Well Thanksgiving came and went in the blink of an eye, and next thing we know it’ll be Christmas. I think for a lot of us the holidays can be a challenge. Between balancing family events and managing budget and personal care, the scales are rarely balanced. After ending a busy few weeks of work for us with the Thanksgiving holiday, a spontaneous trip out to the Washington coast seemed like a good idea to recharge and escape.
The idea of a trip to the coast was spurred by a random craving I had for Galway Bay, my favorite Irish Pub on the Peninsula. We discovered it last year on our yearly winter trip and fell in love with its authentic Irish feel and killer traditional Irish cuisine. Maybe it’s the time of year that takes me back to our time in Ireland that makes me crave a little bit of Irish love during the holiday season. Whatever the reason, we packed up the camper rather than shopping on Black Friday and headed for Ocean Shores.
We camped at Ocean City State Park with Kaylee’s cousin a few years ago (check out the YouTube video here), so I knew it would be a good place to stay right outside of town for an easy $20 first come, first serve campsite. This is one reason I love having such a mobile camping setup these days. Versatility and easy to stay anywhere self-contained. After a drive through the full hook-up loop found us at campsites flooded damn near the depth of the height of a picnic table, we opted for the cheaper and much dryer non hook-up loop. Fortunately there was only light rain that particular night, and I was only slightly dampened through our stay. We kept it basic and cooked a Mountain House for dinner, drank some whiskey and beer, and had an early night.
The following morning was wetter than the night before, so we took off from camp relatively soon after waking up. We did our traditional lookie-loo drive down the peninsula to stop by the visitor’s center for a quick local history lesson and a scouting of their 9-hole disc golf course. I had my discs, but wasn’t prepared to weather the tempest that had begun during our drive so we moved on back to town. The loop back brought us to the local bowling alley not long after their daily opening. We’re suckers for a good few games of bowling, and we’re quickly adopting bowling alley tourism as a new hobby. Not only do most bowling alleys seem to have good cheap food and drinks, but the ones in smaller towns feel so much more quaint and one-of-a-kind than the ones in bigger towns. Kaylee and I tied one to one in bowling so we settled our tie over a game of shuffleboard. I’m a friggin sucker for bar games if you couldn’t tell. It was a heated match, but I prevailed and Kaylee graciously took her loss with a handshake and a final sip of beer. Shores Bowl is officially our new favorite hangout in Ocean Shores. Time to check on the dog and head back toward home. But not without first stopping for that damned Sheperd’s Pie at Galway Bay like we were both craving. Here’s my recipe for a good rainy Washington day:
2 shots of Jameson + 2 Irish beers + 1 Sheperd’s Pie to split + 2 pieces of buttered soda bread = a real happy, nappy pair of Worleys.
Relaxed and fed like a real couple of Hobbitses, it was time to make our rainy drive home. The idea had been tossed around a couple of times to stay out for a second night, but we hadn’t any plan of what to do. With a quick google search of parks on our way home, Kaylee found Lake Sylvia State Park. Only about five minutes off of Highway 12 in Montesano, this was a stellar find. Kaylee’s got a knack for this sort of thing and I’m pretty lucky to have her as my lifelong copilot. We got some fresh firewood on the way in and found a spot right on the lake to make camp.
This second stay was a real Washington November night. It was dark early under the cover of gray, a little windy, and one thing above all else: WET. Just getting out the awning soaked me through my windbreaker, hoodie and jeans. When it came time to get the fire going, I was already pissed. Hell, I didn’t even want to stay. At that point I’d rather have packed up and said screw it than stay out another night. My stubbornness mixed with my frustration and general discomfort had channeled itself into fire-starting in the downpour. My mood paired with a blowtorch, paper, dry wood and my axe was all I needed. Twenty minutes of rain putting out any small start of a fire finally let up enough to get some embers and a reliable burn. I was cold and soaked to the bone through all the clothes I had brought for our “one night” out. I was in such a “fuck it” mood that I decided hopping in the lake sounded like a good idea. We’ve got a buddy we met in Ireland that regularly dips in cold bodies of water for rejuvenation, and I felt reminded of him and inspired. So I stripped down to my skivvies, waded in and took about a 10ft. lap before I’d had enough. Kaylee came in clutch as usual and had a towel ready for me and let me her extra dry sweats to take comfort in. I have to say, that cold water shock actually did help my mood. Not only did I feel a little lifted, but the fire felt hotter, the clothes felt dryer, and our little camper cabin felt cozier. All in all, a pretty good way to wrap up a wet weekend. We let the fire drown out and retired inside for dinner, some cards, and eventually bed. I have to say, the sound of the rain on the fiberglass roof of that camper is a pretty dang good white noise. Too bad we kept waking up thinking we were about to be murdered when the wind blew and wiggled the roof vent.
Life gets crazy sometimes. Work gets stressful, money worries sink in, and the people in my life bug me. Usually at home I wrap myself up in projects to distract myself, but that doesn’t do much to relax and recharge me. One solution that’s proved itself time and time again are these little trips. My phone is usually off, dead or out of service and doesn’t tempt me with endless mindless distraction. New places spark my curiosity and sense of discovery and keep my eyes and senses fresh. Best of all, I get simple quality time with my little family. This always reminds me that I really don’t need much to be happy and feel fulfilled. I know it’s cliche, but it truly is simple things that bring me joy day to day.
Now that I’m feeling pretty refreshed, I think I’m ready to push through this last hectic month of the year. Let’s keep rolling and get ready to greet 2022.
