We visited Matt’s brother Shain in Washington state in early July, and we had such a marvelous time with him as our tour guide!
We arrived on June 30, and Shain picked us up at the Seattle airport and drove us to Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, about 3 hours away (longer if there is traffic). What a gorgeous and peaceful spot! We stayed at The Breakers, which were like apartments with living rooms and kitchens (we packed oatmeal, dried fruit, apples, nuts and granola bars). They were well-stocked with indoor and outdoor games, and you could rent bikes for $5 an hour (which we did!). That first night when we arrived, we dined on clam chowder, crab cakes, and fish & chips (with homemade coleslaw and tartar sauce) at Castaway’s Seafood Grill in town.
The next morning, we went for a run along the Discovery Trail and had a close encounter with a deer. Even though it was a holiday weekend, the beach and the 8-mile, well-maintained walking/running/biking trail along the coast was never crowded.
For lunch, we drove to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where we had more clam chowder and fish & chips (different recipes and also tasty!) at Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, which had ocean views on three sides. We also saw Haystack Rock from The Goonies.
Later, back in Long Beach, we walked along the beach, reveling in how few people were out there. It was so peaceful!!
After some ice cream at Scooper’s, we played Phase 10 until bedtime.
The next morning before checking out of the hotel, we rented bikes from the front office ($5 per hour–what a bargain!) and rode 6.5 miles south on the Discovery Trail into Cape Disappointment State Park, where the landscape changed from ocean views to mountains, rocks, and evergreen trees. Wow! We wish we’d had time to ride the full 8 miles of trail (and see the lighthouse) before returning to the hotel, but we had to check out. Next time, we will plan better! Oh, we also saw two bald eagles going out and coming back on our ride. They were perched on poles overlooking the Pacific.
We drove to Bremerton, WA, and took the ferry to Seattle, gazing at Mount Rainier along the way.
In Seattle, we stayed at the Paramount Hotel and explored everything on foot that evening and the next day, walking a total of 9 miles on July 3. We walked through Pike’s Public Market and Olympic Park along the coast (where we saw a sea otter or sea lion popping its head up out of the water) before heading back into the city to see the Space Needle.
We also visited the Seattle Aquarium, the gum wall (gross), and ate dinner at Ivar’s Pier 54 Fish Bar. Smoked salmon chowder and jumbo prawns. We gave the shrimp tails to the demanding seagulls on the pier.
All in all, it was an outstanding trip. We had amazing weather the entire time (highs in the 60s or 70s), our flights were on time, and Shain showed us a real gem with the Long Beach Peninsula. We don’t care if we ever go back to Seattle; but we definitely want to return to the Discovery Trail on Long Beach.
Otis was happy to see us when we returned.
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