Hey Boo Boo, do you have the pick in nick basket? You know
the kind with the sandwiches, juice boxes and treats? I say that we do! This
morning I had a plan; a plotting and scheming type of plan. After hearing all
the reasons why no one was interested in a car ride, I explored google maps and
found that Lake Sylvia was only about an hour away. Hmmm…I thought.
You see, Ocean Shores is lovely. It has great beaches, shops
and things to do. But this year, it is gloomy. So, I suggested that we pack up
and see what we could see and find some sunshine. Rumor had it that you didn’t
need to go far to find it. Rumor was a bit off, but that worked to my
advantage. The van rolled into a mobile coffee place, and the natives were
stocked up and then the van rolled on…through Hoquiam, Aberdeen and onward.
Chuckling to myself, it was still a bit cloudy and there it was, the turn off
to Lake Sylvia State Park. It took about 50 minutes.
For day use, there is a $10 per car fee, which is done on
the honor system. There was a playground, change rooms, beach, and hiking
trails. The girls played, read and splashed. After lunch, we walked the 2.5
mile Sylvia Creek route through lush trees, and forest. This trail also
featured storyboards showcasing the old rail line, the saw mill and
homesteading while explaining the local vegetation as well. I read them, and
nearly got lost as a result as the rest of our party went charging on ahead
while I took pictures. Fortunately, Nana waited for me…GRIN. Once we completed
the loop the sun was out in full force. We chilled out enjoying the flapping
geese, puppies and downtime in beautiful scenery…with no fog in sight. The
temperature soared to a lofty 22 and I was quite pleased to read my book on the
beach. At 4:30, it was time to head back for supper as Galway Bay Pub and
Restaurant. I got a coffee at All Wrapped Up Espresso and Bakery on the way back
and oh my, that is well worth a stop.
On the way back, we were betting on when the cloud would
hit, or whether I had driven us all insane by driving for no reason. Turns out
to my relief, we hit the cloud back just after Aberdeen. The temperature
plummeted to 13 by the time we reached the parking lot in Ocean Shores. Ha, I
say to that!
Dinner at Galway’s is also well worth a stop. The food is
pricier but it has so much more flavor. The clam chowder was good, and I
literally couldn’t eat another bite of my Irish Stew at the end, which made me
sad. Nor could I finish my beer, which
was a sin as that was tasty too. The kids loved this place too as the tables
either had fun things to read on them or were covered with chalk paint so that
they could draw. That was a fabulous way to entertain them while they waited
for their food. It is tempting to paint my furniture like that when we get
home.
Today was an awesomely relaxed
day. I appreciate the need for fog and moisture, after all it is a rain forest.
But for hiking and relaxing, that is much easier to do with children when you
are warm. Just pack plenty of water, and be willing to think outside the box.
Sunshine made a one hour drive totally worth it!
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| Note the gloomy fog over Aberdeen |
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| Not the sunshine starting to show up at Lake Sylvia |
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| SLUG |
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| GRIN, I can find history anywhere! Old Saw Mill blade |
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| OMG fabulous coffee and goodies |
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