To get to Kalaloch’s Beach 2 on the Olympic Peninsula, you first need to take a short (very short!) hike through massively burled woods. From there, push on through the enormous berry bushes and rampant weeds that are threatening to overrun the trail, and trust that the little wooden drawbridge over a fairly deep gully will bear your weight. Then it’s just a short scramble over some driftwood and stones and you’re there–a wide sandy beach great for walks and tidepool viewing. And even on a summer Sunday, it was relatively deserted: I saw more bald eagles than I did other people.
These are really beautiful, Mellzah! We used to camp all over the PNW when I was little, and you made me think of some of those places we visited, names I haven’t thought of in decades – Staircase, Dolly Pool, Heart of the Hills.
I really like your travelogues. You have almost inspired me to jump in the truck with the Hubs and hit the road, now that we are currently weasel-less.
— Lisa
Weasel-less? Oh no, what happened?
I saw this video the other day and thought of you:
Definitely take a trip, but it pains me to think of a weaselmom sans weasels!
Oh, I do love the Ozzy videos. It’s hard not to think that they’re artificially sped up, but they’re not!
Thank you for your kind words. We lost Hurricane Gabriel (who you met at the craft fair) last October to fast-moving cancer. Then we were left with just Teddy, who you didn’t get to meet but who was probably the best little ferret in the world. He was diagnosed with a different cancer right after the Super Bowl, had surgery and various chemo treatments. At the end of July we just ran out of time with him. But he had many extra months with a very high quality of life, and he was so very loved by everybody who knew him. Shawn wants to take a break for a while so we can go on little road trips like yours (because I won’t board our animals, and so we can’t leave the house for the weekend) and one trip to Disneyland. *Then* I can be Weaselmom again. HURRY UP, TIME.
Man, fuck cancer. 🙁 I’m so sorry for your losses but I’m glad you squeezed out as much quality time with them as possible. But Disneyland should be lots of fun! When are you going?
I want to go to Disneyland on the coldest (fsvo cold, in SoCal) day of the year down there! But we also have to work around the holidays (pro tip: do NOT go over Thanksgiving weekend), and I want to go when they’ve reverted to the usual Haunted Mansion vs. the Nightmare Before Christmas one. Nothing wrong with NMBC – but I’ve seen it and my heart still belongs to the original. Our birthdays are in late January and early February, so I’m thinking sometime in there? I hope the 60th Anniversary celebration is still going on – take my money, Disneyland!
Oooh, that will be fun! Plus, then you’re not dealing with everyone on summer vacation AND you’re not dealing with godawful holiday travel. Captain Slinky (basically King Disneyland as far as I’m concerned) posted a bunch of Disneyland tips on his LJ that you might find useful, most of it is stuff I never would have known about. Did you know that you can get a Death Certificate from the Haunted Mansion?!
Thank you! I will definitely check them out! We have a friend who is such a huge Disney fan that when she’s at the park, people assume she works there.
A Death Certificate would be *awesome.*