Adventure day 3. It was a chilly night and I haven’t mastered sleeping. It’s so annoying; my days would be so much better with good sleep. I decided on a hearty breakfast and pulled out the skillet for a peanut butter and banana pancake. OMG yum.

I originally planned a 3rd night in Olympic NP, but I realized I’d had enough of rainforest. I live in a rainforest, I have mossy trees in my back yard. So I headed south on 101 to explore some areas of the coastline that are new to me. Timberland gave way to turn of the century port towns, their timber and fishing boom yielding an architectural legacy. I love these working towns, gritty and worn but rich with history.

I stopped for lunch in Hoquiam and ate my kale salad and hummus (still sadly missing that rotisserie chicken) on a public dock jutting over the river.

I took a short walk to stretch out my dose of noonday sunshine and admire the old main street, now a noisy truck route but once an elegant stop.

Back on the road through Raymond, Willapa (the Oyster Capital of the World), and South Bend. I followed enthusiastic signs to a historic county courthouse in South Bend, impressively restored, with a jewel of a ponded park tucked next to it.

I’d once seen a campsite listing for a county park just outside of town and decided to check it out. Sites line a bluff overlooking Willapa Bay, and a 1/2 mile trail slopes down to a completely secluded beach.

I’m trying to burn the rest of my rainforest firewood and the fire is just as feeble as last night. I should have sprung for new wood. I have discovered that my Rand McNally oversized road atlas makes a great bellows, with a lot of flapping on my part. I have to get some good marshmallow coals out of this fire.