After rounding Rocky Point, the beach was wild for almost all of the remaining distance. Cobble, cobble, cobble. Hard on the feet. Most of the second half of this walk was just enjoying the scenery.

1. Wear sturdy boots. By sturdy, I mean something with good ankle support. We walked about 3.5 miles yesterday and I'm really glad I wore my hiking boots. Tennis shoes are not recommended for cobble-intensive beaches.

2. I spoke with many curious people about the project. Usually I would walk ahead of Don and handle "crowd control." This involved introducing myself and explaining to them that we're measuring their beach. It's part of a Washington State University study to understand the impact of man-made structures on species such as salmon, eelgrass and forage fish. That's really all I had to say. Only one woman (near Utsalady Point) was defensive, and I diffused that tension by being friendly and quickly moving on to talk of species instead of bulkheads. She warmed up when she heard "eelgrass," and told me about her husband, who dives in the bay, has noticed the healthy eelgrass population.

Remember that you are an ambassador for Beach Watchers. I asked each person I encountered if they'd heard of our group, about 50% had. Tell them what we do, be friendly and you won't have any problems. It was actually fun. I enjoyed talking to people and learning that most people are aware of the creatures on their beaches and want to do the right thing.

3. Bring binoculars. I saw 4 mature and 3 immature baldies. They were very active. You may also want to bring your field guides (birds, intertidal EZ-ID, etc.).

4. Please bring a notepad. I forgot to do this. Write down encounters with people (names aren't necessary) and other interesting tidbits. For instance, if I'd had my notepad I would have written about an interesting stretch of beach between Utsalady Point and Maple Grove. Near the mid- intertidal zone was a large swath of clay-like soil with shallow pools. Inside the pools were hundreds of plumose and aggregating anemones. They were colorful and very active, squirting water this way and that. From what I've seen of Camano beaches, this is the closest we get to tidepools.

I also would've jotted down my encounter with the builder of the new pier at Camp Grande. He was very knowledgeable about eelgrass and smelt and we talked about the construction techniques he used to minimize impact on the wildlife.

Encounters like this will make our larger story more interesting to a wide audience. Please document!

5. Don't be shy with the camera. We have plenty of discs so snap away.

That's it. I look forward to hearing about your experiences.