Trip to Rialto Beach and the pit stops along the way

I met Tajar and Sarah on meetup.com and we ventured out together to Rialto Beach from the Edmonds ferry dock at 10:30am. I have fond memories of Rialto Beach so the idea of going back there felt magical. We arrived in Kingston and headed for Hwy 101.

It was nice to have someone else drive so I could take in the scenery especially as we approached Lake Crescent. As we got closer to Sequim, we stopped off at one lavender farm.

We then drove a little further til we saw a sign that said Wildlife Lookout Point and pulled over for the panoramic view.

We left here with hungry stomachs and made our way to Granny's Cafe on Hwy 101 in Port Angeles.

Thumbs up for the bacon, cranberry, goat cheese spinach salad I ordered.

Next stop Lake Crescent for a very short hike to Marymere Falls.

Burnt out tree on the way. The hike was 1.8 miles through old growth forest. We crossed two bridges and came upon a trail staircase leading up to Marymere Falls.

Pretty cool tree to sit in on a hot summer day.

The trail takes you under the highway into this tunnel which made the best echoes. We made it back to the car excited to reach our destination. Rialto Beach was calling our names. 45 miles later the beach wind was on our face.

 I brought a plastic bag so I could pick up some drift wood and pretty rocks for future terrariums. After a little walking we decided a nap on the beach was called for.

Knarly piece of wood on the beach that I couldn't resist photographing. The beach can be so cold, so I came prepared with hiking boots, snowboard jacket and knitted cap! That is my kinda comfortable. Tajar and Sarah took off their shoes and got hit by fast incoming wave. Shrieks and screams followed!

We left the beach and drove back to Port Angeles for a Mexican dinner and a short drive to the Kingston ferry arriving back in Edmonds at 10:10pm. It was a long full day filled with good and funny memories. Well, one bad memory is Sarah got a speeding ticket right before Hood Canal Bridge as we were heading to Kingston. Beware of the speed trap right before the bridge. I had an hour drive south back to my apt. in Sumner putting me at 12:40am to bed. I was so exhausted, but even more excited that my alarm was going to go off in 5 hours and 10 minutes to hike Rampart Ridge Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park with another new friend.