Where the Wind Blows

Yesterday was another dreary day, which created yet another call for altered plans.  We tried to ignore the rain at first…convincing ourselves that it wasn’t really happening.  After all, we had spent so much time planning our exact hiking routes for the day and had found two loops that looked to be amazing through the Hurricane Ridge area.  We set out for Marymere Falls, a 90-foot cascade at the end of a short trail near Crescent Lake, where we were staying.  Getting out of the truck, it wasn’t raining at all and we convinced ourselves that we did not need our rain gear for this short trek – and off we went.

Shortly before reaching the falls, it began to spit.  This dreary spitting is more unfamiliar to us in the Southeast or in Texas, where the afternoon thunderstorms bring deluge rain – especially in the summer.  But here, it seems to spit.  At first you don’t really notice it, but after ten minutes or so, you become covered in a shroud of mist that is not unlike a watery second skin (especially without your rain gear).  So we grabbed a few quick shots of the falls and headed back to the truck.  Misty outer layer brushed off and truck doors closed, we began to develop an alternate plan.

Those of you who know me (and generally all of us) know that I am not an expert at spontaneity.  I thrive on organization, plans, and spreadsheets – all neatly buttoned up far in advance.  So these days of “going where the winds blow you” challenge me.  But what could we do?  The weather is what it will be.  We headed toward the national park visitor center in Port Angeles to check off having the kids sworn in as Junior Rangers for the thirty-somethingth time and ask a few questions about wildlife we had seen over the last several days.  I especially enjoyed learning more about the Elhwa River Restoration Project we had read so much about – the tearing down of the both the Elhwa Dam and the Glines Canyon Dam to once again allow the mighty river to run free.

Downtown Port Angeles was our next stop.  While working our way toward the downtown visitor’s center, we stumbled across a local farmer’s market and decided to stop.  Wandering from booth to booth was a visual and olfactory extravaganza – bright colors, the smell of fresh herbs, fruits, and bouquets of fresh flowers at every turn.  We sampled and browsed until we settled on a few things that created a dinner inspiration – rainbow swiss chard, garlic scapes, organic raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, and various fresh herbs.  Later we found an amazing local market with other organic goodies and locally sourced cheese, sausage, salmon and other vegetables to complete a couple of dinners – yummy!

We had lunch at a local downtown restaurant – all agreeing that their clam chowder was some of the best we have ever had (although I think it was a first-time try for both kids).  We wandered through a local outfitter – Abby trying on new daypacks and Matt picking up some new waterproofing for his hiking boots.  We even found a small used bookstore where the kids browsed around for additional summer reading and Abby found a book to try.

It was an afternoon of going where the wind blew us – and we were rewarded with a scrumptious frittata made with the local ingredients we had picked up, all of which Abby spent the afternoon chopping (even better).  And at the end of the day, we can now add culinary adventures to our list of experiences… I think I could get used to this.