Joemma Beach State Park

In early November, my parents, my brother and our friend Kate came out to visit us for an early Thanksgiving. We decided to take a day and visit both Penrose Point and Joemma Beach State Parks because they are quite close to one another. We hit Penrose Point first and had a wild and cold walk on the trails where we watched the shore being buffeted by waves. When we arrived at Joemma Beach we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with calm air and still waters, such a contrast the beach we were at just at a few minutes earlier! 

(I was enraptured by the water's deep shade of green)

We ate our picnic lunch, strolled along the rocky beach, and searched the clear water for little crabby critters. The water was absolutely phenomenal; it was clear, calm, and the most vibrant shade of green I have ever seen. With the steely grey sky reflecting off of the surface of the waves, this beach provided beautiful artistic opportunities for me. My dad and I spent most of our time scoping out subjects for me to photograph and we had a blast doing so. 

(My dad looking out from the cove)

(The gorgeous, peaceful cove at Joemma Beach)

(Galen and Kate looking below)

(The beautiful bluff above the rocky shore)

(Poor Sean was sick in the car, so it was just the 5 of us in the picture!)

My family and I really enjoyed the peacefulness that this park offers in the off-season. We loved being able to walk along the wild, rocky beach that was covered in pinecones, pine needles, driftwood and broken shells and to gaze out onto the quiet cove of Joemma Beach State Park. 

For more information please visit: Joemma Beach State Park (parks.wa.gov)

Dash Point State Park

Hey-Oh! We're back! Sean and I broke in the new year with a quiet trip to Dash Point on a foggy Saturday morning. We were running errands in Federal Way and made a spontaneous decision to pop down to Dash Point for a walk. I only had my phone on me (the best camera you can have is the one you have with you :P) and had no plans for making this an "official" visit, which I think is what made it perfect. We walked along the beach in the dense fog and then sat on a picnic table together to watch the fog slowly creep off the calm, gray waters. There was a family gathered on the shore with white roses and a small box. As they scattered the ashes of their loved one on the ripples, we wandered away down the sand and allowed them to grieve in privacy. 

The freshwater creek flowing into the Sound. Can you spot the giant Flounder Rock?

Sean made the observation that this joining of the fresh and salt water is similar to The Columbia Bar where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean on the Washington and Oregon border. I, having the quick wit that I do, said that it's a miniature version...a mini bar! That's me: Queen of Corny Jokes. 

The fog beginning to lift from the shore. 

Peaceful beauty. 

(This photo isn't actually in black and white - the fog was just that glorious)

We found a cute little Jelly on the sand as we walked back down the beach. 

We think it may have been an Aequorea Victoria, which closely matches the physical

 characteristics we observed in this little guy. 

The jelly was such a beautiful subject, I love how it distorted the background and reflected the sky. 

We had a relaxing and peaceful visit here; relishing in the opportunity to spend time together and enjoy watching the sun finally break through the morning fog. We weren't planning on making this an "official" visit, but I realized later that this was a silly thought. Our goal is not to perfectly capture or document each park we visit, but rather to soak up the beauty each park has to offer and share our journey with you, in whatever form that may be! 

Happy Adventuring!

-Rachel and Sean

For more information on Dash Point State Park, please visit: Dash Point State Park (parks.wa.gov)

Lake Easton State Park (Our First Anniversary Trip!)

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Sean and I decided to camp at Lake Easton State Park. Armed with a small food supply, a tent, and our cameras, we headed out on Labor Day and found the campground blessedly empty, as everyone had already left from their long weekend. It was gorgeously sunny and a perfect blend of hot and cool in the shade of the forest.

(Our campsite at Lake Easton state park)

There was a burn ban while we were there, so we picked up a small camp stove at REI (thanks to our sponsor Bill Collison!) and the first thing we did after setting up our tent was to boil water. We're easily entertained. Once the water produced bubbles that met our quality check for size and frequency, we deemed the camp stove a good investment. 

(Testing out our new camp stove)

After the excitement of watching water boil, we yearned for further entertainment so we headed down to the River Walk Trail that runs just below the tent campground. The short trail follows the Yakima River, which begins again at a dam coming from Lake Easton, and was roaring the day we were there. The trail here only runs from one end of the tent campground to the other, but the short walk had a few pretty views of the river that made it worth it. 

(The Yakima River from "River Walk Trail")

For years now, it has been a goal of mine to visit the mountains in the fall to see the Vine Maples (my favorite tree) change from green to brilliant red, but we've always been too busy to see them until this year. You can imagine how excited I was to see them changing so early! When you're used to seeing the Bigleaf Maple leaves in Seattle basically just turning brown from rain rot and falling off the tree before changing colors, this was amazing. 

(Vine Maples starting to change color)

After a delicious camp dinner, we drove down a little road to the main Lake Easton day-use park and RV campground. There were still many people swimming and eating at the picnic tables there, so we sat down the beach a ways and skipped rocks and watched the clouds float by. 

(Lake Easton looking out from the beach access)

I was determined to see the sunset, so we hung out for quite a while and then moved to the boat launch area so we could get a better view of the evening light show.  

(Sunset on Lake Easton through a life ring)

Once the sun dropped, it became cold really quickly and a wicked wind picked up, but it was still totally worth it! Once the colors went away, we headed back to our campsite and because of a lack of a campfire, we went to bed when it got dark. Oh, camping...where else can you get 11 hours of sleep?

(Sunset on Lake Easton from the boat launch dock)

We could hear the river from our tent site as well as trains that would pass by us just on the other side of the river bank. I also heard an Elk bugle for the first time! Not at ALL what I would have expected. I heard a squeaky, strained sound across the river and didn't really pay much attention until Sean told me that it was an Elk. It was really amazing to hear it echoing through the mountains. 

(This isn't my video, but the first 10 seconds is similar to what we heard!)

We woke up early in the morning and decided to make breakfast on the lake, since we had a portable stove! It was incredibly windy so Sean ended up cooking breakfast from inside a horseshoe pit to hide from the wind. I'm sure people thought we were crazy. It was a gorgeous morning, despite the wind, and we were the only ones at the park for most of the morning. The picture below was taken whilst sitting on the previously mentioned horseshoe pit where I was keeping Sean company. It's such a gorgeous park!

(Play area at Lake Easton)

After we broke down camp, we starting walking on the old Sunset Highway to see if we could find part of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Iron Horse State Park. The bridge we crossed was built in 1927 as part of the Sunset Highway, which connected Seattle to Ellensburg and followed an original Native American trail that was also later used for a wagon trail. The road was improved upon in the early 1900s when the automobile became popular and people wanted a convenient and beautiful way to reach the mountains. There are some cool old photos of the original Sunset Highway, along with an article, here. I was fascinated to learn about this scenic highway but couldn't help feeling a little sad as we heard semis roaring past us on I-90 just a few hundred yards away.

(On the bridge over where the Kachess River flows in to Lake Easton)

Sean and I walked along the old Sunset Highway into the woods until we saw signs pointing towards Iron Horse State Park. We found the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and enjoyed walking on it a short way to another view point of Lake Easton. 

(On the John Wayne Pioneer Trail directly behind Lake Easton)

(Our "sign shot" that we took before we left)

We enjoyed Lake Easton State Park and all it had to offer, but after a while the road noise from I-90 was starting to get to me so we packed up and left the park in search of solitude. Neither of us had ever been to Lake Kachess before, so we hopped on I-90 and headed a few exits down the road. I loved Lake Easton, but was yearning for the natural "silence" that you find when you are tucked away in the mountains away from busy roads. We drove down the small winding road to the National Forest Campground and spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the sun on the shores of the lake. 

 (On the shores of Lake Kachess within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest)

We thought that Lake Easton State Park was beautiful, fun, and perfect for camping or day trips. The campground was clean, the ranger and volunteers very nice, and the scenery was gorgeous. It's conveniently located on exit 70 of I-90 and offers plenty of family fun in the way of a jungle-gym, easy walking trails, boat and beach access, a swimming area, and is close to even more walking/hiking trails, and all of the fun of Iron Horse State Park as well. The only downside was the road noise from I-90, which was very loud as the park is located just off the highway. 

We had a great time camping at Lake Easton State Park to celebrate our first anniversary and I am sure that we will be returning to explore even more of its beauty in the future!

For more information please visit: Complete Information for Lake Easton (parks.wa.gov)

For information about the former Sunset Highway, consider viewing:

• An in-depth article by King County on the former Sunset Highway.
• An article about the Lake Easton fishing bridge on the former Sunset Highway.
• The History Link article on the former Sunset Highway. 

Happy Adventuring!

-Rachel and Sean

(P.S. Happy 1st anniversary, Sean! I'm looking forward

 to a lifetime filled full of adventures with you!)

Location of Lake Easton State Park:

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Saint Edward State Park (Part 1)

(Little Z on the play structure at Saint Edward)

The play structure at this park is EPIC. Seriously, just take a moment and look at it. See the stairs and the slides, the turrets and bridges, the hidey holes and musical instruments! It's any kid's paradise! My parents used to take us to one like this on Steel Lake in Federal Way when we were kids and we could get lost for hours in the magical world that it offered us. Without even seeing the rest of the park, Sean and I knew that Saint Edward was going to be awesome! We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon exploring all that this beautiful park has to offer. 

(The epic play structure at Saint Edward)

(Such a champ! Look how high off the ground he is!)

The grounds at Saint Edward are very spacious and offer beautiful walking trails throughout. The property at Saint Edward was formerly a Seminary used by the Supplican Order of Catholic priests which was donated to them by Bishop O'dea in 1920. In 1977, the Seattle Diocese sold the property to the State of Washington for recreational purposes. (Sinotte, 1996)

(Flowers on the steps of the former seminary)

A short walk from the former seminary is this lovely place called "The Grotto." There was a sign that mentioned that it was built as an Eagle Scout project in 1996. It was pretty upon first sight but upon further examination (and the discovery of a stone angel) that we deemed this place "Just Plain Creepy."

(The Grotto)

(DON'T BLINK!)

The walking trails around the main grounds were level and easy walking for a kiddo, but we weren't feeling brave enough to venture on the trails that led down to Lake Washington with a two-year-old.

 (A beautiful mossy tree in the main area of the park)

 There were quite a few picnic tables and fun trees to scramble up, though, and Zach had a blast looking over the fence into the forest and stomping on dandelions. Sean and I will be returning to this park at some point to discover the 3,000 feet of shoreline on Lake Washington that are only accessible by somewhat steep trails.

Between the wonderful play structure, easy trails, and fun trees, we had a really great day at Saint Edward State Park. It's a great place for a picnic lunch, a little bit of history, and a fun day with kids! Sean and I are looking forward to the next time we visit!

Until next time!

Rachel and Sean

For more information please visit: Complete Information for Saint Edward (parks.wa.gov)

We have found a great resource for the history of Washington State Parks; a book entitled Oregon and Washington: A Guide to the State and National Parks by Barbara Sinotte 

Here's the link to the book on Amazon.

Location of Saint Edward State Park:

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Scenic Beach State Park (Our First Visit!)

(A view of the Olympics across Hood Canal from Scenic Beach State Park)

Sean and I deliberated over which park to choose to kick off our new adventure. Did we want trees or open space, ocean or river, east or west, long or short drive? We changed our minds a few times but we finally settled on Scenic Beach State Park on the Hood Canal. At the very least it had to be pretty, because otherwise it would have to have been a victim of terribly false advertising. (Thankfully, it lived up to its name!)

(Sean in his Captain Morgan pose)

Sean and I both dearly love the Washington State Ferries, so we decided to ride the one from West Seattle to Southworth, with a stop on Vashon Island. Fun fact: when Sean and I used to live in West Seattle, we would head down to Lincoln Park every chance we'd get and I'd always tell him that someday, I wanted to ride that ferry that took off from that dock. It was every bit as beautiful as I'd always hoped it would be! We stopped for lunch in Silverdale because we were both ridiculously cranky and then we headed out to the park in a much improved mood.

(The picnic space in the forest overlooking Hood Canal)

This park was so picturesque and peaceful. There was a picnic space sheltered by towering trees, another on a sprawling green lawn, and a sweet little beach absolutely covered with oyster shells. It also had hushed walking trails, a historic family house with a breathtaking view of Hood Canal, and secluded camping spots a short walk from the beach access point.

(The picnic area and volleyball net on the lawn of the Emel House)

(My favorite kind of walking trails; cut right through the undergrowth)

Sean and I got lost in the park (we apparently can't read maps), but we certainly got to see all of the park, parts of it even a few times over and over! We finally made our way down to the beach access and walked until we found a spot to ourselves and then just relaxed and stared at the amazingly close Olympic Mountains.

Overall, we liked this park a lot. We got both a lush forest and a wide open beach just a few yards away from each other (this is the number one thing I ADORE about Washington), and there was enough space in the park to be friendly with people but also find a secluded place when we wanted one. There was such an awesome variation of trees; Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks, Douglas Firs, Big Leaf Maples, Madronas, and White Pines, to name a few. The Rangers were very nice, but we didn't get a chance to really chat with them because the weekend camping crowds were coming in at the same time we did. I couldn't believe that we were so close to the Olympics and that they didn't have any snow on them! I kept asking Sean, "are you SURE those are the Olympics? They look so small!"

 (I couldn't resist the crystal clear water, so I took off my boots and waded in!)

 (Sean's favorite thing to do at the beach)

We're really looking forward to exploring the other parks in this region! We had an amazing time!

For more information please visit: Complete Scenic Beach Information (parks.wa.gov)

For camping information, please visit: Camping at Scenic Beach (parks.wa.gov)

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

-Rachel and Sean

Location of Scenic Beach State Park:

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