The Princess Bride

FIRE SWAMP. I recently convinced Indigo to watch the classic 80's movie, The Princess Bride. Remember that one? Fred Savage from Wonder Years fame is home sick from school and is visited by his grandfather, Peter Falk, who reads him the story of Buttercup and Westley, finding "Twoo Wuv." Anyway, in one of the many excellent scenes, Buttercup and Westley enter the fire swamp and are accosted by flame spurts, lightening sand, and an R.O.U.S. (Rodent Of Unusual Size... if you haven't seen this movie, clearly this should inspire you). It is to the lightening sand that I wish to draw your attention...

I'm sure a geologist could explain the combined features of grain size, relative density, compaction, erosion, tidal flow, freeze/thaw cycles and seasonal runoff, but the bottom line is this:

Kenai's beach has lightening sand!

http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org

Risking the lightening sand holes for the sake of the hunt... I spy four eggs.

We discovered this newest Alaskan danger through an unfortunate series of incidents during which our shoes were almost sucked off, our ankles were twisted, and our hearts leapt into our throats, all while trying to jog on the beach. Like the lightening sand, a tiny bit of pressure on top of a weak point along the beach and you begin to sink, quickly. By near-life-saving necessity, our beach runs now include some serious strategy like following others' successful tracks and leaping from stable rock to stable rock. Hopefully this is just a spring thing... Some unplanned sand... A little bit weaker under my sneaker...

Vizzini: "No more rhymes now, I mean it."

Fezzik: "Anybody want a peanut?"