Washington's Olympic Peninsula

We are in Ocean City, Washington, in the middle of Washington's North Beaches. We've walked a rainforest trail in the southern part of Olympic National Park. Elk and deer graze in the forest, so it is open enough for some wildflowers to grow near the path and to allow clear sight through the trees. Seedlings often take root on fallen logs to avoid the competition on the forest floor. Eventually, their roots grow through and around the log into the ground. When the log rots away, it leaves space below the tree. You can imagine how the girls--especially Gloria--loved pretending that she lived in the cave-like spaces under the trees. And of course, there was the largest Sitka Spruce in America. We just had to "climb" it.

We also visited Gray's Harbor Lighthouse in Westport--the tallest lighthouse in Washington. We got a passport book put out by the U.S. Lighthouse Society. We got our books stamped at the lighthouse and at the maritime museum that has a fresnel light on display that used to be in the lighthouse on Destruction Island (isn't that a great name?). Once we get stamps from 60 lighthouses, the society will verify the book and send us a patch that says, "I have seen the light!" We are on a lighthouse hunt now. (Janice, you have a lighthouse down there, right? That needs to go on our agenda!)

Gloria just loves the beach, and running in the sand is certainly good for us all, so we walked a dunes trail in Westport, around the jetty at Ocean Shores and with the dogs to the beach just beyond our campground. It was the dogs' first time on the beach, and they went crazy for all the smells! They were ready to go crabbing. There's a sand castle competition here this weekend and a pirate festival in Westport, so I don't think we'll be able to leave right away!

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