Twilight Road Trip!
Lia and I went on a trip this past weekend, but more notable is that I actually edited the photos from it in a timely fashion! Look at me go!
I was able to motivate myself to do them so I didn't have to watch The Handmaid's Tale too closely. We finally started watching season 2 last night as I'd been putting it off because it's so bleak. And it surpassed even my expectations.
It's a very good show, it just offers so little payoff for the grotesque torture its lead characters go through. I don't know whether I'm just getting sensitive in my old age or if it really is pushing the boundaries for a major tv show, but either way, it's really horrific to watch in parts.
Watch Killing Eve instead. At least it's got overtly funny bits in addition to gore.
Thankfully, our trip was predominantly less gruesome — although there was some blood when Lia tried to help me open a non-screw off bottle cap with my primitive instruments I found on the beach I was attempting to consume it on of a rock and another rock — than the tv shows, and a lot more scenic too.
We went to the westernmost edge of the Olympic Peninsula. It wasn't our first time, as we'd been to Lake Quinault late last year which is out there too, but it was our first time exploring the coastline and the famous beaches. It was also my first PNW sunburn. It's what I get for enjoying the convertible car so much on the 5 hour drive out there.
The drive's so long primarily because the Olympic Peninsula is massive, but also there's no straight shot to get from Seattle to the westernmost edge of the peninsula. You have to drive either all the way north or all the way south to go around the masses of mountains and rainforests that sit in the middle.
But its these vastly different biomes that are what make the Olympic Peninsula, and the PNW in general, so stunning in my opinion. Within the span of one day you can traverse mountainous regions, lush rainforests, gorgeous coastlines, and even hit an urban metropolis. And they're all stunningly pretty.
Our destination on day one was Rialto Beach. Known for being close to the location the Twilight series is based in and for being an incredibly beautiful beach, it will live long in my memory for being possibly the windiest place I've ever been.
It wasn't warm though the sunshine was intense, and the wind pummeled us the entire time we were on the beach. The barricades of driftwood that sat high up on the beach, accumulated over many years, offered very little protection from the wind, and the sea was crashing about tempest-style before its waves spilled brilliant white foam over the dark volcanic sand.
The dark beach itself was a mix of smooth rocks and sand, which was unpredictably dry and wet in patches. Combined with the winds, it made walking about rather draining. With out energy sapped, the impression of this beach being the landing spot of a new world was complete.
It was inhospitable, but incongruously lush. The treeline went right down to the water, the outermost layer just dying off when the soil beneath them turned too sandy or the air too salty as the rough, untamed water eroded the land. And it was stunning in its relatively raw beauty. No doubt the views would've been even better from the vantage points of the bald eagles which flew about overhead, unconcerned with the human activity below, assured they were better suited to ride the winds than we were with our stupid skinny legs.
Wiped, and tired of wiping the spray from our sunglasses and camera lenses, we jumped back in the car to find our Airbnb for the night. We were aware it was pretty remote, as everything out there is, but had extremely detailed instructions on how to reach it, which already sounded a bit murdery.
Turning off highway 101 a few miles past downtown Forks, we began driving on a "primitive road" — or so a sign posted at the beginning of the trail told us — which wound through the forest, clearing and consuming every few hundred feet. The first time driving the car along the loose gravel track was a little nervy, but I grew to enjoy the scenic rally course after a few more times of going along it. Responsibly, of course. It wasn't my car.
We finally reached our cabin in the woods and to our relief we weren't murdered. The water wasn't drinkable though, so we decided to pop back out to grab some grub and a bottle of water. As we were driving back, me beginning to enjoy the twisty-turny loose track, we crested a hill, and were met with a stunning sight at sunset.
