After I got home from Colorado, I left with my parents on a two-week trip to visit my sister in Washington. She was working at Blake Island State Park for the second straight year, and as we were camping, we decided not to postpone the trip due to Covid-19 (also, Washington has their crap together with the disease compared to most other states and the US at large).
Friday, July 10th – We left Marion and drove to Rapid City, SD, staying in a truck stop that evening. Nothing that exciting. I decided my first read of the trip would be Dune, which I had started in Colorado. I got about halfway through it.
Saturday, July 11th – We left Rapid City and continued to a truck stop around Missoula. Again, nothing that exciting. I surprised myself and finished the rest of Dune.
Sunday, July 12th – We left the truck stop, went to Cracker Barrel in Missoula, then drove to St. Regis Travel Center, where they have very good huckleberry shakes (huckleberry anything, really). We then continued to Spokane and Fairchild AFB, where we met up with my friend from high school, Meghan. We then continued to Ellensburg, stopping at a truck stop again. I decided to start The Chronicles of Narnia, which I surprisingly found slow.
Monday, July 13th – We left and drove to our first campground, Olympic/Port Angeles KOA. My family really likes to stay in KOAs. I prefer USFS campgrounds, but KOAs are more ‘civilized’. We set up camp and waited for my sister to arrive (which she did after I was asleep). I continued Narnia today, but also read and finished a memoir about a Chilean plane crash, Out of the Silence.
Tuesday, July 14th – Our first day of actually seeing things! We saw three forts – Fort Flagler, Fort Worden, and Fort Townsend, all Washington State Parks (Washington has A LOT of state parks). The first two were part of the coastal defense system in the early 20th century, while the last one is a little older. We also stopped at Sequim Bay State Park on my mom’s and sister’s quest to stop at every state park in the area to collect tokens.
Wednesday, July 15th – We made our way to Hurricane Ridge, one of the alpine parts of Olympic National Park (my favorite national park). Unlike last year, when it was cloudy, there were not many clouds in the sky today, which provided great views of the mountains. We also saw some mule deer and a marmot. I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God – definitely not my favorite.
Thursday, July 16th – Ferry day! We made our way to Whidbey Island, and actually saw orcas (or their dorsal fins, at least), on the way there. Our first stop was Deception Pass State Park, the most popular state park in Washington and the home of an iconic bridge. Then we went to Fort Ebey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, Ebey Landing State Park, and Fort Casey State Park. It was a long day, but worth it.
Friday, July 17th – One of the only rainy days on the trip, we went to several state parks along the coast, as well as the city of Poulsbo, which was founded by Vikings and wears its Scandinavian heritage proud. The bakery, Sluy’s, was the best park, there were too many choices. I also finished The Kite Runner.
Saturday, July 18th – My sister had left, so my dad and I hiked to Soleduck Falls and Marymere Falls in the morning/early afternoon, then we were at the campground for the rest of the day. I finished Enola Gay, which I had started several weeks prior.
Sunday, July 19th – We packed up and went down the coast a few hours to Willapa Bay KOA. We found out Willapa Bay is the leading oyster-producing area in the US. After setting up, we went to Grays Harbor Lighthouse, one of the tallest in the state, as well as a few state parks in the area (including driving on the beach and almost getting stuck). I was able to binge-read A Train to Magdeburg.
Monday, July 20th – We went to a few sites that my parents had been to, but I had not – the Dismal Nitch, Fort Columbia, and Cape Disappointment.
Tuesday, July 21st – Our first foray into Oregon, we went to Fort Stevens State Park and Lewis & Clark NHP. At Fort Stevens, we saw a very large herd of male elk right alongside the road. We also went to a few areas that I had missed last year, and the wreck of the Peter Iredale. We stopped at the Astoria Column. My sister wanted to see Cape Disappointment again, so we went back there on our way back to the campground. I was able to finish The Radium Girls.
Wednesday, July 22nd – We made another foray into Oregon, this time going farther down the coast. We first stopped at Cape Lookout State Park, which did not have any lookout areas due to the thick cloud cover. We then went up the coast to Cape Meares, home of a lighthouse and the Octopus Tree. Lastly, we headed to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock, which I missed last year when I was in town. This was also the site of a beached whale that Lewis and Clark used during the winter on the coast. We also went to the location of the salt cairn in Seaside that Lewis and Clark established to get salt to preserve food. The towns were busy, but not near as busy as it was last year.
Thursday, July 23rd – Our family’s dog loves the beach, so we took him to Pacific Pines State Park to enjoy some time at the beach. It was a little chilly, but he had a good time. The weather during our second week was cooler and cloudier than the first week. On the way back to the camper, my mom bought some seafood. She cooked clams when we got back, which I discovered that I did not enjoy…at all. I was able to finish A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Friday, July 24th – Last year, I went to Mt. St. Helens, but it was completely covered by clouds, so I had not idea what the mountain looked liked (yes, I’ve seen photos but that is just not the same IMO). So we made our way to a KOA near Longview, and then went up to Johnston Ridge in the afternoon. There was a little cloud cover over the very top of the volcano, but I was actually able to see almost all of the mountain! The wildflowers were just as good as last year, too. I was able to finished And the Mountains Echoed as well.
Saturday, July 25th – We left the Pacific NW and continued along the Columbia River, one of the most scenic drives in the US, in my opinion. We stopped near Boise at a Cracker Barrel, then continued down to Snowville and stayed at a Sinclair station. I was able to finish a biography about Wilhelm Canaris, as well as worked my way through Narnia.
Sunday, July 26th – We continued onto Nebraska, after a breakfast detour to Cracker Barrel by Salt Lake City. I finished Narnia today, along with a memoir about escaping Afghanistan, The Broken Circle. We stayed in a Walmart parking lot in Ogallala. There were not a lot of large truck stops that had available parking.
Monday, July 27th – We finished our drive home, nothing too notable. I started The Southern Reach Trilogy, finishing the first book, which took a lot of mental concentration.
Overall, a good trip that hit some places I missed last year. It’ll probably be a few years until I’m back in the Pacific Northwest.
Next trip: hopefully Hawaii in December, I might have a few weekend trips into Missouri and southern Iowa this fall (Covid dependent).
American Rubicon 
I went to Cannon Beach and Ft. Stephens a few months ago and loved it. Even one week of camping wasn’t enough. I’m going back to Oregon soon and looking for a place to camp preferably on the coast! Rachel x
LikeLiked by 1 person