We wove our way through thick forest for 2.5 hours, driving from Olympia to Ruby Beach. I was a grouchy zombie due to lack of sleep the night before (the hotel was situated next to a freeway, which created the effect of semi trucks driving through our room😫). This spectacular beach cured my bad attitude. Beautiful piles of driftwood greeted us as we walked out onto the enormous beach. 
Low tide was the perfect time to explore. We crossed a driftwood bridge and made our way to islands of rock stranded in the sand by the retreated waters.
Islands weren’t the only thing stranded—jellyfish, sea anemones, and star fish were all left exposed...and provided us the perfect classroom for a marine biology lesson.
John exploring every nook and cranny in search of shells!
Quick sand!
Low tide was the perfect time to explore. We crossed a driftwood bridge and made our way to islands of rock stranded in the sand by the retreated waters.
Islands weren’t the only thing stranded—jellyfish, sea anemones, and star fish were all left exposed...and provided us the perfect classroom for a marine biology lesson.
John exploring every nook and cranny in search of shells!
Quick sand!
This tranquil spot was just what we needed to refocus on our blessings and prepare us for another long car ride.....on to the mountains!
We worked our way from Ruby Beach north around the park to the town of Port Angeles, where we refueled with lunch before climbing from sea level to 5000 feet for a hike on Hurricane Trail. 
We were relieved to find the trail had been closed for repairs, but work had stopped for the day, which allowed us to do the hike—-all by ourselves! This is the most popular trail in the area, which made the lack of other hikers that much sweeter.
We were far from alone! Songbirds, deer, gophers, and ground squirrels kept us company thought out the 3 mile hike.
The ridge provided views of the Straight of San Fuco to the west and the Olympia mountains on the east.
Jacob struggled with exhaustion on the way up—and laid down on the trail a couple of times. It wasn’t a record-setting hike, but we made it to the top!
Gummy bear trading at the top! Swapping for their favorite colors.
We were relieved to find the trail had been closed for repairs, but work had stopped for the day, which allowed us to do the hike—-all by ourselves! This is the most popular trail in the area, which made the lack of other hikers that much sweeter.
We were far from alone! Songbirds, deer, gophers, and ground squirrels kept us company thought out the 3 mile hike.
The ridge provided views of the Straight of San Fuco to the west and the Olympia mountains on the east.
Jacob struggled with exhaustion on the way up—and laid down on the trail a couple of times. It wasn’t a record-setting hike, but we made it to the top!
Gummy bear trading at the top! Swapping for their favorite colors.
We made our way back down to the car and pointed the minivan to Seattle. The drive took us through the vacation villages across Pugent Sound from Seattle. Google maps tried to take us on two different ferries, but the wait time forced us into driving around on land. We made it to our Seattle hotel by 10:30 after eating sandwiches and apples in the car. To say we were road weary is an understatement. We created such scene in the lobby that people cleared a path and spoke words of encouragement. The days are long, but the years are short—and I know that in a blink, we’ll be the ones smiling knowingly at a younger generation braving the highs and lows of a good old fashioned roadtrip.
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