Spring Break--It's About... Compromise

The kids had spring break last week. Unfortunately, Emil had to be at work for most of the week, but we decided to take a quick two-day trip around the Olympic Penninsula. The Olympic Penninsula has something for everyone. In the past, we have spent time there backpacking, camping, hiking--in the mountains, on the beach, or through the rain forests, eating fresh sea food, relaxing in hot springs, exploring tide pools, building sand castles, etc., etc., etc.

For this trip, we had two specific agendas... Emil had been wanting to do a hike called Dungeness Spit near Sequim. Sierra wanted to see Forks, Washington in all its glory. (I said that I didn't care what we did as long as I got some fresh crab at some point.) So... Friday was all about Emil and the 11 mile hike. Saturday was all about Sierra and checking out all of the scenes from the book series "Twilight." In the end, we were ALL happy (see photo above). :) The remaining photos are in the slideshow at the top of the page. The resolution in the slideshow is horrid, but if you click on the photos it will show you a more clear shot.

Part I--The Dungeness Spit Hike

The Dungeness Spit is a five mile long narrow strip of land that juts out into the ocean in the Strait of Juan de Fuca (north of Olympic Penninsula). At high tide, the spit is only about 15-20 feet across at some points. There is a 160 year old lighthouse at the end of the spit along with a 100 year old victorian home for the light keepers.We left Olympia very early on Friday morning in order to take advantage of low tide for hiking. The trail starts about .5 miles from the start of the spit, so the round trip is about 11 miles long. The hike out was relatively easy because we were able to walk in the compact wet sand exposed due to low tide. However, we had such a nice time visiting with the light keepers and touring the lighthouse that we were caught by the rising tide on the way back to our car. The trouble with high tide is that you have to climb over rocks and driftwood instead of just walking on wet sand. Needless to say, we were all tired by the end of the day.

Overall, it was a great day. The kids didn't whine at all about the hike. The lighthouse tour at the end of the spit was great. Of course, it is always hard for me to decide whether I enjoy the journey or the destination more when we go on family hikes. It is great to be able to just chat with each other without other distractions. Sierra did spend a short part of the hike playing the loner teenager listening to her iPod, but she turned it off and hung out with us for most of the day. I don't think Joel ever stopped talking the whole time. Who knew a six year old had that much to say? Lauren and Braden always seem to end up being hiking buddies. They'll cover mile after mile just talking about everything under the sun.

The lighthouse itself was also a very cool destination. It was built in the 1850s and the light keeper's house was built at the turn of the century. The US Coast Guard decided to stop staffing the light house in 1994. A local group banded together to maintain the facility and preserve the history. Now you can join the lighthouse association and pay to stay at the lighthouse for a week. You get to live in the light keepers home--a beautiful victorian home with four bedrooms that sleeps 8. The individuals who stay at the home give the lighthouse tours and do other light duty maintenance chores while they stay there. Our hosts were a couple from Seattle area, a couple from Australia, and a woman from Salt Lake City. They were all very friendly. They told us about all of the whales that they had seen that week.

We'd love to spend a week out there some time, but it will probably be a few years before our schedules and budget allow it.

Part II--Forks

After our hike, we drove around to the west end of the penninsula to our hotel in Forks, Washington. Forks is a small town (about 3,000 people) where the economy is struggling due to a decline in the logging industry. It is surrounded on all sides by amazing scenery--mountains, temperate rain forests, beautiful Pacific coastline. Despite all of this, there isn't a huge draw to come to Forks because it is pretty remote. They are currently capitalizing on the town's notoriety as the location of the Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyer.

I have to be honest. I'm not a huge fan of the series. (Perhaps a topic for another post). I read the first book a few years ago and didn't understand all the hype. However, I now have middle school daughters who decided to read the books because all of their friends were obsessed. I have a pretty open policy about books the kids want to read. I don't restrict them, but I like to pre-read (so that I can help them process the content). When Sierra was reading the first book, I read the remaining books in the series.

All that aside, I think it is fantastic that Forks is taking advantage of their claim to fame. There are all kinds of signs, shops, and other gimmicks geared toward their new tourism industry. The hotel we stayed at had a marquee that said, "Edward Cullen didn't sleep here." (Of course he didn't because vampires don't sleep. :)) Sierra had a Bella Burger at Sully's drive-in. We stopped and had photo ops at the high school, hospital, sporting goods store, and other locations which are mentioned in the books. The Chamber of Commerce building has an old red truck out front (Bella's truck). We also drove out to La Push--the reservation where Jacob lives, and First Beach where Bella first learned the legend of the werewolves. Sierra found an abandoned campfire on the beach and had her picture taken there. (I'm sure that was where they had the bonfire.)

Anyway, it was a fun time. Silly, but memorable. Fortunately for the rest of us, Forks is in a great location for other outdoor recreation which makes it likely that we'll fulfill Sierra's wishes
and visit again soon.