I can’t believe that we have not been on the road since October 2015 ! That’s seven months, oh my gosh, no wonder I’ve been suffering from Wanderlust so much. Jim has been watching me vacillate between day dreaming of a trip to Argentina; trying to plan a 2017 trip to Alaska; and trying to plan a Habitat for Humanity trip to Idaho in August along with visits to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I have been feeling like one of those spinners that come with game-boards, round and round she goes and where she stops no one knows.
It really was so much easier when we were living on the road, certainly more spontaneous-I miss that. But those of you with partners know it’s all about compromise, especially when one person is a gypsy with no need for roots and the other person likes the concept of roots and having a place to come home to. I’m certainly not complaining, I have so much to be grateful for and coming home to Whidbey Island is like being on permanent vacation. So if I sound like I’m whining,sorry, I don’t mean to, because I love our life and I thank God every day for our life and our family and friends.
And yet, I seem to constantly have this ache to travel. And so we decided we would hit the road before the Memorial Day crowds. Our original intentions were to camp at Kalaloch Campground,north of the Kalaloch Lodge. We figured that since it was almost a week before Memorial Day we would beat the other ocean loving campers. We were wrong. When we arrived at Kalaloch, (which currently is on a first come first serve basis until June 7) , all of the oceans view sites were filled and only the wooded shaded ones were available. That wasn’t good for us, since the campground has no hook ups and we were relying on solar-we needed sunshine!
And we found it-sunshine and a beautiful beach front site at the first come, first serve South Beach Campground. This is a no frills campground-no water, no hook ups, only flush toilets. So be prepared. There is not a bad site at this campground. 55 sites, and only $15 per night for this gorgeous view. And if you have a Federal Senior Pass or Access Pass you can use that and only pay $7.50 per night. Gorgeous ocean front views for $7.50 a night-love it !
Our first day we walked and walked and explored the beach. Hailey loved it-she ran herself out every single day we were here and would have run more if we had allowed her to. There are so many huge driftwood trees on the beach , some look like they had grown there, others washed up from who knows where. It’s such a sweet beach-when the tide is out you can walk for miles and miles either direction. And the sunsets are those amazing beach sunsets that Washington is known for.
We enjoyed our time at South Beach, but when the rowdy Memorial Day crowds started showing up Thursday night we made the decision to leave a day early and head home for peace and quiet. On our way up the road we took the time to explore the beach stops along the way. The best one was Beach #1 with a beautiful forested path to the beach, amazing tide pools and a beach for walking. I can’t believe we never stopped here before-well worth the trip and we plan on returning after the summer crowds are gone.
We had a beautiful day for traveling home, sunny, a few showers but mostly blue skies all the way to the ferry. We made a few more stops along the way, the next one was at one of the sweetest pullouts in the Olympics-along Lake Crescent. We pulled over, I made some black bean soup and we had an impromptu little picnic along the shoreline.
We made one more stop before the ferry in Port Townsend and that was at the Elwha River. The Elwha river is making a beautiful comeback after being dammed since the early 1900s. Within months of the final dam removal in 2014 the salmon returned after being gone for 100 years. The Elwha river is running freely from the headwaters in the Olympic Mountains to the waters of the Straight of Juan de Fuca. It was a very spiritual place for me-such good vibes all around.
I hated to see the day end-this was just the trip I needed to soothe that Wanderlust ache I have been feeling. And now I’m home sitting at the table , looking out at this incredible view,again feeling so grateful that the beauty of the world is at my doorstep. There are more adventures waiting for us and one thing I am certain of they will happen-the Universe is waiting.
Happy Trails to all you adventurers out there. May you have the sun on your face and the sky pouring millions of stars overhead at night.
Wandering Under the Stars 