The little guy was in good spirits as we got the final packing done...
especially once I let him play with a Glow Stick.
We took the same general route as last year...
Highway 18, to I-5, to US 101 to US 8, and back on US 101
again.
Its a great drive through very nice scenery.
On the way down, we watched as several clouds dumped
showers on some parts of the highway... but the closer we
got to the coast, the nicer it got.
The sun was setting as we got to Aberdeen, and I noticed
that there was a drawbridge up... traffic was backed up, so
I got an opportunity for a pretty cool picture.
It looked like a chip barge coming through, heading to
replace the one at the mill
We got to the Lodge in VERY good time!
Kalaloch Lodge is a VERY nice place to stay!
They go for "rustic"... no TV, no Phone, no Internet...
not even RADIO! They did have a "MP3-ready" CD deck in
the room, though... =]
The lodge has one of those views that looks fake.... its
very incredible!
Our room was in an out building. It was very nice;
large and roomy and quite comfortable.
The little guy had a good time checking out the new digs.
The lodge has walking sticks hanging on the walls,
encouraging you go head out on the various trails in the
area, which borders the Olympic National Park.
The next morning, we headed out to the campsite for
Breakfast... Coffee just seems to taste better when its made
on a fire for some reason... We also had several camp stoves
set up.
The little guy wanted to get down on the ground and enjoy
all the tasty-looking things down there!
He also met his cousins again. They're getting
older, so they're starting to interact more.
The "I was there" picture.
Out at the beach, the views were pure Northwest.
Over the years, timber builds up on the shoreline, washed
down streams during spring floods, and off of headlands
pounded by winter storms... they're everywhere.
We played Bocce Ball, which they take VERY seriously.
I didn't win, but I also wasn't the worst, so I didn't
embarrass myself too badly! =]
The tree looks like it sank a bit lower into the draw
that has been cut under it by a stream...
last year
The day couldn't have been nicer! Warm, sunny, with
a very light breeze...
Destruction Island was quite clear, also.
After a while we went back to the campground. I
liked it better there, for the shade. We visited, ate,
and relaxed in the company of family... not much is better
than that!
We got a shot of most of the cousins... getting them all
in one place is difficult!
The proud grandparents with their two newest
grandchildren. They were staying at the lodge, two
doors down from us.
We stayed until the sun went down... and after the
S'Mores were all done. =] Unfortunately, I'm
allergic to honey, so I can't have them... Graham Crackers
have honey in them.
Early the next morning, it was my turn to make breakfast.
3 dozen eggs, 2 pounds of sage sausage, salsa, cheese and
after some time... Camp Eggs. They're GOOD! We
also had "old fashioned" cake donuts, fruit, milk - white
and chocolate, and orange juice. Not bad for a
campsite, eh? I had more than my fair share, that's
for sure!
They broke camp, and we checked out of the lodge, and met
up at Beach 2, which is down the road a bit. It seemed
pretty accessible for everyone; someone had cut a fairly
good path through the logs, and the path down to the beach
isn't very steep.
On the short trail to the beach, I saw some pretty
impressive Burl wood bulges.
They were all over the place.
When we got there, the kids were already hard at work...
I forgot my shovels, so I missed out on a great opportunity
for a castle this year... I guess I'll have to make a bigger
one next year to make up for it!
It was a pretty impressive day. Too sunny for me,
but most folks liked it.
It was a great day for a picnic on the beach, that's for
sure!
While the adults watched and visited...
the kids had fun being kids in the surf!
All too soon, we had to leave, and make the slog back up
to the Puget Sound area, and back home.
For a day known as "the mother of all traffic jams" sort
of day (there's typically 4 of those a year - Memorial day,
Labor Day, Mother's Day, and 4th of July), traffic was quite
nice. We managed to miss the worst of it, and just as
we were getting home, we heard the traffic reports that
things behind us had choked up quite a bit.
In all, it was a GREAT weekend, and we really enjoyed
sharing the holiday with family, which is how it should be,
in my humble opinion, anyway.
This
year for Memorial Day, like the others before it, we went
down to Kalaloch... its a GREAT place to go, and one of
those traditions you just don't want to mess with!