11/27-29/15
There
was not a lot of hiking on
this trip but there was a whole lot of photos taken. The day after
Thanksgiving I met Kim and Jonathan for a trip to the Washington coast.
I have been to most of the coast but not the far southwest corner of
the state. I probably did visit as a small child but if so I don't
remember it. Time for something new. We left Seattle before 8:00 am.
Rather than take the fastest route we chose a less traveled scenic
path. Down I-5 to Chehalis then west on Highway 6. A two lane road all
the rest of the way there. An air stagnation warning was beginning for
most of Western Washington. The coast escaped the smoggy air. The
clear sky did lead to cold temperatures. Any shaded part of Highway 6
was white with frost. Our route followed the Chehalis River much of the
way.
Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls State Park. Kim did not recognize the entrance though she has been there before. There was a good reason for that. The old bridge over the river near the falls has been removed. The new route is a little longer. We pulled into the day use parking lot to find no other cars. The ground was totally white. It looked like snow. It was all ice. We bundled up for a walk over to the falls. More of a cascade than a falls. It sits right along the main highway. Still, a nice site on a cold morning. We soon were back in the car and heading west. After a gas stop we had one more site to see on Highway 6. Willy Keil's Grave. Willy was set to go west in a wagon train. He died just before they left. The body was packed in an alcohol filled casket and taken west. He was buried near the current highway. The grave is nearby and a monument is by the road.
Soon we were in Raymond on the Willapa River near Willapa Bay. Just beyond is South Bend. We stopped to see the old courthouses and have lunch. The first of many seafood meals on the trip. Now on the coast our route headed south on Highway 101. Willapa Bay was just west of us and west of that is the Long Beach peninsula. At the base of the bay we reached our lodgings in Ilwaco. Ilwaco is a port on the Columbia River near the mouth and the Pacific Ocean. Off season rates were very affordable though many of the hotels had "no vacancy" signs. We stayed at Heidi's Inn. After checking in we headed a short distance to the parking lot for Beards Hollow. Above the beach it is mostly cliffs in this area. The Hollow is a break in the cliffs that allows a gentle drop to the ocean. The gate is posted as closing at dusk which did not give us much time. A short walk brought us to the beach.
Just over 200 years ago Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean right near here. A bit of history that is brought out in many landmarks. The first thing we noticed were all the vehicles driving along the beach. It was very firm allowing easy transit for cars and hikers. Cars make it convenient but do mar the experience a little.It was above freezing but not by much. A little wind had us bundled up. That did not change much for the whole trip. We arrived at the beach at 3:20 pm, just over an hour before sunset. By 5:00 pm it would nearly be dark. We headed south while taking a whole lot of photos. The blue sky, breaking waves, and setting sun made for great scenery. We used up nearly all our time, arriving back at the car at about 4:35 pm. A very short drive took us to the ocean overlook where we took many more photos of the setting sun.
It was now time for dinner. We headed north to Long Beach. A little shopping then off to find a restaurant. Kim had stayed in Long Beach some years earlier and for the whole trip she tried to recall the places she had visited before. The first night's restaurant turned out to not be the one she thought it was but we had another fish meal. We finished up with a walk down to the boardwalk along the beach. Day one started early and we were on the move the entire time. A fun introduction to the area.
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larger pictures.
Photo Page 2
Trips - 2015
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Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls State Park. Kim did not recognize the entrance though she has been there before. There was a good reason for that. The old bridge over the river near the falls has been removed. The new route is a little longer. We pulled into the day use parking lot to find no other cars. The ground was totally white. It looked like snow. It was all ice. We bundled up for a walk over to the falls. More of a cascade than a falls. It sits right along the main highway. Still, a nice site on a cold morning. We soon were back in the car and heading west. After a gas stop we had one more site to see on Highway 6. Willy Keil's Grave. Willy was set to go west in a wagon train. He died just before they left. The body was packed in an alcohol filled casket and taken west. He was buried near the current highway. The grave is nearby and a monument is by the road.
Soon we were in Raymond on the Willapa River near Willapa Bay. Just beyond is South Bend. We stopped to see the old courthouses and have lunch. The first of many seafood meals on the trip. Now on the coast our route headed south on Highway 101. Willapa Bay was just west of us and west of that is the Long Beach peninsula. At the base of the bay we reached our lodgings in Ilwaco. Ilwaco is a port on the Columbia River near the mouth and the Pacific Ocean. Off season rates were very affordable though many of the hotels had "no vacancy" signs. We stayed at Heidi's Inn. After checking in we headed a short distance to the parking lot for Beards Hollow. Above the beach it is mostly cliffs in this area. The Hollow is a break in the cliffs that allows a gentle drop to the ocean. The gate is posted as closing at dusk which did not give us much time. A short walk brought us to the beach.
Just over 200 years ago Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean right near here. A bit of history that is brought out in many landmarks. The first thing we noticed were all the vehicles driving along the beach. It was very firm allowing easy transit for cars and hikers. Cars make it convenient but do mar the experience a little.It was above freezing but not by much. A little wind had us bundled up. That did not change much for the whole trip. We arrived at the beach at 3:20 pm, just over an hour before sunset. By 5:00 pm it would nearly be dark. We headed south while taking a whole lot of photos. The blue sky, breaking waves, and setting sun made for great scenery. We used up nearly all our time, arriving back at the car at about 4:35 pm. A very short drive took us to the ocean overlook where we took many more photos of the setting sun.
It was now time for dinner. We headed north to Long Beach. A little shopping then off to find a restaurant. Kim had stayed in Long Beach some years earlier and for the whole trip she tried to recall the places she had visited before. The first night's restaurant turned out to not be the one she thought it was but we had another fish meal. We finished up with a walk down to the boardwalk along the beach. Day one started early and we were on the move the entire time. A fun introduction to the area.
 Frosty Ground |
 Ancient Ruin |
 Rainbow Falls |
 Courthouse |
 Est. 1910 |
 Beards Hollow Trailhead |
 Frozen Pond |
 Tracks On The Beach |
 Glistening Beach |
 Reflection |
 Kim Being Kim |
 Highlighted |
 Base Of Hollow |
 Sun & Shade |
 Fishing |
 Long Shadow |
 Rocky Shore |
 End Of The Beach |
 Seagull |
 Breaking Waves |
 Another Wave |
 Alpenglow At Sea Level |
 It's Getting Cold |
 Bright Setting Sun |
 Beach Walking |
 Evening Color |
 Sunlight On Sand |
 Good Color |
 Kim & Jon |
 Sunset From Overlook |
 Overlook II |
 Last Shot Of Evening |
Photo Page 2
Trips - 2015
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