Fun on the 101

To celebrate enrolling in Medicare and to do something we hadn’t done yet, my husband and I drove the Olympic Loop (Highway 101 around Olympic National Park) in Washington State. It’s about a 9 hour drive, if you don’t stop anywhere, but there are lots of places to stop. We thought we’d make a spontaneous three day, two-nighter trip this past summer.

We didn’t expect the profound popularity of this idea with people who had planned further ahead. Being excellent planners and retired were not “success factors” for this trip. Instead, the single vacancy at the Kalaloch Lodge on the Pacific Coast dictated our itinerary. It turned out to be a great one.

Lodging

My Mom was born and raised in Washington and my parents met in Seattle. One of my motivations for the trip was to see more of the places she might have visited as a child, or with my Dad before my brother and I came along. Although I live in Washington now, I was not raised here.

At the end of our first day’s drive, we arrived at the lodge which is located at the intersection of Kalaloch Creek and the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful setting with cabins, camp sites and the old rustic lodge where we had our reservation.

The room itself reminded me of several 60’s family trips where the four of us crammed into one room. The bed had one night stand and the coffee table looked like a bear had clawed it. My husband and I have spent less for nicer rooms in Tokyo and London, but it was clean and comfortable. We had a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean and were able to hear the surf through our raised window. The food and service at the in-house restaurant was great and the common areas included colorful Pacific Northwest style art. Throw in an Orca “plushie” plus an authentic Pendleton blanket at the foot of the bed, and I’d say it was charming.

Kalaloch Lodge has a live Lodge Web Cam where you can continuously watch the surf after you check out.

The Art Part

I’m not capable of taking a trip without an art related connection. In this case, it was learning about artist Judy McVay and seeing some of her chain saw pieces in and around the lodge, including the lodge sign on the upstairs landing (above.) McVay was the first woman chainsaw carver in Washington. Although the community of carvers was male dominated, she won several competitions starting in the 70’s and continued to compete in Oregon and California, as well as her home state. A prolific artist, her totems, murals and signs are well known and highly photographed in the Pacific Northwest. She’s had pieces commissioned by hotels, cities, Boeing, the US Navy and the Seattle Seahawks. I didn’t learn until after our trip that she had passed away earlier this year. You can read about here life here or at Judy McVay Museum Project.

Below are some details of a large multi-piece panel that spanned about 20 feet. I snuck into the dining room when it was closed to snap the length of it.

Olympic National Park

This park has multiple ecosystems giving visitors a lot of reasons to be outside; coastal beaches, rivers, lakes, mountain ranges and rain forests. Where we stayed, the intersection of the creek with the ocean creates interesting patterns, attracting sea birds, beach combers and photographers. I noted while driving round the area that, due to the naturally acidic soil, the hydrangeas were the most vibrant blue I had seen. The nearby Hoh Rain Forest demands a long wait to get in, but we went early and enjoyed a relatively crowd free walk through the woods to admire the streams, mosses and nurse logs. While there are lots of other nice stops in the park (Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, etc.), the rain forest and the beach were my favorite.

A Birthday Surprise

A Sazerac cocktail reminds me of a sunset. I was first introduced to it in New Orleans where my corporate office was located. One of my colleagues ordered me one in a bar and I was impressed. I would never be able to make a drink like that – too many ingredients. Just as well to keep it for special occasions. Decades later, I noticed it on a bar menu in Vancouver, B.C. and surprised my husband by ordering one. I admitted that, although I was pretty much just a wine drinker, I really liked a Sazerac.

My husband, on the sly, purchased and packed the collection of ingredients into our trunk before departing. To celebrate my birthday, he made me a Sazerac from scratch in our lodge room. With it, we watched the sun set along with other guests. Similar to how birds land on the shore to see what beauties the surf turns up, we all wanted to see what the departing sun would leave to the clouds. It was lovely, as was the masterful lemon peel.

Cheers to reaching the age of 65 and making new memories with loved ones. My husband and I travelled a lot this year and I haven’t been diligent in blogging. When we weren’t traveling, I was doing lots of volunteer work and taking writing workshops (but not writing!) I hope to catch up after the holidays. Happy New Year!