Day 7 - Lake Quinault, WA - Astoria, OR

The Lake Quinault Lodge is old and as such, there are squeaks, creaks, and the rooms are heated by the original steam radiator system.  My room was in the original lodge on the 2nd story, which meant I constantly felt the need to walk softly as not to disturb those beneath me.  The lodge itself was amazing, full of charm, and I awoke with a wonderful view out my window.

We began the day with a drive around the lake where we passed Falls Creek, Merriman, and Bunch Creek Falls.  All three were flowing with snow melt and recent rains, making the air blow a chilled wind as I approached.  Along the way we were treated to an amazing look at the Olympic Mountains in the background while the Quinault River was in the foreground.  Old, old trees lined the path covered in the neon yellow-green moss to which we've grown accustomed.  We also found "Mongo the Mossquatch," a creation of a local artist.  After our tour, it was lunchtime so we returned to the lodge to dine in the Roosevelt Room, which hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.

Our journey continued south down the Washington coast as the beaches changed into ones that more closely resembled those I saw in North Carolina last year.  Apparently digging for razor clams is a big thing here and one beach was littered with dead ones (and smelled horrendous).

We soon came across a planned community called Seabrook.  The neighborhood is very reminiscent of the Hendrix Village or Seaside, FL, but this one was kinda spooky.  The houses were very close together and everything looked planned, right down to the signs.  Honestly, Jim Carrey could have walked out any of the doors as Truman and we wouldn't have thought it odd.  The architecture was nice, however.

We snaked our way down into the southwestern part of the state and were soon approaching our final stop for today:  Astoria, Oregon.  This meant I have now scratched one more state off my "to-visit" list.  Only 3 to go now...I'm looking at you, the Dakotas and Alaska.  Our hotel is right underneath the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.  It spans the Columbia River and was featured in the movies Short Circuit and The Goonies!