June 29th - July 2nd - Kalaloch, WA

The first portion of our trip was a family gathering at the Washington coast.  This event had been planned for awhile, as my brother, Glen, and his family were planning to fly out from North Carolina and wanted us all to go to Kalaloch together.  I've been going to Kalaloch and the Olympic coastline since I was a kid, and now my own family tries to get out there at least once a year.  We rented a pair of cabins just north of Queets called the Sea Crest cabins.  These cabins are situated in the middle of several acres right on the bluff.  There is some camping allowed on the property, but basically, these cabins are very isolated.  It was perfect.

The view from our cabin.  Not bad.

My kids were so excited to see all of their Neff cousins, they could hardly stand it. They were not disappointed. All seven cousins spent a good deal of time together, and I know they will remember this for a long time.

On Sunday, we all drove up to Beach 3, just north of Kalaloch.  It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day.  There is a perfect little fresh water swimming hole at this beach, so the kids spent most of the time in the water.  We did go climbing around on the rocks and exploring some tide pools.  We spent a fairly lazy afternoon back at beach and on the bluff around the cabins before feasting on sockeye salmon on the bluff.

Monday, we took a trip to the Hoh Rainforest.  I've never actually been there when it has rained, but it is usually at least overcast.  This time, it was completely clear and in the low 80s.  We took a short, leisurely hike through the Trail of Mosses with all the kids.  Afterward, we drove to Kalaloch Lodge and enjoyed a nice lunch with everyone.  The clouds never really lifted at the coast, so we spent the rest of the afternoon staying fairly close to the cabins with our jackets on.

Today, we packed up, bid Glen, Kathleen and the kids farewell, and drove south.  Originally, we had intended to head inland a bit, but knowing that a heat wave is affecting the interior, we decided to stick to the coast.  We've landed in Seaside, Oregon for the night.