Long Beach Getaway

Joe and I spent last weekend on the Washington coast. 
We stayed at the Adrift Hotel with a view of the ocean in Long Beach. 

The forecast was rain the entire weekend (it is April after all) 
but we ended up getting lucky with plenty of sunbreaks between  
the systems rolling in one after another. It kept us on our toes and in our raincoats. 

We drove down Friday afternoon through pouring rain. 

It was still raining steadily when we arrived so we opened 

a bottle of wine in the room and listened to Andrew Bird 

(I love that they had an iPod dock in the room). 

They had jars for glasses, so I was pretty happy. 

We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant and enjoyed a smorgasboard of seafood; 

oysters from neighboring Willapa Bay, a whole Dungeness crab, and fresh salmon. 

On Saturday after breakfast we went to the northern tip of the spit 

and explored a park there. We ended up on an isolated beach. Not even a footprint. 

We then ventured south all the way to Astoria and had lunch at a brewery. 

On the way to/from we stopped at some more parks, including 

Cape Disappointment with a short hike to "Dead Man's Cove" and a lighthouse. 

 

We also climbed the Astoria column, which was a challenge due to my 

fear of heights. Really great view from the top, particularly of an approaching storm. 

By the time we arrived back at Long Beach it was sunny again and we were able 

to explore the beach in front of our hotel. 

We ate dinner at Depot, which was an excellent restaurant. 

The service was fantastic and there was a great menu. I would go back in a 

heartbeat and I highly recommend it if you're in the area (make reservations). 

 One of our favorite parts was driving on the beach. 
There are 28 miles of beach and it's technically a state highway! 
We drove during the day and saw hundreds of shorebirds and a bald eagle. 
We did donuts (ok, Joe did donuts and I chickened out).
We also drove back to the hotel after dinner in the dark which was exciting.  

How awful is my hair in this photo? 

Too bad it's the only one I have of the two of us. 

I think sun breaking through a cloudy day is so beautiful by the water. 
We really lucked out with the weather, even if it wasn't perfect. 
We drove home along the Washington side of the Columbia river and up I-5. 
It was fun to see new places in my state and get away for a relaxing weekend. 
Anytime I get to spend a whole weekend with Joe I feel extra happy 
but then Sunday nights are rough knowing it's over and I have to go back to work. 
I am looking forward to another weekend getaway very soon (yes, one is planned!).