We're Falling in Love - Maritime Museum

Part of our trip around America is to search out towns we wouldn't mind settling down in - you know when we grow up - after we are too old and feeble to be missionaries. I must admit, we are falling in love with this area of Washington. We really like the little town of Westport.

 

As you may expect, after our day of climbing and walking yesterday, we had a slow start this a.m. Michael simply hurts; but he doesn't want to sit around either. The rest of us don't mind alternating down days with busy days.

 

The Coast Guard has given their old station to the city of Westport and it now houses the Westport Maritime Museum. We wanted to be sure to visit. The hours vary by season - but the admission is once again - free for military;$5 for adults, $3 for 13 - 18, $2 for 6 - 12 and free for 5 and under. Our first stop at the museum was to visit the First Order Fresnel lens which was removed from Destruction Island and is housed here.

 

I was intrigued by Nathaniel Bowditch's log

 

These items washed ashore from Japan were familiar to us

 

The new exhibit is a tribute to a young Coast Guard member who died attempting to save two children. It was quite interesting to walk through the house and see how the men/women had lived at this old Coast Guard Station. It made us remember Uncle Nate.

Stacia takes a turn at the helm

 

Westport used to be whaling port - it is still a hub of commercial fishing

 

Lunch at Bennett's Fish Shack - yummy Veggie Taco

 

 

We leave several possible places to explore for another trip: Aberdeen Museum of History, Cranberry Bogs, Lake Quinault, the Coastal Interpretive Center in Ocean Shores, fishing charter and the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond - to name a few.

A Walk on the Beach

It is  usually cold, windy and/or raining along the Washington/Oregon/Northern California coastline. This is a truth we know well. We headed to the beach, after our lighthouse tour, armed with kites and sweatshirts.

Amazing! It was WARM. There was no wind at all. We walked and walked along the beach. First one way, and then the other, to the jetty. I logged 7 miles....the others were sure to be somewhere between 5 - 7 miles. I was devoted to WALKING, some were devoted to splashing, looking, collecting and learning.

Someone carved a "Raging Bull" out of driftwood....we thought the head looked a bit more like a horse than a bull, but we were enchanted.

Stacia and Nolan found quite a few sand dollars.

 

We walked up the beach to the jetty in time to enjoy a gorgeous sunset.

Nolan

Unfortunately, "someone" needed to find a restroom as the sun dipped below the horizon. She and I headed off - Michael grabbed some great shots.

 

Meanwhile, we discovered a restroom - but we were a good mile away from where we thought we'd be. I was glad when Nolan found us and walked back to the start of the trail with us. The lighthouse came in handy as we KNEW we were under the lighthouse when we began. We waited at the trailhead for Alex and Michael to meet up with us.

It was a glorious day on the Washington Coast.

Grays Harbor (Westport) Lighthouse

 

It was raining when we arrived in Westport, WA. The lighthouse keeper told us to come see him whenever the weather broke and he'd take us to the top of the Grays Harbor Lighthouse. Public Tours are scheduled at this time of the year Friday - Sunday from 1200 - 1600. You must be 40 inches tall to climb and the price is $5. Unless you are military and then it is FREE.

 

We joined the last tour of the day at 1530. The tour was over at 1600. Lowell asked if we had any other questions after the others began their climb down. We spent another 30 min at the top enjoying the view, and asking all our questions. We love family tours.

 

The Grays Harbor Lighthouse stands 107 feet tall, and is the tallest lighthouse in Washington state. It is the 3rd tallest along the West Coast.

 

The lighthouse began service the night of June 30, 1898 and is still operational. It is currently maintained by the US Coast Guard. It was originally 300 feet from the ocean. In the 1900's a jetty system was built in the harbor and it is now about 3,000 feet from the high tide mark.  This was one of our questions. There is a concrete pad in our camping spot. It was the original site of the fog horn.

 

There are 135 steps  leading up to the lantern room. The staircase is original and forged of cast-iron. The steps reminded us of staircases in Japan - specifically the Golden Buddha in Sendai - though we took the elevator to the top of THAT and looked down. LOL

Stacia was reluctant to climb but didn't want to miss it either

 

 

The lighthouse still houses the original 3rd order clamshell-shaped Fresnel lens. This lens was built in Paris - and it's inventor died of TB before he could see how well the lens was to work.

Tiny bulb - big lens

 

Today, this electronic beacon has been installed.

The flash patter of the lens was, and is, red and white and marks the opening to Grays Harbor. Navigators today rely on GPS systems etc but lighthouses provide an important secondary back-up system for navigation.

The 360* view of the ocean was spectacular. On a very clear day you can see the top of Mount Rainier to the east.

Grays Harbor Lighthouse was considered by Carl Leick, its architect, to be his masterpiece. Lowell said to look for this tile pattern in other lighthouses to glimpse other lighthouses Carl Leick designed.

You can view more photos of the lighthouse at the Westport Maritime Museum's website.

"A Fun Day in Every Way"

As Stacia reports, "Today was fun in EVERY  way."

We joined the congregants at New Beginning Community Fellowship, an Open Bible Church, for worship in Aberdeen, WA this morning. We were reminded God is concerned most about our hearts and before we can fulfill a vision to set captives free, bind up broken hearts, and heal the blind we must first be liberated and healed ourselves. Attending church allowed us to connect with Tim, another friend from college. We were also able to see Matt and Brenna (Tim and Julie's children) all grown up and to meet Rosemary and Brett, their spouses.

Stacia loved children's church. She is interested in their new series, "How to read and Understand the Bible," and wonders if we can't stay in the area a few weeks longer.

We had lunch at Mazatlan, a Mexican eatery with four vegetarian items on the menu. I loved my vegetarian burrito - different than any I've been served before. It was filled with veggies and topped with a veggie sauce.  Mostly, I loved playing with Ava!

The sun broke through today. We hurried back to the campground so we could tour Grays Harbor Lighthouse (Westport Lighthouse).  The tour was fantastic and afterwards we headed down to the Westport Lighthouse Trail and walked along the beach for about 6 miles.  (I'll write separate posts for those sights).

Sunday nights mean ice cream for this tribe. I don't have room for ice cream in the freezer. This has been solved with trips to Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt "buffets," trips to Dairy Queen and boxes of ice cream bars. Tonight there were Magnum bars - and all were satisfied.

Yes, today was fun in every way  - other than the Seahawks losing a game by 2 inches.  I didn't take my camera into church or lunch - so no photos.

A Rainy Saturday on the WA Coast

The kids pulled out their rainy day activities.....and we got a slow start. Many ask how Michael is doing. He's amazing. Some days his hip really bothers him - other days it seems fine and the tremors/tingling and balance issues of Parkinsonism bother him....we've come to expect the day after travel or hiking, will be a late morning. That's o.k. We're not on anyone's time schedule.

I used the time to research things to do in the Westport, Aberdeen, Hoquiam area. This was complicated by the rain. It turns out the Polson museum is NEXT door to the house where Julie and Micah are living. They'd never been to the museum and joined us there. Admission is $4 per person or $10 per family. The museum focal point is the local logging industry. Unlike most museums we've visited the exhibits are not roped off. This is a huge Victorian home where one is allowed to walk in each and every room and get close to the exhibits.

This weekend was the opening for a new exhibit: Sasquatch Revealed. Canadian curator, Chris Murray travels with the exhibit and admits the exhibit is on the "fringe of science." He believes this stuff. He gave us a photo of a Sasquatch which he'd autographed. We've not discussed it; but I know I'm still not convinced.

Micah, Stacia, Alex, Nolan - convinced?

Can you guess what this is?

 Yep - a bike for riding along the train tracks used by workman to get to a spot where repairs were needed.

Stacia was spellbound by the dressing rooms - filled with clothes from the 1900's and the huge doll house - filled with miniature antique furniture. The boys enjoyed the model train set up (of which we neglected to grab a photo) and the variety of tools, household appliances and the like.

In an outside garage is a new locomotive, which the museum is currently restoring. There are also various logging tools in this building. Michael spent quite a bit of time explaining the intricacies of this engine driven saw to Alex.

We left the museum and went to meet Julie's youngest sister Shelly and her husband Lonny. It was nice to see her dad again as well.

Our next stop on this rainy day was Rainer Lanes - bowling. What ELSE do you do if you don't want to go shopping on a rainy day?

Michael wanted this game memorialized.

Julie and I invested the time catching up. We missed you Beth. Maybe another weekend should be planned....I wonder....

We followed up our bowling escapade with a trip to Micah's favorite fast food joint....the Lighthouse Drive-in - quality food with hometown heart! It was a good choice. I was introduced to "fry sauce." Have you ever heard of fry sauce? If so, what part of the country are you in?

Reluctantly, we brought the day to a close.