We woke up Sunday morning and as expected, the day was very dreary and overcast. The sun was completely hidden by low hanging clouds, but at least it wasn't raining. So we considered that a good thing.
Breakfast was served at the B&B at 8:30 am every morning. They had all of the coffee and tea you wanted and then everyone that was staying at the B&B ate family style at the table. The B&B could hold up to 8 people and our first morning there were 8 people that showed up for breakfast. Until breakfast, we didn't even know if anyone else was there. This house had been specifically built as a B&B so the amount of privacy and solitude is amazing. You don't hear anyone else and you think you have the entire place to yourself.
Breakfast was a hot, 3-course breakfast. It was absolutely spectacular and the company was interesting as well. B&B's are a little out of our comfort zone -- we are NOT big talkers, but this kind of environment makes us be social. It always reminds us that the world takes all kinds and that there are some interesting sorts out there!
Anyway, after breakfast we headed out to the Dungeness Spit. It is a National Wildlife Refuge and it was fun to hike along the ocean watching the waves, birds, and all of the little critters out and about -- whether it be on the beach, in the water, or in the air. Always something to watch as we hiked.
Breakfast was served at the B&B at 8:30 am every morning. They had all of the coffee and tea you wanted and then everyone that was staying at the B&B ate family style at the table. The B&B could hold up to 8 people and our first morning there were 8 people that showed up for breakfast. Until breakfast, we didn't even know if anyone else was there. This house had been specifically built as a B&B so the amount of privacy and solitude is amazing. You don't hear anyone else and you think you have the entire place to yourself.
Breakfast was a hot, 3-course breakfast. It was absolutely spectacular and the company was interesting as well. B&B's are a little out of our comfort zone -- we are NOT big talkers, but this kind of environment makes us be social. It always reminds us that the world takes all kinds and that there are some interesting sorts out there!
Anyway, after breakfast we headed out to the Dungeness Spit. It is a National Wildlife Refuge and it was fun to hike along the ocean watching the waves, birds, and all of the little critters out and about -- whether it be on the beach, in the water, or in the air. Always something to watch as we hiked.
There is a lighthouse at the end of the Dungeness Spit; the hike to the lighthouse is only 5.5 miles, but the beach is pretty rocky and it is definitely an ankle workout. However, the one thing that kept us from reaching the lighthouse was the incoming tide. We hiked along for about 3 miles and then decided to turn back. It wasn't like we couldn't make it back if the tide came in all of the way, but it would be a lot of rock hopping and log hopping and we didn't think it was quite worth it on a day like we had. Plus, the 3 mile hike one way was more than sufficient to get the feel for the "Spit".
This photo is looking towards the lighthouse, but with the "bend" in the spit, the lighthouse isn't visible (yet).
There is a sheltered side of the spit and then there is the ocean side of the spit. In the next photos, you can see both sides...
After a while, the sheltered side turns into a protected area, so you have to hike along the ocean. However, the lighthouse starts to become more and more visible. You'll see this is the next series of photos...
On the way back, we exclusively hiked along the ocean and just watched the waves coming further and further in shore. They are quite spectacular...and amazing how all of a sudden a big one comes out of no where!
Here's a nice panoramic shot of the spit once we arrive back near the trailhead. It is quite an interesting spot and one a sunny day, we can imagine that it would be spectacular!
It was a good thing that we made our way back to the truck when we did. Just when we hopped into the cab of the truck, it dumped rain. Wow...that was a close one! We had hiked that entire 7 miles (to and from the truck) without any rain jackets or umbrellas! We hadn't realized how close we were to getting soaked. Now it was time for lunch...
We headed into Port Angeles for lunch and ended up at a diner. We had chosen a few other places, but they all had very long waits. Sometimes diners are the best. We found the closest one...since it was raining and had a simple, but hot lunch!
After lunch, and since it was still raining, we decided to head towards Lake Crescent. It was a really nice drive and the lake wasn't overly populated with houses, AND there looked to be lots of good fishing spots close to the road. However, the rain was still coming down at a pretty steady rate, so we opted for just driving. Eventually we did make one stop at a beach area, specifically East Beach. We were able to use the bathroom (very important) and take a pretty cook panoramic shot of Lake Crescent. Again, we could only imagine how awesome it would be on a sunny day. However, it looked pretty cool with all of the clouds hanging around and rain coming down!
After a day of driving around and trying to avoid the rain, we decided to head back B&B for a while and just get out of the rain. Plus, the US Open was on, so Kristina got to watch some tennis and relax before we had dinner. We would have preferred to be out and about, but with all of the rain, we decided to call it for a few and just enjoy the room. It was a nice place to stay dry and relax.
When it was time for dinner, we headed to Kokopelli Grill. It seemed a little odd to have a place called that in the Pacific NW...seems like something we would have experienced in Arizona. It was a nice place (although not as good as the Bistro we had the night before) and they had a variety of items on the menu. Jared had the salmon and Kristina had the crab cakes which was a good way to end the day. The view was great from the upper floor of the restaurant too and while it was a busy place, we were out of the way a bit and got to relax.
After dinner, we headed back to the B&B...another pretty successful day...considering it rained most of the day!
