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We went to Kalaloch again this year for Labor Day... the family tradition that ends the summer.  This is my third one, and I really was looking forward to it during the weeks before it happened... Its an awesome send-off for the end of Summer!  It rained during the weekend, but we had a great time, and it was really good to get to see everyone again!

I brought two cameras on the trip... but after two pictures, I realized that I forgot the memory stick for one of them, so I was quickly down to one.

We took the "southern" route - primarily because we can bypass a good part of the city by taking Highway 18 down to Federal Way, then swing through Olympia, and out to the coast... it took about 3 hours or so, but it wasn't a bad drive at all.

We didn't hit much traffic, until we got to Aberdeen, where we ran into other folks also heading to the beaches for Summer's last hurrah.

We noticed that Rocky's Pizza is closing - they had a going out of business sale on the day we drove by.  The end of an era... The Shadow Lady has some pretty good memories of stopping by after church for Sunday afternoon 'take and bake' pizza...

 
Everyone was heading to the south, it seemed... once we were out of town, and heading North toward Kalaloch, traffic thinned out.  I guess most folks were heading out to Ocean Shores, Westport, Long Beach, or somewhere in between.

There were stretches where we didn't see anyone at all.

I enjoy the drive, regardless of the route we take... its very scenic, and very relaxing.

Before too long, we Entered Olympic National Park, which straddles the highway from time to time between the Quinault and Hoh Indian Reservations, where Kalaloch Beach is located.

We stopped at the "Quinault Big Cedar", which is the largest Red Cedar tree in the world.

From the sign, there's a short trail up the side of the hill.  It was a bit steep, but in some areas, they had a stairs built with a railing for support, so it wasn't too bad.

There was a lot to look at on the way up.  A cliff with tree growing against it was pretty curious looking... it looked as if the tree swayed quite a bit.

We ran across a couple of park rangers.  One hadn't been up to the tree yet, so they had gone up there to see it.

Moss, fungus, and a wet trail let you know that you're walking in a temperate rain forest... it was VERY green, and everything smelled very clean and fresh... it was NICE.

And then there it was... a HUGE tree!

The "little" tree standing on the left edge of the larger tree is a typical tree, about 40 or so years old... the kind they would harvest in a tree farm, and what we could consider a 'big' tree... it just doesn't look it, because the Cedar is so much larger! 

 
I'm not an expert, but the tree didn't seem all that healthy... lots of rot, and it didn't seem to have a bark layer.  There was growth at the top, though, so who knows?

 
There was a cave in the tree that was big enough to enter... it was interesting to see it from this perspective... you really get a sense of just how big the tree is!

 
After a bit, we set out back down the trail. 

It was a nice break, and a nice chance to stretch out the legs a bit!

The Ranger Station lets you know you're close.

This is the last place to use a 'real' bathroom, and its a pretty popular stop.  :-)

They have an old Quinault dugout canoe on display, as well as other displays inside.  I put my keys next to a piece of Baleen, to give it a size reference.

They had a contour map on the wall that showed the surrounding area.

Kalaloch is one of those places that you can honestly say is WAY out there.

 
A few minutes from the Ranger Station is the entrance to the camp ground.

We were the second group to arrive, by about 30 minutes, so we had timed it pretty well.  We picked a spot, and set up the "Taj".  The nickname for our big tent.

After we set up, The Shadow Lady and I took the kids to the beach to kill some time while food was getting ready... we found a tree that had been undermined by the surf that was pretty interesting.

I don't remember it from last year...

It was fun to climb around on though... :-)

 
Not long after that, we found a spot to try and get rocks stuck on the bank... we killed a lot of time doing that... :-)

We got back to the camp just as the food was being prepared.

 
There's just something about Camp food that tastes GREAT!

Sitting around the fire, talking, visiting and eating... its the way a day is SUPPOSED to be, I'm SURE of it.

 
After dinner, we noticed the sun as setting, so we went back out to the beach to check it out.

It was awesome! 

 
The colors were amazing!

We spent some more time getting rocks stuck and unstuck, then, when the light was fading away, we headed back to the camp.

 
Folks made S'mores, and we all talked about whatever came up.

I've learned over the last couple of trips that these talks are legendary, and one of the most celebrated part of the weekend.  I'd agree with that.

After a while, the conversation started fading, and folks just watched the fire, enjoying the company, and the cool of the night air.

It was a great way to end the day.

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