I’d love to tell you all about my vacation to Hawaii or California, but there’s a problem.  I didn’t actually go to either of those places over Spring Break.  We stayed close to home this year, but booked a few nights at a hotel, just to get away.  We took a twenty minute ferry boat ride across the water, and after a short drive, arrived at our destination.  We stayed at Discovery Bay, which is close to Port Townsend and Sequim.  Our first outing was a very easy hike.  I was glad it was easy for two reasons.  1) I had just finished my antibiotics for the kidney infection I’d had the week before.  2) My daughter whines… enough said.

If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, you probably haven’t seen trees like these.  The moss covered trees line the hiking path.  It’s an absolutely stunning sight.  I never get tired of it.  My kids, on the other hand, got really tired of hearing me say, “Ooooh,  look at the cool moss on that tree!”

The trees in our area can be huge and totally interesting.

I can only imagine the creatures that find shelter in here, during a storm.

The hike was fairly flat.  (good for whiners in the crowd) There were only a few stairs toward the end.  Check out this bridge, made from a fallen tree.  It was a little freaky, walking across the river on a slippery log.

After a short (1 mile) walk, we arrived at our destination.  The waterfall was beautiful.

I brought my 50mm lens, and had a fun time playing around with it.

When I asked my son about his favorite part of the hike, he said it was throwing rocks in the river.  Such a boy.

There were lots of interesting things for me to take pictures of, while the kids were throwing rocks.

On the way back, we took a different trail (after asking the ranger about it), which led to a lake.  It was so beautiful!  The sun was just starting to peek through the thick gray.  You can see there’s still snow on the mountains, not too far from us.

Again, moss was everywhere. 

It was a short hike, but a good one.

Did I mention that it rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest?  It was a pretty muddy hike.

The following morning, this is what we woke up to!  It was an amazing sunrise.  My hubby, of course, was still sleeping.  But, the kids and I enjoyed the beauty of our waterfront view of Discovery Bay!

Ahhh, mud on my hiking boots and a touch of sun on the water.  Life couldn’t be better.

Next up, Dungeness Spit.

Dungeness Spit is a sandbar that jets 5 miles out into the Puget Sound.  It grows 13 feet in length each year.  It was an awesome place to spend a sunny day.  We were surprised at how powerfully the waves came crashing onto the beach. 

You can see, the storm clouds weren’t too far away, but the sun stayed out until we got back to our car.  Then the downpour began.

The night ended, just as it began. The moon reflected off the water and lit up the sky.  Now, if someone could just teach me how to take a good moon shot, I would be completely happy. 

There are so many more stories to share.  Stay tuned to find out why this guy is sticking his head in my car window.

Happy wondering!