| August 29, 2016 |
On a Sunday morning, I woke up and thought, “I want to go to Second Beach.”
So I did.
The End.
Just kidding…ish. Seriously, all I wanted to was to see the Pacific Ocean, and I decided driving 3.5 hours to the beach was well worth it. I’ve been taking screen shots of various locations in Washington for the past few months, knowing I would eventually make it to the mountains and would need a directory of places to visit. Most of the screenshots came from Instagram inspirations and creepin’ on fellow adventurers’ photographed lives. Little would I know that there would literally be endless adventures available in this state. I’ve been needing to calm my mind, recognizing the fact that there is no way I’ll be able to see it ALL in the three months I am scheduled to be in the Evergreen State.
But… I digress. It just so happens that Second Beach is my most frequent screen shot taken on my iPhone. I just had to see the rocks jutting out of the Pacific Ocean! Thus, Second Beach became a priority and I took the 100-mile, 3.5-hour drive from Olympia to La Push on a Sunday at 8am…
There’s a Part 2 to this decision. I had received a text late on Sunday evening from a gal I connected with in my Physical Therapy Mission Trip to Tanzania, Africa. Jess and I had connected over wanderlust dreams and synchronous dance moves to African music while in Tanzania, and she’s been doing an internship in Oregon this summer. We decided to combine forces as she was in Washington state for the weekend and also had hopes to explore beaches in Olympic National Park.
[themify_icon icon=”fa-map-pin” style=”large” icon_color=”#2dc6ff” ] Forks, WA
En route to La Push, I drove through the vampire-ridden city of Forks. For those of you who read Twilight (I admit I completely avoided the vampire era), you’ll be thrilled to see these snaps. The streets were flooding with Twilight paraphernalia, especially in the Forks visitor center. It was certainly cool to see, but I didn’t have any emotion attachment to Jacob vs…. who’s the other guy? Okay okay I know it’s Edward Cullen. And I know he glows like diamonds in the sunlight. I was forced to see the first movie with track team members at the time of its introduction to the world of vampire fanatics. Anyways, anyways, here is Forks!
And would you believe how far people traveled to Forks to appreciate all the Twilight glory? Take a look!
After getting my fill of vampire vibes, I continued on the path to La Push, Washington. On the way there, I saw a few signs for big trees. Intrigued, I pulled over for the “Big Cedar”…
And… it was big.
I passed a few other beaches that I decided to bypass en route to Second Beach. I passed Kalaloch and Ruby Beach before Forks, then also waved hello to Third Beach. The moment I saw the Pacific Ocean to the west of Route 101, I gasped! I saw seagulls flying in the distance, waves crashing, and giant rocky structures jutting out of the deep blue. I couldn’t WAIT to see what Second Beach would hold!
[themify_icon icon=”fa-map-pin” style=”large” icon_color=”#2dc6ff” ] Second Beach, WA
The short hike to Second Beach apparently defers too many people from traveling to the beachfront (rather, more choose Third Beach), so I hoped for a relatively quiet beachfront. You actually can’t access Third Beach from Second Beach because of the rocky structures reaching for the Pacific Ocean’s horizon. Maybe there is a way? I didn’t experiment too much.
The parking lot at the trail head was a little more full than I expected, so I parked in the grassy overflow lot and headed toward the trail solo. My Oregon friend wasn’t yet in the area, so I figured I’d get a head start.
The trail was mossy and filled with wondrous trees, of which my favorite was this candlestick-looking tree trunk!
The path was well groomed, and I was surprised to see people ascending with coolers and tons of beach gear. Some people even hauled camping gear along the path, and I envied them/almost asked to crash their party.
After about 10 minutes of walking, I heard the ocean for the first time. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was the wind, but when I closed my eyes, I could almost see the waves crashing. Descending down the trail’s staircase to the oceanfront, I was greeted by the most enchanting sight: DRIFTWOOD HEAVEN!
I recently declared my love for driftwood, but have never seen it so abundantly! At first, I just stared and soaked in my surroundings. Then, I sat upon a piece of driftwood closest to the ocean, and breathed in the wild air. I could feel the power of the water in mu soul. Having distanced myself from the Salt Life in Florida, I was reminded of my love for saltwater. I wanted to run in, but it was just a WEE bit too cold.
As I sat near the water’s edge, I pulled out my journal and sketched the rocky structure before me. While walking alongside the ocean, I was later presented with a beautiful starfish from other tourists who had found the deceased sea beauty on the shoreline. They showed it to my friends and I, and then mentioned that we could keep it. I was shocked! I held the precious star in my hands, and felt sad for its loss of life, but so thrilled to have it in my possession.
I probably could have stayed at the beach all day, and hope to one day return. Eventually, after numbing our shins by walking in the shallow waters, my friends and I parted ways from the ocean, and headed on to other adventures…
Thank you, Pacific Ocean!
