Surf, Sunsets and More

Two weekends ago, we traveled across the country to attend a wedding.  Our flight was originally supposed to happen on the day that the tropical storm blew through the area so we ended up delaying for a day and were only on the ground in NY, NJ and PA for about 52 hours.  It was a whirlwind trip but we had a great time at the wedding and got to see some beautiful sights.  I also ticked a few things off of my "must see" list like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building (from the Verrazano Bridge and the George Washington Bridge), the Atlantic Ocean, a real NYPD cop cruiser (not a fake one on Law and Order) and New York pigeons (at JFK airport).

This was our lovely Mount Rainier from the airplane window.  I never get tired of seeing it in the distance on a clear day.

The leaves had just started changing in the Poconos (Pennsylvania).  This was the morning after the wedding.  It was a chilly but clear day.  Luckily the day of the wedding was a bit warmer.

Z took Cooper along on the trip because he is "the world's best traveler".  He did a great job of keeping Z company!

By that afternoon, we were out at the Atlantic Ocean in the charming town of Long Beach (Long Island, NY).  I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life and the surf was mesmerizing (another storm was coming in).  I was impressed by the fine white sand too except when we kept finding it in the sheets at night.

This was the only critter out on the beach with us.  Is there anywhere that doesn't have seagulls?

These regularly placed breakers were fun to take pics of.  I think I could spend an entire day from morning to night taking photos on this beach.

The sunset was more amazing as the minutes passed and I spent some time playing around with lens flares.  It was strange to be on a beach and see the sunset over the city (Jersey City?) to the west.

There were a few surfers out catching some evening waves.  I didn't get any clear action shots between the dim lighting and my point and shoot camera.  It wasn't a big loss anyway because these guys weren't very good!

I couldn't resist a few more sunset shots as the orb dipped beneath the horizon.  It was absolutely stunning.

I got one more shot from the boardwalk before we went back to the hotel (my first NY boardwalk!).  This was the farthest north I've ever been on the east coast and I really enjoyed even the quick exposure to the big city and the quiet country.  I can't wait for a chance to go back and explore these states more!

Joining the jet set,
K and Z