On June 2nd (the official B-Day) we headed to Ashland Wi on the south side of Lake Superior.
it was a bit cool, I had to purchase earmuffs but the sun was out!
Eric always wears shorts! While I dress appropriately...
3 coats on to hang by the fire!
The Big Birthday trip began on June 11, we left for MSP early, we took our time getting to our hotel, stopping for a bit of hiking, birding, eating and shopping. Luckily we went for a short walk before leaving home as by the time we got to Minnesota the rain had set in.. We did get one walk in by Turtle Lake and a stop at A&W for a great Coney dog and a Target stop before checking into the hotel. We stayed at a Home2 Suites in Eagan by an Outlet Mall. Although it was an outside mall we managed to walk around there for about an hour before heading to Bald Man Brewery.
Wednesday June 12 we left for Seattle. The lines were very long at Security, Summer has begun.. We were on the plane waiting for the final customers when someone had a seizure on the gang way. The poor guy had not been feeling well and was waiting until the last minute to board. After the paramedics came to help and the pilot had some paperwork to fill out we took off about 50 minutes late. We had a great flight, watched a few movies, ate breakfast and a bloody Mary or two. We landed about 5 minutes later than planned and then had to wait for our gate for about 40 minutes! Lots of hurry up and wait today! Of course the car rental line was long, after 55 minutes of hanging there we got our vehicle. Off we go, our trip to Westport is about 120 miles or 2.5 hours. Traffic was horrific but we stopped at
After walking around for over an hour we headed out again. We only got about 15 miles when we ran into traffic! Bumper to Bumper and stop and go! How do these people do it?? We were about 15 miles from Olympia when that happened.. Needless to say more than an hour later we passed the area where a FedEx truck had a very bad accident. Once we passed that the rest of the drive was smooth. A quick stop at Safeway in Aberdeen then 20 miles to the cottage! We finally arrived at about 6:30.
After a quick bite to eat we headed out for a nice walk around the bay before settling in for the night.
Our cottage is the middle one #2
A long day of travel but its all good. We are settled in and looking forward to a great week here in Westport Wa.
Cottages at Sunrise
Thursday was a bit cooler than Wednesday. Overcast a bit windy with temps about 60 degrees. After we walked to the state park that was only about 1 mile away,
we took the car to explore the beaches and parks along the coast south of us. We drove to Tokeland, about 14 miles away before going back to Westport for a delightful lunch at Bennetts Fish Shack. Eric had the very fresh fried cod while I had the crab melt that was so good, all crab no filler! The french fries were fresh and hand cut and they had a great soda fountain. A bit pricy for lunch but well worth the money.
Since we woke up so early (4:00am) it was time for a great nap! And nap we did.
For the evening we went to a few pubs. Blackbeards brewery was our first stop, about 3 miles from our cottage. The place was packed with people eating, what looked to be good food. Next stop was about .5 miles away, Pine Tree Lounge, a large building that had food but everyone was just drinking. Rock N Beach was our next stop, cute new place with a Rock and Roll theme. We ordered a crab cocktail to split. It was pretty good, again a bit pricy and not a lot of food, which we did not need a lot of food. Our final stop was at Knotty Pine Tavern and it was a tavern with shuffleboard and ping pong table. They also served food but we did not see anyone ordering food.
Although a bit windy and cool and some mist it was a great day to be outside enjoying nature.
Friday June 14th: We headed north to the rain forest of Quinualt, about an hours drive away.
We got our #600 ABA bird! The American Dipper!! ABA is just American birds, it is also our 625 Life Bird. which includes Jamaica but not Scotland. I did a separate bird list with just my name as Eric was not on that trip.
Quinault Lodge looks to be a great place to spend a few days. Built in 1910.
Lake Quinault, the water temp was about 60 degrees, some people did take a bath by the campground.
We are so impressed with the LARGE trees here. they do get 12 feet of rain per year and plenty of growing time.
and waterfalls...
This tree grew onto a chopped down tree!
This is Not the largest tree we found!!!
We had to check this out...
the picture does not do it justice, it was really BIG
We stopped in Aberdeen for a quick late lunch at 8th Street Grill then a quick trip to Walmart to find a scarf, ( I left my at one the stops yesterday!). No scarf was found but I did get a cute bandana to tie around my neck. But on the way home we stopped at the Rock N Roll and sure enough that is where I left my scarf.. much warmer than the bandana.
Saturday June 15 is the day we centered our trip around. Up at 4:15 to catch the boat at 5:15. Our pelagic bird tour.
Holding on for dear life... It was very choppy!
We ended up with 4 new Life birds and about 15 year birds... the water was very choppy, took us about 3 hours to g0 35 miles out to sea where we wanted to bird. It was cold, windy, choppy and a few people got sea sick... there were only 9 guests with 4 guides and 2 crew on the boat. so plenty of room to roam, sit and see the birds.. We left the dock at 5:30 am and returned at 3:30 pm. We were all wiped out from the day at sea.
Westport Seabirds pelagic trip, onboard the Monte Carlo. Leaders were Bill Tweit, Bruce LaBar, Scott Mills and Gene Revelas. Boat personnel and spotters were Phil and Chris Anderson. Fourth segment, first heading NE from the chum stop over the west end of Grays Canyon, at 125W, to the shrimp fleet fishing N of Grays Canyon, then SE from there to the outer buoy off Grays Harbor. Seas were calmer than the morning segment. Swells from the west at 4-5'. Beaufort 3-4 winds from the NW and overcast skies. Sea surface temperatures were 54-56F. Saw 10 Humpback Whales, including a couple of spectacular full body breaches, 1 Northern Fur Seal, and 1 fairly large Ocean Sunfish.
Sunday we headed to the North shore of Grays Harbor. Ocean Shores up to Copalis Beach hiking and eating our way along the coast.
Dinner was at the Blackbeards Brewery as the Lighthouse Bistro was closed. Good pizza and shrimp cerviche.
Monday June 17 our final full day on the coast: we stayed pretty close to home today. Breakfast was at the Hearty Galley Restaurant. Eric had the biggest and best Blueberry pancakes, I had the hand made Chicken Fried Steak and eggs. My steak was so moist and tender with a great coating. Checked out a new trail and a few we had been on before. Dinner at the Knotty Pine Bar and Grill.
Tuesday June 18: time to head home. today we drove to the Doubletree at the airport for our 8:00 am flight on Wednesday. Much better drive to Seattle than we had from Seattle. We stopped at Sylvia Lake SP for a very nice walk, then again at Billy Franks Jr. NWLR for a longer walk. They have a 1.3 mile boardwalk! we have never seen one so long. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel we dropped off the rental card had dinner at the hotel then settled in for the night.
Wed June 19: No issues at the airport, on the plane or on the way home! Great trip. It is a One and Done. Even though we enjoyed our time on the coast we don't need to do that again. We really missed the sun for 7 days! Not sure how people live there for more than a week. Temps never got above 62 and of course a bit windy. I prefer summer clothes over my winter clothes. We did manage to get 8 new life birds and see some beautiful landscapes.
Birthday month is over....
Awesome adventure.
ReplyDelete