{"id":493,"date":"2025-08-20T11:20:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T11:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sstutor.com\/writings\/?p=493"},"modified":"2025-08-16T11:52:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T11:52:18","slug":"usa-2024-part-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sstutor.com\/writings\/usa-2024-part-13\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Part 13 – Coffee to get going"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Before heading back home, I had one more place on my list to check out, and since it was close by, we drove over to Ship Creek Overlook. We found a place to park the car and saw a few folks fishing in the waters – they were literally standing in the middle of the stream on some rocks and fishing; there was even a family that seemed to be enjoying their outing – the father relaxing on a chair they had brought along with them, son standing next to him, a couple of kids running on the road. It was almost midnight, but there was still daylight! I had picked this place because it was supposed to be a point for salmon runs. Right now, we couldn\u2019t see any fish, but just above the water, there were plenty of birds (seagulls) swooping low to the water and then taking off – they did this repeatedly – seemed like they were hoping to pick some fish from the water. The salmon run is a migration event in which salmon move from one location to another. And if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you will see hundreds of salmon swimming in the water. This is also a bountiful time for predators of salmon – easy to catch them in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As per my rudimentary research, we were very early in the season for salmon runs – another month or so later is the optimal time. We enjoyed the midnight setting with the background noise of water, as well as the whooshing sound of birds flying around. As we stood on a boardwalk looking at the seagulls, a random stranger who seemed a little suspicious asked us, \u201cDo you have seagulls in India?\u201d and walked away. Your body is in a state of heightened alertness at this hour when outside, and random strangers who seem to move or behave awkwardly make you feel uneasy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunset was said to be at 11:44 pm, but even at 12:30 am, there was still daylight – not bright and sunny, but more like the early morning daylight. In our neighbouring home, the kids were still playing in their backyard – obviously making the best use of the extended day!
Moorthy tried to stream the World Cup cricket highlights on TV, and I gave him company for a while, but sleep was hitting me – I jumped into the bottom bunk bed and dozed off almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan was that if we were up early in the morning, we\u2019d hit Beluga point again for Moorthy to test his old professional camera. And coincidentally, both of us were up by 5 am. The other two were sound asleep, and we tiptoed out of the house to be welcomed by bright daylight. 
We revisited Potter Marsh and Beluga Point.
\u201cThe mist is better today.\u201d
\u201cIt has cleared a bit, but it\u2019s still there.\u201d
\u201cYeah. Maybe this time of the year, it\u2019s usually there.\u201d There was this odd haziness around which you may faintly notice in the pictures – a mystery whose answer we would discover later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n