Forks Day 3!

Day three began much the same way as day 2. I wanted to get up earlier and take another walk. I headed straight downstairs. The innkeepers looked a little concerned about my sanity, it was raining outside. I didn't care. I grabbed a coat and headed to the main st. Forks Ave.

I loved this decor, it's the driftwood from the beaches.

Sad little theater.

One of the new shops in town.

Our B&B was down the street from Dazzled.

We had decided to head back to the beach after the dark walk the night before. We wanted to get some of the rocks. There were supposed to be tidal pools, we either missed them or looked in the wrong spots. It was chilly on the beach, but we got some cool rocks. Later we learned we were not supposed to remove them from the beach, oops.

I was a little annoyed with the wind :)

First Beach has much smaller drift trees to climb over.

Just a tiny portion of the mass of rocks.

Just to show how little sand there was compared to the rocks.

The cliffs from 1st beach.

The one tiny tidal pool we found.

I wish I had been able to take the bigger rocks home.

After we dried off we got lunch at Sully's. My camera had died again by this point. Sully's is featured in the movie. It was super good and really cheap. They also have a small shop attached to the building. We then decided that we would separate for a bit. Brandy wanted to write and I wanted to walk. She ended up going on a run, but we missed each other. I walked back to the little coffee/consignment shop. I found a few more goodies there and had a nice quiet time to write. It was Sunday so they were closing early.

From my table at the coffee shop.

I really enjoyed my quiet time. After the shop closed, I wander to a little shop we had missed. I got a few really neat pieces. I bought a piece that was made of driftwood and seaglass and a few necklaces. It was so peaceful. I then headed home and Brandy made her way back not that much longer after. I managed a few shots before the camera died again.

Blackberries were everywhere and really in bloom, in September!

Another shot of the Miller Tree Inn.

I loved this barn in all three lights.

We went out to dinner when one of the best quotes happened. Brandy asked the innkeeper a good place to eat. He said "everything is just okay, pick what you want and lower your expectations." We laughed so hard. It was funny that dinner wasn't that great, but dessert was so super yummy. The restaurant actually still had a pay phone in inside. It made us laugh. After dinner we did some computer work, signed in for our flight the next night, indulged on yummy desserts and rested for the busy busy busy day that awaited us.

Day 2 Part 2: The Amazing La Push Beaches!

So I said that La Push needed a blog of its own. I wasn't kidding. After we did our shopping, we swung back to the room to drop off our treasures and change. We then hopped back on the 101 and made the one turn that it took to take us to La Push, my new favorite place on Earth! We were only a few miles down the road when we found the treaty line. Readers of the books know that this is the line where the Cullens cannot pass.

 

The La Push Side

The Forks Side

We drove just a bit further down the road and came across Jacob Black's house, garage, and some motorcycles. Again the little touches of this two towns blows my mind. Jacob's house is actually a rental cabin.

Not exactly in the woods of La Push, but close enough.

The famous garage.

Notice the mail box says B. Black.

You got it, another kind stranger.

We actually passed the house and spun a u-turn in the road to go back. We finished the drive. I noticed the parked cars on the side of the road for signs marked 3rd and 2nd beach. They were parked at the tree line. We passed them, thinking we would find 1st Beach. We were right!

Our first view of the beach.

Once we jumped out of the car for pictures!

This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was cloudy, but not yet rainy. The "town" is very small, there was the school, the tribal center, and a restaurant. We walked around snapping a few shots and hunting down a bathroom. I got these shots while waiting for Brandy.

The Tribal School

The tiny marina.

In front of the only restaurant.

I took these next set of shots for Johnny. I was laying on the cold ground, the one he likes the best is the one where I'm just standing. Oh well.

This was my favorite.

From the restaurant.

 

 

We stopped at a little shop hoping it would hold wares to buy, but it was mostly just a gas station type place for the campers. It was still pretty.

Finally we were on our way to the beach. I had read that second Beach was the prettiest beach, so we drove back towards to the sign we saw. I was a little concerned that we drove away from the beach and were now in the trees again. We parked, found a path. We started walking. Very shortly in we past a couple and asked to be sure that, yes this was the way to the beach. Hmm, I should have known. Oh well, I'm not a hiker, but I do love the beach. Well it's a 1.5 mile hike to the beach. This is the place I really started to calm down, to enjoy. We were here, we had made it. We were in La Push, walking to the beach. These woods were amazing. So peaceful, so ancient. Here's just a few of the 200 photos I took on this hike.

The trees really are covered in all green.

I just found this fun!

Ground level shot of the bridge.

Possibly my favorite tree.

Dang on slugs, so creepy.

The beginning of our hike UP.

We were heading on the downhill portion of the hike when we stumbled upon this great little tree. It was full of rocks and feathers. My first thought was the the tide had done it. Dork. It was filled with little notes, prayers, stones, feathers, even some rope and driftwood. I loved it.

The stones with the white lines are called wishing rocks.

 

 

 

 

 

We then turned the corner and saw the thinning of the trees and hear the roar of the waves and smelled the salt water. I could see the white that was the Pacific Ocean. It was here that all my worries melted away. It was here that God pretty much smacked me on the back of my head for wasting time worrying. It was here that I could listen and know I was supposed to be thoroughly enjoying this place and His creation.

The first glimpse of the Pacific.

The amazing drift trees.

So beautiful!

I loved that little opening. 

I was really excited about getting my feet in the Pacific Ocean. It was surreal and peaceful. Brandy was laughing at me saying that my feet would be all wet and sandy. Just a few minutes later, she got her shoes soaked and had to go barefoot as well. We separated a bit and spent some time alone in the peace that only a beach can offer. It was so relaxing and so amazing. We didn't want to leave, but we were hungry and still had a hike to get back to the car.

Brandy and purse carefully making it back to the woods.

I think this is my favorite picture of the weekend.

Feet in the Pacific

Me in the 'cubby'

Us and the cliffs. :)

 

After all this fun, we went to eat at the only place in the town. It was little and quaint and pretty good. The view made it worth it. My camera had had it by this point and shut down. I have never had my battery go dead before, just proving how many pictures I took of this magical place. We then drove back to First Beach to listen to the Quilette story telling near a bonfire. Problem was, we couldn't find them. We walked in the dark down the beach for a mile. Every fire we came upon was just a crazy group of people camping on the beach. Once we finally gave up, we realized they moved it to the community center. We could have gone in, but we were spent by that point. We headed home, got cleaned up and planned for day 3.