Without thinking for more than two seconds, I assume that there are three kinds of nature people:  1) beach people, 2) mountain people, and 3) forest people.  On further thought, perhaps there are also desert people?  Leave a comment if you are one of them, because I would like to know why.

Growing up in the Midwest, the beach was idealized.  We were so far from any kind of ocean that those lucky few who vacationed by the Atlantic or the Gulf returned as mystical creatures, tanned and boasting about seashells and tides.  I never fully understood this obsession, because I am 100% a 3) forest person.  Who wants sand in their swimsuit when they could breathe in deeply, inhaling the scent of dirt and photosynthesis, looking up through sun-dappled leaves to a blue sky?

I am a forest person, but I’ve never quite been able to shake the thought that, perhaps, there is something to beaches that I’ve been missing.  So I keep visiting them, hoping someday this missing piece will click within me, and I’ll fully appreciate the wonders of hot sand and salty water.  These are some of the beaches I have visited so far, each with a very different experience and enjoyment level.  Continue reading →