Great Weekend Trip

So, after a couple of days of playing catch-up - workwise and on the domestic front - I'm back here expressing my thoughts exactly. I don't know that many are actually "listening", but that's okay too). First this little recap of the stuff that makes life worth living and then, perhaps an "opinion" or two :-)

My husband and I left Friday evening, fought the gridlock on I-5 (southbound traffic at a virtual standstill even at 7:00 p.m. for some unknown reason) to head for the coast on the far side of the Olympic Peninsula. It took well over an hour to go less than 50 miles before we reached Hwy 12 westward bound for our first stop, Westport. What used to be a sleepy little fishing village is rapidly growing into a "resort town", as evidenced by the very high lodging rates and food prices (gas was $2.98 at one place as well - we waited until Sunday and paid $2.67 for it elsewhere.)

We looked around a bit there the following day, visited with old friends of my husband's from his days as a fishing boat captain, then drove back around Grays Harbor and checked out Ocean Shores. Another tourist trappy resort-type community that has grown tremendously in the 8 or 9 years since I visited there. Huge crowds on the beach - and while it was fun to watch the kite-flyers, the kids and the dogs reveling in the surf and the folks on rented scooters skirting the edge of the water - we didn't stay long with the crowds.

From there, we went North, took Hwy 109 and enjoyed the scenery along "the road less traveled". The tiny area of Moclips provided great beach access and a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean in all its glory. Just a few people and no vehicles allowed on the beach. We made note of places to stay in the vicinity for future reference.

The rest of the Saturday afternoon was spent on Hwy 101, between the Quileute Indian Reservation and the Olympic Mountains. More great scenery, especially after we reached the coastal part of the drive and detoured briefly into a public campground (with - at long last - RESTROOMS). Lots of people, kites, kids and dogs there too - in R.V.'s, campers and tents. On to Forks to spend Saturday night at the Forks Motel, which is clean, attractive and reasonably priced. The Forks Coffee Shop is right next door. The food was very good, not over-priced, and the service was excellent. As a bonus, they offer a smoking section, as well! This is also an area very popular with tourists since it's near the HOH Rainforest and Sol Duc Hot Springs.

After a tasty breakfast at "our" coffee shop Sunday morning, we continued around the peninsula, again taking the road less traveled, in this case Hwy 112 on the northern end. We saw only a few vehicles and were treated to absolutely THE best scenery of the trip! Seemed like the types of trees and plants changed each time we rounded a curve (and there are lots of those). Several areas for beach access and very few people on any of them. Incredible to have a magnificent rain forest on one side of you and the sea on the other. We plan to go back in a month or so to get an eyeful of what is sure to be spectacular fall color.

This is a beautiful part of the country, and once you escape the urban areas, it's like being in a different state than the one that claims Seattle and surrounding environs. Being in the midst of so much of Mother Nature's magnificence is - like the awesome power of Hurricane Katrina - a certain reminder of just how insignificant human accomplishments are in the grand scheme of things. We all need that now and then, just as we need the soul-renewing experience such small breaks in routine provide.