Five Girls and their Guy: Our Grand Adventure

At the beginning of the week just before Memorial Day weekend, I was looking at the calendar and realizing that our summer festivities didn't leave us much free time over the next few months. Between the upcoming Zambia trip, Summer Stock, Ragnar, family visiting, our church Rock the Block, a vacation to Yosemite, work, and Sarah's trip to the Christian athlete leadership conference....well...I just didn't know when we would do anything "just the six of us." So I got out my "bucket list" to see if there were any feasible local adventures we could have as a family for just one day.

The weather was looking to be quite warm, so it had to be mountains or water. We came up with a plan...leave early in the morning and catch the 8:45 ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend. Due to tides (really low tides mean fewer ferry runs and we wanted to be at the beach during low tide), cost, and the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend, we decided to park and leave our car at the ferry terminal and walk on the ferry. There's basically no limit to the number of walk-on passengers allowed on the ferry.

The maps said it was just under a 2 mile walk to Fort Warden State Park, which I wanted to see, and a little farther walk to North Beach & Glass Beach, which was on my bucket list. I figured we walk a while, spend a little time on the beach, get lunch, and take the ferry back. Well...the plan turned out FABULOUS except for one little detail I failed to notice...the elevation. Almost the entire 2 mile walk to Fort Warden State Park was uphill. And then there was more uphill to get to the other side of the park to the beach. And then some downhill and then some more uphill. And then finally beach walking. Suffice it to say, we were QUITE sore the few days following this adventure - we walked almost 11 miles either uphill, downhill, or on the beach! - but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING! We had such a great day and absolutely perfect weather. It was SO beautiful out and we just enjoyed God's creation and each other.

The first set of pictures are from my iPhone and the second set are unedited pictures that Sarah took on the good camera.

^^Hiking up Artillery Hill at Fort Warden...looking through the trees to the lighthouse, the water, and Mt. Baker

^^Memory Monument - a place on the trails at Fort Warden with poems and sculptures and things in memory of the soldiers who were stationed there, commissioned with keeping Washington safe.

North Beach & Glass Beach - supposedly you can find lots of beach glass here, which is why I wanted to go. It once was the site of a city dump, but was eventually released into the ocean, which is why there is lots of sea glass. Problem is...it's VERY tiny, which I didn't know before we went.

^^A few of the treasures I found at Glass Beach. Later, walking along Fort Warden State Park beach, south of the light house, north of Port Townsend, I actually found MORE sea glass than I did at Glass Beach!