Category Archives: Travel

Goodbye to Summer…

…and a look back at one more stop off the road from the Washington Coast.

We stopped at the Willapa Interpretive Art Trail…

The Willapa Interpretive Art Trail was created to commemorate the restoration of a small stream near Refuge Headquarters. The art trail is a one quarter mile curving boardwalk.

Artwork located along the boardwalk helps to tell the stories of the stream and the many species who live there.

Students from the University of Washington Public Arts Program designed, constructed, and installed the artwork for the trail under the direction of professors John Young, Ian Robertson, and Jim Nicholls.

From a distance we thought this little guy was real and you should have seen us approach it very very carefully so we wouldn’t scare it away.

We got closer and closer and it didn’t move…

When we got this close we realized it was part of the artwork along the trail. We laughed till we cried about how careful we were not to scare this fake frog!

These feather sculptures didn’t trick us.

These salmon sculptures in the trees didn’t fool us either.

This dragon fly table was designed by UW Art student Gary Carpenter. The quote on the table is from a poem by e.e. Cummings ~ …the world is mud luscious and puddle wonderful.

The moss on the trees was so soft…

It was a treat to stretch our legs here on the way home from the coast.

Tomorrow I head South for some more adventures. I’ll be back in the Fall y’all! I had to say that because I’m watching Paula on the food channel while I’m preparing this post.  See you next week.

The Oyster Capital…

…of the world is right here in the state of  Washington, at least that’s what the sign says.

We couldn’t leave without trying some of these oysters from the oyster capital. They were good, plump, and fresh. I’m not the biggest oyster fan and even I thought they were good. Here are more sights from around the small town of South Bend on Willapa Bay.

Seafood processing plants were in abundance. We went into one of the retail shops at this plant and bought some canned garlic jalapeno wild caught albacore. Haven’t tried it yet but I’m thinking it will make a great filling for a sandwich.

We spotted this great building looking up the road from the main drag and drove up to investigate.

A wonderful view from the courthouse. It was worth our stop in South Bend on our way home from the Long Beach Peninsula.

Tuesday I was back to Women’s Bible Study and it was nice to see friends from our last study again after our summer break. Looking forward to the new season and deepening some friendships.

How will you be spending the waning days of summer?

Out of the Ordinary…

During our time in and around the Long Beach Peninsula we saw some things that made us pause long enough to take another photo.

This store was a hoot with quite a variety of junk stuff to sell and strange things to see. Your kids would be able to find a souvenir here.

You don’t see many cities that fly all our military flags. I was impressed!

Along many of the roads to the peninsula and on the peninsula there were tsunami escape routes clearly marked.

There was a great combination of goodies at this shop. We made our only purchases beside food here. A copy of Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goudge and a part we needed for an old glass door knob set.

It was fun to see this in the front window of a specialty shop in South Bend. We stopped in South Bend for fresh oysters on our way home.

Happy Saturday to y’all.

Sunset and Sunrise…

…at the Pacific Ocean is always a treat. I’m sure it’s a treat on the East coast, too.

We had an evening walk on the beach before we headed back to the room to enjoy Sunset from our deck. On our way back to the room we spotted this group of horses with riders headed for a beach stroll. Maybe next time we’ll enjoy riding horseback on the beach…

“How fine has the day been! how bright was the sun, How lovely and joyful the course that he run! Though he rose in a mist when his race he begun, And there followed some droppings of rain: But now the fair traveller’s come to the west, His rays are all gold, and his beauties are best; He paints the skies gay as he sinks to his rest, And foretells a bright rising again.” Isaac Watts

The first ones up before sunrise were the fishermen. We were up early, too, and took a rainy walk before it started pouring and we headed back to our room. The rain didn’t last long.

I’ve got a couple more posts from our time to the Long Beach Peninsula and back again. This weekend is going to be full with work on the house, soccer, a going away party, church, more work on the house and we’ll culminate Sunday celebrating Dear’s birthday barbecuing with Josh and Laura. Life is rich! Hope your Friday and weekend go well!

North Head Lighthouse…

On our way to the North Head Lighthouse we stopped at a scenic lookout. We were able to get a small glimpse of the lighthouse from here. We also read about the tragic history for ships in this area.

Three shipwrecks in one week in 1853.

It was an easy walk from the parking area to the lighthouse.

Remember on your walk away from your destination that it is good to look back and get yet another view.

Yesterday was a very busy day around this old house. Is anyone else surprised that it is Thursday already? I’m elbow deep in ripe pears trying to get creative. Today I’ll be working on pear sauce. I finished off my smirntopf with a few cups of diced pears. My jar is full so now we just wait until Christmas for the results!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through the high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as ‘The Graveyard of the Pacific’.

In 1788, British fur trader John Meares named the area Cape Disappointment after his inability to locate the river’s mouth.

The Peninsula’s first lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, had a bumpy beginning. As early as 1848, a government survey had recommended a lighthouse due to the great number of shipwrecks. Lighthouse construction materials were underway in 1853, stashed in the hull of the ship Oriole when it sank two miles off shore. While a few items were salvaged, the bulk of the shipment was lost.

We got the tip to head to Waikiki Beach in Cape Disappointment State Park to get a nice view of the lighthouse from the visitor’s center in Ocean Park.

Both Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and North Head Lighthouse were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. In the early 1990s the Cape Disappointment light underwent a major renovation, complete with a new paint job with black and white stripes with a dark green top.

Cape Disappointment is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the west coast. I will share my photos from the North Head Lighthouse soon. You will need a Discovery Pass to get close to each of these lighthouses.

ht: Funbeach.com

Walking…

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.  ~Soren Kierkegaard

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
“Ride,” Pleasure said:
“Walk,” Joy replied.
~W.H. Davies

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.  ~Henry David Thoreau

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light…. ~Robert Frost

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. ~ Thoreau

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many path and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Lord of the Rings
The Old Walking Song sung by Bilbo Baggins, Chapter ‘A Long-Expected Party’.

I’m hoping to inspire myself to walk more. These quotes are inspirational and make the case for walking quite strong. Maybe they can inspire you, too.

These photos are all paths we took while traveling to and staying at the Long Beach Peninsula. If you are looking for a spot to stay that affords many good walking paths in different settings this is a great destination. I would suggest buying a Discovery Pass before you travel here because some of the wildlife refuges and parking for the light houses require the pass. The pass is only $30-$35 and it’s good for a whole year for many state parks and refuge areas across the state.

Eating on the Road…

Whenever we travel we like to find spots to eat where the locals eat. We found just the place in Raymond, Washington for breakfast on our way to the Long Beach Peninsula. You can see all the old timers in the restaurant.

In my restraint stage of life right now I decided to order off the senior menu. I ordered the egg and cake. Look at the size of that pancake! Yikes! I was expecting a little pancake.

Here’s another photo from the main drag in Raymond.

Once we got to the Long Beach Peninsula we asked and listened to different locals on where they would eat in and around town. Three spots were suggested and we had dinner at one, breakfast at the other and had to pass on the third.

For dinner we decided to eat at The Depot in Seaview.

Dinner was delicious. Dear had filet and I had osso buco. We passed on dessert.

On our way home from our overnight we stopped for breakfast at 42nd Street Cafe and Bistro in Seaview. The none restraint plate is Dear’s. After all it is his vacation week from work!

This was our final destination in between all the restaurant stops. We had the opportunity for lots of walks along the beach which made our restaurant stops a wash.

I’m joining in with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

The Longest Beach…

After we checked into our Inn on Tuesday we decided we had better get out on that longest beach before the weather turned on us. So for our first beach walk we walked on the sand and that was a good workout. Right behind Dear in this photo is the place where we stayed. Our room was the top middle room…no elevator so another good workout.

Looking south we could just make out the North Point Light House. I’ll share my up close and personal shots of the light houses next week.

Looking north the beach goes on forever. Well forever until it ends at the north tip of the peninsula and joins Willapa Bay.

Looking back at our Inn. We really liked the location of it so close to the beach.

The following shots are to prove I was on the beach and that it was real windy.

I’m facing north and south is behind me…right?

And here I’m facing south and north is behind me.

Looking inland east. We were really impressed with the patriotism of the small communities along the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay.

We had just missed Kite Festival that is held every year in Long Beach. That must be quite a sight to see. There were a few kite fliers on the beach during our walk.

There was a long boardwalk that ran along the beach and a paved path for bikes and pedestrians, too. I’ll show the walks we had along these later.

Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend free from labor!

Oysterville 2

More from the picturesque little town of Oysterville and proof that we actually had oysters! When in Rome…

 

Look at the moss on this fence. What’s the difference I wonder between moss and lichen? I’ll have to research that.

This bit of history really made us chuckle. On the way back home we stopped by the Pacific county courthouse in South Bend and we chuckled again.

Fresh oysters from “the cleanest bay in North America” or at least that’s what the signs said. Can you believe everything you read on signs or the internet? The oysters were very fresh and very good. I never crave an oyster but since we were driving through and staying in an oyster capital of the world it seemed most fitting to indulge in some oysters.

Oh my today is the last day of August! Dear is still on vacation until Tuesday and we are for the most part laying low on Labor Day Weekend. We are joining Josh and Laura for brunch on Sunday to celebrate their anniversary late. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.