We watched for hours as they soared looking very prehistoric - at times flapping and gliding just off shore in tight low formation - at times individually making that characteristic sharp lift, hang and dive into the water - usually accompanied by a gull that follows the dive closely to access scraps of fish left by the pelican.
The picture below is a mid-harbor fish processing pier, and beyond that the southwest, outer end of the harbor - taken from the long, walkable west wall. We spent a lot of time at the southwest corner where sea birds followed the lift from the steady south wind to round the corner - we found a place to set up our travel-table and chairs to enjoy fresh Dungeness crab and a bottle of wine, followed by a nap - to the sound of ocean and birds. Jack did some catchin' up on naps.
We learned of a "Dock of the Bay" jazz festival taking place on the weekend and extended our stay through Friday night to take it in. Of the many places to eat, we were most taken with King's. It is not located on the harbor strip. It was old school - friendly joking waitress and largely local fisher crowd. Oysters and eggs for breakfast was a hit, as was Friday night prime rib. Friday also featured Karaoke night and a small enough, and sufficiently libated crowd...
The pack checked the area for a good places to eat, and to take the big travel box on a future trip. We found some promising sites. We found a couple of good restaurants in Grayland, and a nice antique store with a great nautical section. Further south, as the coast takes a turn to the west to initiate the north end of Willapa Bay, lies Tokeland. One of several RV parks showed real potential.
After soaking up some Saturday afternoon jazz, we headed north. On our way out of Westport we had to stop at the annual Brady's oyster feed - all you can eat for $15. It began with big cups of oyster stew followed by a long table where experts with the oyster knife kept a steaming pile of fresh-cooked oysters available for the crowd. We surely got our moneys worth.
Proceeding up the coast we stopped in Ocean Shores at the Quinault Marina RV park at the very south end, then north through Copalis, Pacific Beach and Moclips. Pacific Beach had a nice park - we were told reservations six months in advance were necessary. From Moclips we traveled inland (as one must) to a forgettable motel near Lake Quinault Lodge, and had dinner at the lodge.
The next morning we made our way back to the coast - arriving soon at an Olympic National Park RV area right on Klalock Beach. It looked like a winner for an ocean RV stay. We stopped and cooked breakfast to try it on. Quite fitting, indeed. We arrived in Forks while two events were underway, a drag race and a "Twilight Festival". We stopped in a field at the finish line end of the drag strip. We could hear the warm-up, the start, and the roar of the race - all we could see of the racers was about 100 feet before the finish line and the slow down and turn around - right in front of us - to travel back down the strip to the start. The streets of Forks were inhabited by teenagers with heavy black eye make-up and purple hair. I wonder what the old loggers think of Forks new claim to fame.
On northwest to the Strait of Juan De Fuca, we stopped at a beach near Pillar Rock for a bite and a nap. We then headed to the Joyce Store (a must-stop for quaintness) and then an old favorite, Salt Creek Campground - several good sites there. Thence to Port Angeles for a short stop and on a mile or two to C'est Se Bon, a french restaurant that has suited our fancy for many a year.
Dinner was the usual duck, and was the usual over-the-top meal. If you ever have the chance, we recommend it highly. Faithful to the pack, we took a small offering to Jack. It was wrapped in foil by our wonderful young waitress. Check it out, below.
