Look, I have two mini-me’s!  They are leveling and sorting books, just like Mama.

Wesley took on landscaping, and I never saw Dwayne, who was pressure washing the back walkway.

Fortunately, this time it was an itch to make a Brazilian feast, significantly less costly than his usual pyramid building.

From planning to chopping and cooking, it was an all day event. He made his favorite feijoada (beans with meat and sawdust) and mine, moqueca (a surprisingly delicious fish stew).  We managed to wrangle 7 children and 4 adults total, and still had plenty of leftovers.  Thanks, Babe, for the lovely dinner!

This was our explorations for the week—I really thought we ventured further into the middle! 

Last November, we tried visiting Hurricane Ridge but we arrived dead middle between first snow and first plow.  This time we made it to the top but the smoke kept view hidden.  So I took a few  pictures that will surely not show up on our Christmas  card.  Um, thanks, Wesley.

Our last stop before the ferry ride home was the Olympic Game Farm. 

We got a full show from an amorous peacock, whose choice peahen was not having any of it.  When this angle didn’t work…

…he truly showed off his tail feathers.

Then the bread feeding/eating frenzy started in earnest.

I had to wash off the bison drool from the minivan when we got home.

I have mixed feelings about this place, as it’s clearly not certified by an reputable zoo organization. But Piper loved it.

And possibly their favorite?

Sharing a chocolate milkshake!

Our last night on the road brought us to this cute little place.

While very small, it was still loads bigger than our previous two accommodations.

 

It was funny that neither bedroom had doors, but Dwayne and I claimed the loft so we’d at least hear them climb up the ladder-stairs.

I’m fascinated by tiny kitchens.  I had assumed we’d eat out, but when we arrived, I thought it might be fun to actually eat a home cooked meal.  (Grocery store was 30 minutes away, but so it goes on the Peninsula.)

The cost of this place was probably that it was right on the water (no beach, but the kids could gather seaweed from the rocks).

Coming from Forks, we didn’t have far to go to our next night outside of Port Angeles.  But we couldn’t be so close to the westernmost part of the contiguous US without hopping over there.

It was another short and beautiful hike.

At the first look out, we came across a Japanese wedding ceremony.  Didn’t call that one on Vacation Bingo!

We loved the views.

No one knows why Piper was in a snit this time, but she’ll tolerate Dwayne more than anyone else.

When I did a full zoom, I realized that we were looking at sea lions. How cool!

Not intentionally, our little vacation became a personal education in rentals—costs, amenities, etc.  For comparison, our 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath cabin, on Whidbey Island, near great beaches, stores, restaurants, has never cost more than $150/night (and usually much less), plus $60 cleaning.  I stock the cabin with everything I want—condiments, tissues, conditioner, q-tips, extra razors and Band-Aids. 

This was the cheapest place at about $200, and it was 16’x20’ and super cute.

Two kids slept above Dwayne and I, and Piper took the couch.

The bathroom was usable, particularly if you aren’t overly modest.

Between the kitchen and table, we ate out in La Push that night.

We really used it just to sleep in, and so our few waking hours were enjoyable, but nope.  Can’t actually live in a tiny home with 5 people.  Especially if you actually want to keep food in the house!

But the kids loved their stay, and wrote happy comments.

After leaving Lake Quinault, we drove to our next reservation in Forks, via the Hoh Rain Forest, which is an odd thing to visit during the driest part of the year!

And when we drove past a sign that said “Big Cedars, That Way”, we went That Way.

Sorry, Sitka Spruce, cedars are both more beautiful and more impressive.

The kids just saw it as another climbing structure.

We made it to the Hoh Visitor Center.

We took just two of the shorter hikes, and it was so beautiful…with lots of kissing bridges we put to good use!

I told Wesley not to go up to his thighs, but I think he heard “eyes” because he managed to get pretty soaked, and I forgot to take a picture of him.  Actually, he’s a good source of exercise, because although he hates hiking, he loves running through the trails…and one of his parents has to keep up with him!

From Seabrook, we began our 3 day driving tour of the Olympic Peninsula.  I had always wanted to stay at Lake Quinault Lodge, and it was worth at least $150 of the $400 we had to pay for a single weeknight there (just a basic hotel room with no phone to call the front desk to ask for sheets to make up the pull out bed). 

I wanted to maximize our time there, so I signed us up for a 3 hour van tour that mostly circumnavigated the lake, and took us back through some of the wilderness.  This was not Wesley’s favorite, and a poor omen for future travel, but I thought the tour was worth it. The tour guide knew a ton, and included the kids every chance he could.

We had our picture taken in front of the world’s largest Sitka Spruce.

I think it won it’s title fairly.

The drive was absolutely beautiful, and I don’t think this bit of humor ruined the view at all.

We stopped by waterfalls, and fed salmon fry in the streams.  In spite of the heat and smoke, we still caught sight of an elk herd!

He just wanted to play Gobblers with Daddy.  And Daddy wasn’t available yet.  So what else is a boy supposed to do?  There’s a quarter on the floor, a phone plugged into wall, and nothing else to do but unplug the cord just enough to see what would happen if he put the quarter between the outlet and plug.

I think I’m stuck with this coin forever.

It seems that Seabrook is the place to go for Washington coast, so we finally went to see what the fuss is about.

Two of the best things about Seabrook are the architecture and the house names.  This is Clamalot!

The weather never got really nice, but we enjoyed the beach anyway.  The kids are old enough we can leave them playing at the beach while we go for long walks (that may or may not end at an espresso stand—spiced chai screams beach vacation!)

Guess how many days it took the kids to get all the sand out!

We were there for the Gnome and Fairy Weekend.

Besides making gnome houses in the woods, they had a magic show (which was REALLY good!). Obviously, the magician is the one who blew himself up in the giant red balloon. 

Then the Not-Its did a family concert in the evening. 

I’m implying that I loved Seabrook inside and out, but I don’t see us going back there for years and years.  The cost is ridiculous and I just got mad that the darling house didn’t have conditioner for my hair, olive oil or ketchup, or detergent.  It’s way more than twice the cost of our cabin per night, with none of the little touches that make it comfortable.  With no close grocery store, and very few food options, eating can be an ordeal and Seabrook has to do better than that.  Otherwise, hang out in Langley!!!.