Roosevelt Beach near Pacific Beach Washington

The forecast for the weekend was excellent. We are having an early spring and the prediction was for sun and temperatures around 60 degrees.

The drive to Ocean Shores takes about 2 1/2 hours from Seattle. As you head west from Olympia, the road narrows and the houses become sparser and the moss thicker. This area is one of the wetest areas of Washington. We were so happy it was not raining.

We made a brief stop in Montesano. I wanted to pick up some cracked corn for Mr and Mrs Duck who is back again this year. It would also be an opportunity to check out Lake Sylvia State Park. The feed store was fun – they had a bunch of chicks under lights. Lake Sylvia was okay. It looked like it had a couple of good trails but it is too far of a drive for a winter hike.

We got to Ocean Shores just about at 1pm and decided to stop at Brenners for fish and chips. It was really a bad idea. They were super crowded and it took almost an hour for our food. We even had to sit on their outdoor patio which was freezing even with the propane heaters. After all the wait, it wasn’t that good.

Next we headed to Elk Head Brewery for a beer and to fill the growler. It was a funky little brewery with about 6 taps and some crazy locals. The beer is brewed mostly in Buckley and is not too bad.

Grays Harbor Country Courthouse Montesano

Elk Head Taproom

Elk Head Taproom Ocean Shores

We headed on up to Pacific getting to the rental just a bit after 4pm. We turned on the heat, unloaded the car and then headed to find the beach which was actually very close. We drove out onto the hard packed sand to watch the sundown.

The rental is very well equipped and nicely remodeled. We settled to stream some TV on Netflix. I suggested “The Fall” which was very good. We binged the 1st season over the weekend.

First Sunset at Pacific Beach

Sunday morning was a little foggy and I headed to the beach for a run. I love running on the beach and I was able to run to Moclips which was about 1.5 miles/3.0 RT.

We discussed our options over breakfast and decided to go inland to Lake Quinault and see a little rainforest. It took about 30-45 minutes to drive to Lake Quinault. We stopped at the nature trail near the lodge which has an awesome mossy fern lined gorge. We took our sandwiches and walked to the picnic area next to the lake. We were lucky to find a place in the sun because otherwise it was pretty cold.

Lake Quinault

Rain Forest Gorge

Rain Forest

We headed back to the coast which by now was in brilliant winter sunshine. We did a short drive through Seabrook which is very much as Sunset Magazine Idea village. It is a perfect place to stay with a family with lots of bike trails and stairs down to the beach. Next we drove to Roosevelt Beach which is one of the most beautiful beaches. Orange tree topped bluffs line the beach which is perfect for driving. We parked about half way down to Copalis Rock and pulled over to nap in the warm sunlight. We were not alone. Several other parties had the same idea.

Roosevelt Beach

We headed back to the cottage for an early dinner before heading back to Pacific beach to watch an absolutely gorgeous sunset.

Monday it was time to leave. We cleaned up the cottage and then headed back to Ocean Shores after another stop at Roosevelt beach to say goodbye. The beach was now almost empty but for a couple of walkers. Ocean Shores meanwhile was still busy. We drove to the North Jetty before heading back. We were in Tacoma by 1pm and time for lunch and beer at Park Way Tavern before driving home to our kitties.

Park Way Tavern – Tacoma

Our Final Sunset at the Pacific Beach on Sunday Feb 15th