A few weeks before Halloween we decided to head towards the Pacific for a day trip. The weather forecast was looking wet, perfect for a fall drive to the coast in Washington. Our loose plan was to explore Westport, which was now in off-season mode. It was chucking down rain most of the way to Aberdeen, but let up a handful of miles before the city.
From Aberdeen to Westport only a slight drizzle was happening. As we arrived in Westport proper, the drizzle turned to a driving horizontal rain, which is what we kinda wanted to be honest. Before exploring around, we filled up our gas tanks at Bennett’s Fish Shack. Fish, chips and chowder were decided on and wiped out quickly.
About a block from the restaurant is the marina breakwater jetty and lookout tower. We suited up in our rain jackets and walked out along the jetty towards the beach. As you can see in the photo above, the white flag of surrender was out, humanity giving up for the day against the hard driving rain. Some waves were smashing against the rocks with the spray coming up and over the top.
Arriving at the sandy beach, the waves were breaking further out. We were able to stand out on the sand, alone, and enjoy the sounds of the ocean all by ourselves. Even though the wind and rain were relentless, the beach was calm, if that makes sense. I managed to get this shot of the sand (below), undisturbed by human feet, so beautiful.
Walking back towards the car, we climbed up the observation tower, which allows for a break in the rain in a few walled spots on the second level. This is such a great spot to get a full 360 degree view of the area. Below you can see the breakwater jetty heading inland toward the marina entrance. And after that, a photo of my wife capturing the sights as well.
We left the marina and headed out towards Westhaven State Park, just South of the marina. We had no idea where we were going, but turns out that the beach there is a local surf break. The main Westport jetty looks like it creates some pretty good waves, as there were a small handful of surfers out in the gnarly, windy surf. I love to watch people surf, never tried it myself. I’ll stick to the concrete waves of a skatepark instead, the ocean is too powerful for me.
It was here that we learned that water proof pants are a must for us since we like to doddle around in the rain. Dickies and denim jeans were no match for the driving wind and rain. We were both soaked. Thank goodness for seat heaters and a good car heater, haha. It didn’t hinder us from stopping afterwards at a couple of the local surf shops. Where I finally, after 47 years, bought a Mr. Zogs Sex Wax sticker. Again, I don’t surf, but that logo is just so iconic, I’ve always wanted one but never had one. So yeah, I’m a true poser, haha.
Instead of heading back home the way we came, we headed south along highway 105 to Willapa Bay and the town of Raymond. After a coffee pit stop, we joined up with Highway 101 North to Aberdeen, then home to Olympia. A fantastic dank-weather day trip to the Pacific coast, which really is one of the best types of weather conditions to explore the Pacific Northwest in our opinion!
All photos made with a iPhone 5s
