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Rialto Beach Hole in the Wall.
There are some places that will always hold a special place in your heart. Places that change you. Places that teach you life lessons. Or places where everything just seems right.
Rialto Beach was that for us. A place we didn’t know we needed until we left. I’m going to try my best to put into words our experience at Rialto Beach, and in doing so, my hope is you can find a place that does something similar to you!
After leaving the Hoh Rainforest, we jumped into the ice-cold river setting us up for feeling super refreshed for our drive north in the van.
Rialto Beach hole in the wall was our destination. With the hopes of catching the sunset on the rock formations the beach is famous for.
Pulling into the beach parking lot, we hung a left, staying out of the national park parking lot, and into an area Georgie didn’t have to be on a leash. We found level ground (super easy to do in this particular place) and “made” “dinner”. AKA, had hot sauce on tortillas with slices of cheese. Super fancy, we know!
Kenzie | A Younger Us
As we were eating, our first, of what we didn’t know would be many, encounter’s with someone occurred. Kenzie came out of her rig to walk her dog, and stopped by ours starting an easy conversation with a like-minded person. Our conversation was so natural and easy.
She reminded us so much of who we were when we left on our first road trip in 2014. A time when quite honestly, life was a lot easier. A time where we didn’t feel, or maybe didn’t realize, everyone around us was questioning our decisions and life choices.
We were younger then. Maybe that’s it?
We weren’t in our 30s. So, society wasn’t pressuring us to have our lives all put together. We were only a year into our marriage, not nearly ten. We were “allowed” to be “carefree and reckless” road-tripping in the US and buying one-way tickets to South America.
Ahh.. the days. But shoot I digress. The conversation with Kenzie and maybe just Kenzie as a whole reminded us that society nor people get to tell us how we’re supposed to be living. We get to decide to go where we feel called to be. And, we get to choose the things we value and spend our time and money, and life really, on.
Hiking Down To Rialto Beach Hole In The Wall
Grabbing our camera gear, we started down the beach on the 1.3-mile hike to the famous rocks and Rialto Beach hole in the wall. I’m not sure if you feel a sense of calmness at the beach when you visit, but shoot, calmness overcame us.
I slipped my shoes off, feeling the rocks, sand, and pebbles as I walked grounding me with each step I took. It was that feeling of, “Wow! This is my life, and shoot I’m blessed to live it!”.
I was overcome with the beauty around me, the freedom we felt after leaving the conversation with Kenzie, and the blessings that felt as if they were rolling in with the waves.
Sunset Blessings
As we continued down the beach the Lord painted the sky with a gorgeous sunset. It could have been a dud of a sunset, but instead, the Lord blessed our time even more. We couldn’t stop taking pictures of what continually became more beautiful than we thought possible.
It was as if every step we took shed off a bit of stress we didn’t know we were carrying. Every sense of ours was heightened. The sound of the waves. The wind in the trees. The smell of the sea. And every intricate detail of water dripping over rocks, or waves crashing in leaving behind water creating beautiful reflections of everything around.
The Rialto Beach Hole In The Wall
Arriving at the hole in the wall, the timing was perfect. The tide was out so we could actually access and walk through the hole in the rock face. The lighting was hitting the tide pools perfectly, illuminating the bright green sea anemone with the contrasting pink rocks.
Again, just a time of slowing down and taking in the beauty that we’ve often now just overlook.
We’ve been to tide pools hundreds of times in the past, but for whatever reason, this time I was slowing down and appreciating the beauty of contrasting colors and perfect light more than any other time I’ve been in tide pools.
Returning To The Van
Walking back the 1.3 miles to the van, we couldn’t stop smiling. The Lord was still putting on a show with a beautiful sunset. Families and friends were gathered around at different locations all down the beach wild camping right on the sand. Laughter and love were just filling the air.
Even as it got dark, there were people backpacking in to set up camp for their opportunity to sleep right on the beach. Now, sleeping on the beach is totally not for me. I would be way too afraid of a wave coming and sweeping us away in the night. But shoot, seeing all these people made me want to know their stories.
Is this a camping trip they’ve been dreaming up for a while? Are they here to escape and feel grounded again? Do they come here often to just soak it in?
Whatever their story and whatever their reason for being there. It was awesome to see so many people out. Probably close to 50 people just backcountry camping, with no amenities, and just the ocean and a beautiful sunset show to enjoy.
A Cat’s Dreamland
Arriving at the van, we wanted to let Georgie out to explore (she wasn’t allowed on the walk with us down the beach), so we popped open the doors of the van, and out she went — straight for the massive pile of driftwood.
We followed suit, grabbing wine and chocolate, and cozying up against a log while Georgie climbed in and out of the wood around us. She would go in one hole in the wood and come out legitimately 30 feet away, leaving us just grinning ear to ear with how happy she was.
We sat, soaking it all in. The waves crashing in front of us. The full moon behind us. And Georgie’s bell jingling making us just laugh every time we heard it.
Again, we found ourselves being reminded of how simple life needs to be. How slowing down leads to joy. And we were again just overcome with the feeling of the Lord telling us this is how we’re meant to live.
We Didn’t Know It Was Possible, But It Got Better From There
The next morning we woke up and had coffee as Georgie enjoyed her larger-than-life jungle gym again. As we were having coffee, a head popped up out of the logs in front of us. Lo and behold, someone slept right there, with nothing but a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, using the driftwood for shelter.
This random guy, who we now know as Pete and consider a friend, ended up being the cherry on top to this perfect place.
Pete wanted to check out the van, and we invited him over (is over a thing when we live in a van?) for breakfast. Breakfast turned into one of the most meaningful conversations we’ve had in a very long time.
Joy and positivity flowed from the conversation naturally. The interaction with Pete was honestly healing. It was the perfect conversation at the perfect time, filled with vulnerability and life. A moment in time when you just know, without a doubt, the Lord perfectly orchestrated.
Leaving Rialto Beach Completely Changed
We left Rialto Beach completely changed people. The positivity and joy that just permeated every moment at Rialto Beach is the exact reason we’re on the road. It’s experiences like the ones we had there that lead us to live life on the road.
If there was ever any question of if we’re doing the right thing, living on the road in our 1992 Toyota Previa, it’s a question no longer. The Lord is guiding us, and wherever He guides, that’s where you’ll find us.
Our prayer and hope are that we can share our story, share the beauty that we see, and the hardships on the road too — and encourage you to find experiences like the ones we had at Rialto Beach.
Find the answers you seek and feel the beauty the Lord has on this earth for us to enjoy.. .which let us remind you, as Pete reminded us, is only a glimpse, a sliver, of what awaits us in Heaven.
It’s Your Turn to Travel…
We’ve been traveling pretty regularly since getting married back in 2013. We’ve backpacked for six months in South America, moved to Scotland, traveled the UK & Europe in a campervan, and are now traveling in the states in our newest van build. Here are some travel resources we put together of things we’ve learned on the road.
LEARN MORE | The BEST Apps For Road Trips and Vanlife
LEARN MORE | Our Tried and True Travel Accessories
SAVE MORE | How to Start Saving Hundreds Today
GET INSPIRED | Our $3,000 Campervan Build | No Need For Debt
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