Airstream Camping in Olympic
It’s no secret that I love the beach and Evan and I both love the mountains so when you can have mountains that meet the beach, well, then it’s pretty much Heaven. And that’s pretty much the sum of the Pacific Northwest. Evan and I traveled to Washington the year we got married and enjoyed Olympic National Park and the surrounding areas so much. We have talked several times about coming back so our time in this area has been 10 years in the making. First stop, La Push.
As we headed with great anticipation towards our destination we decided that it was as good of a day as any for the kids to start back to school. We have chosen the homeschooled life in part so we can do this very thing. Being able to travel with Evan while he works and showing the kids God’s great creation is a luxury we might not always be able to have so while we know we can, we are determined to do so. We passed out their little IKEA lap desks in the car and their first day of work and they got busy starting 1st grade. What a surreal experience to drive through an insanely beautiful part of the country and teach the kids. Many homeschool days are maddening and sometimes it’s hard to get in the right groove but there are some days that much more than make up for it when I realize that we are allowed to be the main teachers in their lives. Its daunting and worth every second (remind me I said that in a few months will you?). The kids finished up their busy work just as we came into the outskirts of Forks, Washington.
I am not ashamed to share my love for the Twilight serious or my major fandom during their run and the last time we were here the tourism was picking up due to the movies. It’s funny to see now the leftovers of the craze as it has been left behind. I found myself wishing I would have packed my books to reread them while we were there so I could get all excited about it again and go give the starving souvenir shop owners a few dollars. Anyway, if you are familiar with the books and films then you are acquainted with La Push. If not, that doesn’t matter, you just need to know it’s gorgeous and so different from beaches on the gulf coast that we are accustomed to. We were able to score a camping spot for 4 nights directly on the beach on the Quileute Indian Reservation at their Oceanside resort. I almost cried when we drove in and saw it. I expected the beach of rock instead of sand but what I didn’t expect was the unhindered views. The other beaches in the area were absolutely packed with people as we drove by but on the reservation only their guests are on the beach leaving you with a sprawling area to enjoy. The campground is simple and not full of fancy amenities but it felt magical all the same. It was no surprise that every spot was full the entire time we were there.
And oh man, let me just tell you about the sunsets. THEY ARE SPECTACULAR (as long as it’s not foggy, and we were fortunate in that area as well). When the sun goes down it drops behind the rock formations shooting from the ocean. If you can think of a word to describe beauty it counted: gorgeous, romantic, awe inspiring, breathtaking...you get the point.
Olympic National Park is unique in that it includes beach, mountains and rainforest. So Saturday we got up and headed to the park to checkout the Hoh Rainforest. It’s so lush and different from the rest of the World. We took on two trails under the canopy of trees (where the banana slugs were a big hit) before the kids worked on their Junior Ranger assignments while we picnicked. Evan and I enjoyed the rainforest back in 2009 but it was fun this time to watch it through the eyes of the kids. We made it back to the campsite just in time to watch the sunset again and slept like rocks after a full day.
On Sunday we all got up early and set out for a beach hike through the rocks to a few larger formations while the tide was low. One is called Hole in the Wall and is another location we were happy to revisit. Last time we were there the tide pools were bursting with wildlife and while we we still saw some starfish and anemone, the pools weren’t near as full as we had seen before. Later that day Evan headed off to explore the depths of the park that were a little more than what the kids and I were willing to take on. His two big hits for the day were Sol Duc Fall and then on past the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center after dark to get shots of the Milky Way. His exploring without the rest of us didn’t hurt our feelings in the slightest though because he got more adventure and photos and we got more beach time. All along the beaches of La Push and the surrounds beaches there is driftwood, aka huge trees, at the edges of the beach. We quickly realized that these are basically the playgrounds of the PNW. One tree might hold 20 excitedly crawling/climbing kids at any one time.
Monday we were satisfied to hang around the camper so Evan could work and we could have a little down time before moving on. I was able to score an hour of alone book reading time on the beach while I snuggled under a blanket which made me never want to leave. Like ever. After supper we grabbed the big kids $2 kites we’ve had for years and went out to the beach to let them fly them. They had never flown them in a place with so much wind. They kept screaming with delight as the wind took them higher and higher. Phoenix was satisfied to sit on the beach and throw rocks. Days certainly are not perfect on the road because there are still real life chores and situations but as I watched all three of the kids in perfect bliss I couldn’t help but give thanks for the snapshot in time that felt like it was out of a movie. I don’t ever want to forget those moments in which we have been so fortunate to have. It was also a reminder that I need to be more intentional on identifying those moments while at home too.
On our walk back Evan spent a little time in photo shoot mode with me (yep, I’m still awkward) and we couldn’t believe it when we looked over and saw a Harbor Seal swimming next to us so close to the shore. It was like he was a friendly little guy wanting us to take him back to the camper with us but shower soooo isn’t big enough for that.
Tuesday we drug our feet because we didn’t want to leave (OK Evan was ready but I totally wasn’t) and stopped at the Olympic Visitors Center in Port Angeles where we had THE BEST ranger present all three kids with Junior Ranger badges. Gray and Kyrie were so excited that Phoenix got a badge like them for the first time and it was pretty much the sweetest sibling moment I’ve ever witnessed (and yes, reality hit 5 minutes later when they all wanted the same toy in the car and I had to go back to bad cop mode).
A few miles outside the visitors center we stopped at the first pizza place established in the Port Angeles area where we ate them out of house and home. These bama rednecks were hungry and pumped to be at a restaurant! The special of the day was a bbq pizza. It was BBQ and traditional sauce together with ham and sausage on top. The crust was crispy. The cheese was hot. The reviews didn’t lie. Gordys Pizza and Pasta for the win.
Funny story: when we pulled up to the restaurant with the #airstreamstarship in tow, there wasn’t much parking in the lot so we found a spot on the road. The kids got all excited and started to go on and on about how “fancy” we were. So Incase you’re wondering what it takes to make these Alabama kids feel special, just park on the side of the road and call it a day. They are going to flip when we hit Seattle in a few days. Fancy fancy here we come!