Maddie vacation: Day 4

South Beach to Lyre River

Ruby Beach, WA. Ridiculous at low tide. So cool.
Maddie climbed up this rock easy-peasy. Climbing down: not so easy.

We went up to Neah Bay and went through the Makah museum. Then we stopped on this beach and hung for an hour or so.

We camped at a DNR site called Lyre River. We fished a bit. I caught the tiniest fish I've ever caught. 

See that rock? See that kid? That kid fell off that rock into the river about 20 minutes after I took this picture. It was freaky, but she lived.

Maddie vacation: Day 3

Seaside, OR to South Beach, Kalaloch, WA.

Clam digging in Seaside. It's so cool to see all the families out there early on a Sunday morning... taking care of business.

Bridge from Astoria to Washington State.

Fort Columbia.

We stopped in the Willapa Bay area and bought a bunch of oysters from Goose Point. The guys that harvest the oysters were just getting off shift. I chatted with a guy for a few minutes and he pulled these two out of his pocket. They are Olympia oysters. The oysters that people generally associate with Willapa Bay are Pacific oysters. He loves the Olympias. They were good. Metallic sort of.

Goose Point sold shooters. The oysters in the shooters were pretty big. Too big for Maddie, who usually shoots the small ones happily.

South Beach, Kalaloch, WA.
Kalaloch is little section of the Olympic National Forest on the coast. There's a Kalaloch Resort and a mega Kalaloch campground. South of that stuff is a little camping area called "South Beach." Highly recommended.

I think it would be cool to go to Olympic National Forest with a proper camper, some bikes, and a small boat for a few weeks. There's rain forest, there's ocean, there's lake, there's trails, there's mountain. 

That little dot is Maddie.

We played shuffle board on the picnic table after dinner. I schooled her. The next morning she schooled me.

That's the camp site. There's bathrooms with flush toilets. But no potable water. Perfect.

Maddie vacation: Day 2

Netart Bay, OR. Saturday morning and families galore are out there at 8 AM clamming. So cool. Maddie and I crept around the edges of family clam digging to listen to the work-a-day chatter and periodic celebrations of newbies: "I got one!"

Netart, OR. Aside from the surfers in wet suits, Maddie was the only one in the water in all of the beaches we hit today. I got in up to my waist, but went numb and stayed out the rest of the day.

She's not making water. 

Sea carrot.

Hug Point, OR. Rad spot. I remember going here with Liza in pre-Maddie days. 

Tide was low. Lots of anemones to disturb.

"Bare necessities, the simple bear necessities..."

We ended up in Seaside, OR tonight. The plan was to go to the beach and hang... just watch the tide go out. 

Maddie had to get in. Of course.

I read. She played. It's really not that complicated.

And a healthy dinner.

Maddie vacation -- Day 1

Spokane to Tillamook.

Lots of driving.

Tomorrow: beach.

Rufus, OR. Windy.

One of my favorites: Double Mountain Brewery, Hood River, OR

Hood River #1

Hooe River #2