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Originally Posted by Fox hunt
trying to decide where to go next weekend thinking i want to be on the beach but the parks look full. Seems strange for this time of the year. Not sure of where to go for short weekend excursion. any ideas?
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Hi Kate,
I just am getting back from a trip down south and after running up the Oregon coast to Astoria and Aberdeen I was looking at my map for a 'short cut' that I did last trip up. I cut over at (now I'm traveling West to East - perhaps opposite you) Perhaps Malone and headed through the 'Capitol Forest / Black Hills' to Olympia. All on logging roads with numbers instead of names. You can get a map of the forest that has the roads labeled through the State Forestry Dept. I didn't have one and just to make my trip interesting, I was very low on gas.
Anyway the Black Hills are so unappreciated. Yes you'll run into lots of clear cuts and perhaps snow as a result of last weeks storm. They have a pretty interesting early Washington history. In High School (I grew up in Olympia) I used to drive all over that forest but now I forget where in the forest.... those were the days ... ya know.
Otherwise, one of my fav's are the roads that back sides Willapa Bay. Love that whole area of sloughs, swamps and back waters. Great for viewing water fowl and eating oysters. That area is an easy slide backwards in time .... Just went through there today ... weather was beautiful.
One year, just beginning to figure out towing, I couldn't face towing past McCord, Tacoma or Seattleand all that traffic. So starting in Olympia headed to Stevens Pass, drove out to Eatonville, Enumclaw, past Electron (electron really?), and eventually ended up in Monroe. Gained a new appreciation for Mt. Rainier as she was out in full glory and right in my face. Point was to parallel I-5 but skirt all cities and keep them well west of me. Found beautiful country roads that reminded me of Washington when I was growing up. Great to see it still existed.
There are still some interesting almost undeveloped areas around Oly town ....
A little farther away but I love that drive on the Wash. side of the Columbia River. Circle around and go through Yakima (and the potential end of the world landslide) and come back via White Pass.
Speaking of landslides ... I have been wanting to do that circle drive from Arlington, east to Oso, Darrington, Bedal, Robe and back to Granite Falls. Beautiful on a clear day but now you might run into snow on the road.
Well ... here ya go .... now why did I move out of Washington?
Tom