I went on vacation with my daughter to a lovely and popular destination. It was just for a few days, but I find that’s about all my body can take of the sand and the sun because when it comes to the beach and the ocean, I lose all sense of moderation.

I go from a forest-dwelling Ohio girl to a full-fledged beach bum. I just can’t get enough of it. From the early sunrise hours, straight through the heat of the day when the sand hurts to walk on to the inky darkness of night.

Of all the times, the early morning is my favorite. I sneak out of our hotel room and tiptoe past the people who use vacation days for sleeping in. Sometimes I can catch the sun coming up, but that’s not my favorite part.

Early risers get the best of what the beach has to offer

I’m not sure what’s so special about the ocean in the morning, but I’m not alone when it comes to dawn beach lovers. We are people who choose to wake up early. We enjoy the lack of parties, bocce ball games and the dodging of tents and umbrellas. There is no variety of music playing from a dozen personal speakers, just the relentless sound of the waves.

Some people rise early to just stand there, meditating or practicing martial arts moves or yoga. There was a woman playing a drum, her bare feet in the water. I prefer to walk so I can take in all the lovers of the morning. The fishermen, the grandparents who kindly take the grandkids down to the water so the parents can get some much needed rest.

I walk past jellyfish and wonder what life would be like without a brain and then wonder if that’s why they all washed up on shore. Did they even know their impending doom? Do they mind being sniffed by dogs and poked by sticks in the hands of children? Overhead, there’s a flock of great blue herons that looks like a bunch of dinosaurs in a motorcycle gang of the sky, if birds had motorcycles.

Occasionally I’ll walk past groups in matching outfits for an early photo shoot or a very obliging boyfriend taking a thousand photos of a girl who wants that perfect social media shot. And then when I get to the point where I know I should turn around and head back, I get the pleasure of seeing all the things again on my way home. A double dose of happy people, equally as thankful for the peacefulness of the morning.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Karrie McAllister: That something special about the beach at dawn