The state of Washington hosts my favorite places: La Push, Lake Crescent, and Port Angeles. I have traveled to Washington nine times in seven years, and my family is planning the tenth trip in August.
Now, please do not judge me, but I did read the Twilight series throughout my time in middle school and high school. While Twilight was the initial reason for visiting Washington, my family and I all soon fell in love with the state for many different reasons (even the rainy days).
Washington is not always rainy and the rain is completely different than in Oklahoma. Washington rain is drizzly, misty rain while in Oklahoma it is big, fat drops of rain that last hours/all day. My mother calls it: "A feeding in Washington and a drowning in Oklahoma."
Port Angeles (right; Photo 1) is the town where the "romantic dinner date" between the ordinary girl and the standoffish vampire. However, the marketplace (great organic fruits and ethnic cooked meats), the amazing food restaurants (crab and salmon are popular ingredients for main dishes), and welcoming people are what make Port Angeles wonderful. You can usually spot a seal or two in the bay.Further west, is Lake Crescent (below; Photo 2) which has a lodge nestled between the trees and has its own chilling ghost story: Lady of the Lake. There are many activities you can do on the glacier-filled lake: kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding. If you are brave enough, you can even jump into the lake off the dock, but only in the summer time (I've done it!).
Finally, the town of La Push is a Native American reservation. The picture (below, Photo 3) depicts James Island or Akalat in the Quileute language. Only a few non-Natives are allowed to step on this island since it is extremely important to the Quileute tribe. The island holds a ceremonial burial ground for only high positioned individuals of the tribe.
There is no cell reception in La Push!
La Push has many beaches, but the ones I like comes with hikes. The resort looks out onto First Beach, and one can walk right onto it. All La Push beaches have driftwood pushed together where high tide stops. When I say driftwood, I mean fully sized trees.
Second Beach has about a 30-minute hike to the beach while Third Beach has about an hour hike. The hikes are beautiful. I have seen cougar tracks on the trail and elk and deer herds off the trails hiding behind the trees. Sometimes, I can hear the tall trees whine as they bend with the wind.
As I drive to La Push, the trees grow larger and thicker. I might catch a glimpse of a herd of elk or deer as the trees blur together. At a certain point into the drive, I'll lose cell reception and the weight of work and school emails, texts, social media notifications lift off my shoulders. The forest ground becomes dense with fallen, moss-covered trees and I lose myself in the endless shades of green until the sight of the gray ocean reveals itself from the cover of trees.
This is why La Push is one of my favorite places. This is a world without the distraction and responsibility of technology; I am rejuvenated when I breathe and taste the salty air. When I feel my feet sink into the sand. When I hear the trickle of streams on the trails or the breaking of waves against the beach When I spy the wildlife trekking across the thick, mossy foliage. There is beauty in those small, worldly moments.
Bibliography/Resources:
Photo 1: Port Angeles Pier by photographer Jonathan Miske
Photo 2: Lake Crescent Spring: Wikimedia Commons
Photo 3: Personal photo of James Island, First Beach, La Push, WA; photo from December 2016.
Photo 4: Personal photo of root system, First Beach, La Push, WA; photo from December 2016.
Photo 5: Personal photo of Second Beach Trail 1, La Push, WA; photo from August 2016.
Photo 6: Personal photo of Second Beach Trail 2, La Push, WA; photo from December 2016.
Photo 7: Personal photo of James Island and sunset, First Beach, La Push, WA; photo from December 2016.
Oh, I share your love of that part of the country too, Lauren! We lived in both Washington and Oregon when I was growing up, and I have enjoyed all my visits back there too. And Vancouver: a great city of the northwest! Thank you for all the beautiful photos. Maybe you will want to do a project on the Native myths and legends from that part of the world; you can find lots of online story collections in the Native American section of the Freebookapalooza of free online books. So much good stuff!
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