew I’d leave today.
Not because Arch Cape ran out of anything. It hadn’t. Some places don’t push you out—they just stop holding you. That felt like the case here.
I packed slow. Coffee first. One more look at the water, more out of habit than ceremony. The morning was quiet enough to hear small things moving.
Before I headed out, I walked down to the beach one last time. Took the club from my shoulder and made a single swing where the sand was firm enough to trust. No ball. Just the motion. The follow-through felt clean.
That was enough.
I ran into him outside a small market not far from where we’d cooked the oysters the night before. Same jacket. Same easy way of standing like he wasn’t waiting for anything.
“Morning,” he said. “Didn’t expect to see you again.”
“Neither did I,” I said.
“I’m Tom,” he said, offering his hand. “My wife’s Sarah. She’s still sleeping.”
“BG,” I said.
We walked a few steps together before stopping. He asked if I was heading out. I told him I was.
“We’re taking it slow,” he said. Then, almost as an aside, he added, “Honeymoon.”
No emphasis. No explanation. Just the word.
That made the fire make more sense.
“Those oysters were a good call,” Tom said. “Really appreciate that.”
“Glad they worked out,” I said.
I asked where they were headed next.
“Pacific City,” he said. “Wide beach. Easy to breathe there.”
I let that sit.
“What made you pick it?” I asked.
He smiled. “Someone told us to go. Seemed like a good enough reason.”
We talked a bit longer about the road south. Where it narrows. Where it opens back up again. The kind of details people share when they aren’t trying to be helpful—just honest.
I told him I’d be walking for a while. He wished me well. We shook hands and went our separate ways.
I left Arch Cape on foot, carrying a direction and a name I hadn’t tested yet.
I found a small place before dark, nothing fancy, just off the road. Clean. Quiet. Close enough to the water to hear it when the wind cooperates. I leaned the club in the corner, boots by the door.
Recommendations are like that. You don’t know what they’re worth until you put a day behind you.
Sand Rating: 8 / 10
Condition: Firm when you find it
— BG
Travel light. Swing hard.
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