Comfortably cool, but not too cold to wade in the surf.
Much of my purpose for traveling to beach is for the pleasure of walking on the beach and watching the kids play in the sand and in the water. Having 2 young grandchildren along with us for our trip to Long Beach, WA, we are enjoying it immensely.
On the first full day at our destination, we took some time to walk the short jaunt to the beach. At about 65 degrees F. we prepared for the cool temperatures by wearing sweatshirts or windbreakers. A short distance into our walk, we began shedding our jackets. Sixty-five felt warmer than I had expected it would.
Of course, the kids were oblivious to the cool air. They just wanted to run and play in the sand and water. There would be no keeping them away from all that.
The breeze was strong enough to fly our kites that we brought with us to the beach. I may have enjoyed the kite flying more than the babies.
I’m really not much of a “water person”, myself, but there is something about long walks along the shore that is so relaxing and refreshing. With 28 miles of sandy beach, Long Beach gives plenty of opportunity for those long walks.
This trip to Long Beach is during the week following the Independence Day holiday. After scheduling our vacation for this week, we found out that they are having an annual sand sculpting competition at the end of the week. I’m sure we will schedule more time at the beach during the festivities.
Jake the Alligator Man, a Northwestern pop cultural phenomenon, on display at Marsh’s Free Museum in Long Beach, Washington. Photo taken on March 29, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
After spending a week in Las Vegas, last month, I’m ready for a low key vacation. Sometimes, you just need to get some rest and relaxation, right? After we join our extended family for a barbeque and some socializing at a family reunion in Winlock, WA, we will make the 2 hour drive to Long Beach, Washington and spend a week of R & R. We’ll be joined by a couple of our grown children along with their babies – (someday I’ll tell you about our grandkids).
This will be another trip where we will stay at one of our timeshare Worldmark resorts. We are booked at Worldmark Long Beach, which is the newer/remodeled (and, I’ve heard, the nicer) of the two WM resorts at Long Beach. According to the description, they have direct beach access, so that will be a plus. I intend to take some long walks on the beach.
I decided that I would compile a list of things that I want to see while here. Keep in mind, that this will be a low key and relaxing vacation, so we don’t plan to pack in too much over the week, but we do want to get a flavor for what goes on around the area.
Cape Disappointment
On the Washington side of the mouth of the Columbia River and on the southern most tip of Long Beach, is a state park. I hope to spend a few hours at the park. They have the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, two lighthouses, Fort Canby, and if that isn’t enough, they even have something that they call Waikiki Beach. Let’s see if it measures up to the Hawaii version. I suspect that since it’s supposed to be about 20 degrees cooler than it will be in Hawaii, this beach will be much less crowded then the tropical version.
Oysterville
It’s a ghost of a town that was thriving from the oyster trade back in the gold rush days. The inhabitants of Oysterville made their mint by shipping their oysters to San Francisco and catering to the gold seekers. At one point in Washington history, it was even the county seat.
From what I understand, they boast a number of historic homes, churches, and other structures that are camera worthy and have stories to tell. I’m anticipating a walking tour of the town.
Museums
Lots and lots of museums. We’ll start with Marsh’s Free Museum. Their claim to fame is the alligator man they call “Jake”. It seems to be something like the petrified man at the Olde Curiosity Shop on the pier in Seattle.
Then there’s the cranberry museum and the kite museum. If we decide to cross over into Oregon, it’s not so far to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. I’ve been to that one before. It’s not so large, but it was very interesting. I may take the family there one day during our visit to the area.
Festivals
Depending on when we decide to go to Long Beach, there are a number of festivals and activities. This website has a list of upcoming events. They seem to have a year round party at Long Beach with a number of activities going on at various times throughout the year. Fortunately, it’s much more of a low key party than at Las Vegas.
