The Hazard Chronicles

In January we sat down as a family one evening and planned out our year. One of the things that almost everyone wanted to do was visit the ocean. This wish was granted this week as we loaded up the car and headed for the Washington coast. We had tons of fun. Here are some pictures.

We'll do this picture first. This was taken after Lindsey and I went on a walk at about 2:00 in the morning on the way there. The others were trying to sleep in the car, but this little girl was bright eyed and ready for action. She would not sleep, and she was keeping the others awake. It was actually a very pleasant little walk. There was a full moon, and we held hands as we just walked along the side of a back-road in Northeast Washington and talked about...stuff. Lindsey is so sweet, and as the youngest I'm afraid I probably don't give her as much attention as the others. This was good bonding time. It also made me wonder about the impression we probably gave to the very few passing motorists we saw- a dad and a little girl walking down the road in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night- it seems a little creepy, or sad, or both.

First impressions- wow, that is a lot of water.

A lot of playing in the water. Jack was the die-hard here. The others were either scared of the waves or else they got cold or tired of the salty taste. Not Jack though. He stayed out there for hours. He's about to get pummeled in the picture.

Lots of exploring and making forts with driftwood

They discovered they could write on rocks with small bits of burned wood from past campfires. This kept them occupied for quite a while.

This is how you know it's been a good day

Starfish!

Tide pools were definitely a favorite. We saw tons of starfish, anemones, crabs, oysters, barnacles, and sea urchins. We also found a couple of  eels, a few different kinds of fish, and even an octopus. The blood starfish were my personal favorite because you could hold them in your hand and watch their arms squirming around looking for a hold. Marine life of this sort holds a special fascination for me- it causes me to think about life differently and really stand back in awe at the wonder of it all. 

This is the look Evelyn gives me when she thinks I am being especially awesome or witty. She's going to make an awesome teenager.

Rachel is the healthy one- she decided to go to a local gym to get some bike training in. Meanwhile, the rest of us went and got pizza, bread-sticks, and soda. Afterwords, we went to the Olympic National Park visitor center where they had tons of kid-friendly activities and exhibits.

This is where we camped. Just as an FYI- the Olympic peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. It is by far the most biologically interesting place I have personally ever been. With the coast, the temperate rainforest, and the high rugged mountains, it can be pretty breathtaking to take it all in.

Rainforest means there isn't much dry wood around. This didn't deter Jackson though- he built a fire using matchsticks.

This is a place where we ate breakfast on the last day. The kids and I decided to go on a random trail-run. They did great!

Rachel wins the style award for the trip. I like the purple socks pulled up over the pants. I think she may be onto something.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. Definitely a family trip that we will remember. Definitely a place to go back to.