Pacific Beach State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip: Day 3

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 3

Yurt Camping, March 10, 11, 12, 13 in 2025

Yurt Camping in the Pacific Northwest
Tips, Information, Locations, Experiences
Oregon and Washington
Off Season Camping
By Michael P. Garofalo

During this camping trip, I visited all these small towns and villages (along a 30 mile stretch of Washington road 109) along the southwestern Washington coast: Ocean Shores, Oyehut, Ocean City, Copalis Beach, Friday-Griggs State Park, Iron Springs, Ocean Grove, Seabrook, Pacific Beach, Moclips, Qui-nai-elt Village, and the Quinault Indian Nation town of Taholah. 

Along Highway 101, I visited: Olympia, Aberdeen, Hoquaim, Lake Quinault, Queets River, and Kalaloch. I ate dinners at the nearby Seabrook restaurants, and meals in Olympia, Hoquaim, Ocean Shores, and the Lake Quinault Lodge.

Generally, comfortable weather from 40-505 F, little wind, and intermittent light to moderate rain. Lovely cloudy and misty skies. Full moon at night.

A few dogwoods in bloom amidst the leafless deciduous branches and evergreen firs, cedars, spruces, and pines.

Internet Photographs:

Aberdeen to Olympia, WA

 More Details and Photos to Follow.

Drive from Westport to Aberdeen, then to Olympia, then to Vancouver.

Pacific Beach State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip: Day 4

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 4

Yurt Camping, March 10, 11, 12, 13 in 2025

Yurt Camping in the Pacific Northwest
Tips, Information, Locations, Experiences
Oregon and Washington
Off Season Camping
By Michael P. Garofalo

Drive home from Pacific Beach to Vancouver.

Stopped a the Black Lake Boulevard shopping complex and Capitol Mall. This is a few miles west of Olympia. I browsed the very large Barnes and Noble Bookstore, and the nearby Half-Price Books. Excellent meal at a Japanese restaurant next to the bookstores. Purchased $100 in books and magazines. 

Interstate 5 South to Vancouver was relatively uncrowded today. 

Saw four accidents this trip: overturned truck that lost all its load, overturned car, a serious fender bender, and a  dramatic house fire incident in Hoquiam with many fire trucks.

Home before 3 pm. Unpacked!

Pacific Beach State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip: Day 2

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 3

Yurt Camping, March 10, 11, 12, 13 in 2025

Yurt Camping in the Pacific Northwest
Tips, Information, Locations, Experiences
Oregon and Washington
Off Season Camping
By Michael P. Garofalo

During this camping trip, I visited all these small towns and villages (along a 30 mile stretch of Washington road 109) along the southwestern Washington coast: Ocean Shores, Oyehut, Ocean City, Copalis Beach, Friday-Griggs State Park, Iron Springs, Ocean Grove, Seabrook, Pacific Beach, Moclips, Qui-nai-elt Village, and the Quinault Indian Nation town of Taholah. 

Along Highway 101, I visited: Olympia, Aberdeen, Hoquaim, Lake Quinault, Queets River, and Kalaloch. I ate dinners at the nearby Seabrook restaurants, and meals in Olympia, Hoquaim, Ocean Shores, and the Lake Quinault Lodge.

Generally, comfortable weather from 40-505 F, little wind, and intermittent light to moderate rain. Lovely cloudy and misty skies. Full moon at night.

A few dogwoods in bloom amidst the leafless deciduous branches and evergreen firs, cedars, spruces, and pines.

Pacific Beach State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip: Day 1

 Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 1

Yurt Camping, March 10, 11, 12, 13 in 2025

Yurt Camping in the Pacific Northwest
Tips, Information, Locations, Experiences
Oregon and Washington
Off Season Camping
By Michael P. Garofalo

Drive from Vancouver to Longview, Centralia,
Olympia, Aberdeen, Pacific Beach.

In Olympia, I plan to shop at the Browser's Bookshop, Half-Price Bookstore, and eat lunch at the Olympia Oyster House, and drive around the Capitol Building and Budd Inlet parks.

I purchased and studied a new book of poems by Elizabeth Bishop during the four days of this yurt camping trip to Pacific Beach State Park in Grays Harbor County, Southwestern Washington.

Poems. By Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979). Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2011, 352 pages. Paperback, VSCL. 

Living simply on the inheritance from her father, she travelled and lived in many countries. She wrote and translated in English and Spanish.

I read her poems during this Copolis River-Beach camping trip. Indoors out of the steady rain day and night, and indoors through the long outdoor winter darkness of the night.

My favorite poems by Ms. Bishop:
Objects and Apparitions 1976
artifacts in shoeboxes of memories
One Art 1976
“The art of losing isn’t hard to master.”

Explore Taholah, Pacific Beach, Seabrook,
Moclips, Quinault River, Lake Quinault,
Kalaloch Beach, Ruby Beach

I will post comments to this blog depending upon the availability of Internet service. Probably, after I return on March 13th.

Internet Photographs:

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip

Pacific Beach State Park, Washington, Yurt Camping Trip

Yurt Camping, March 10, 11, 12, 13 in 2025

Yurt Camping in the Pacific Northwest
Tips, Information, Locations, Experiences
Oregon and Washington
Off Season Camping
By Michael P. Garofalo

Drive from Vancouver to Longview, Centralia,
Olympia, Aberdeen, Pacific Beach.

Explore Taholah, Pacific Beach, Seabrook,
Moclips, Quinault River, Lake Quinault,
Kalaloch Beach, Ruby Beach

Internet Photographs:

Twin Harbors State Park, Washington

We are going to camp at Twin Harbors State Park next week: Karen, April, Mick and I.

We plan to visit Centralia downtown and the Satsop decommissioned nuclear reactor along the Chehalis River as we drive into Aberdeen and then Westport.

I will be walking in the Shifting Sands Nature Trails inside Twin Harbors State Park.  

Clam digging from 4:30 to 7 pm. 

My Atrial Fibrillation heart disease has been acting up after 6 months of remission.  Hopefully, I can enjoy the activities at the beach.  I have a cardio conversion scheduled the day before Thanksgiving this month.  We shall see.  Studying the excellent book by John D. Day, MD, and T. Jared Bunch, MD, titled: The AFib Cure: Get Off Your Medications, Take Control of Your Health, and Add Years to Your Life. 2021.

Up before daybreak at our wood cabin C3.

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Aberdeen, Washington

I enjoyed spending the morning, from 6 to 11 am, at a seashore site.  You can drive on the beaches in Ocean Shores.  I parked my Ford Escape, AWD, about 50 yards from the edge of the water.  It was cool, windy, and misty.  Heavily overcast skies limited visibility.  I sit both outside and inside my Junior RV Escape.  In the early morning, there are few people on the beach.  

I packed up and checked out at noon.  I arrived home at 5 pm.  Clear and dry road conditions.  

I have explored the small towns of Aberdeen and Hoquiam many times in the past.  

I camped for two nights at Ocean City State Park.  Here are some images of the campground.

Grays Harbor Adventure

I left on Tuesday from Vancouver and drove to Westport, Washington.  The drive takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on your route, speed, sightseeing, and breaks.  I greatly enjoyed the drive from Interstate 5, via State Road 6 through Pe Ell to Raymond, then up 105 to Tokeland, Grayland, and Westport.  

I explored the Grays Harbor region from Aberdeen to Ocean Shores, then up 109 to Taholah [Quinault Reservation].  The Bay is a beautiful and heavily forested region, with many rivers and valleys.

I returned home this afternoon after three days and two nights camping alone at Twin Harbors State Park near Westport.  The campground was full.  Families were everywhere.  

The City of Westport and its many docks shelter fishing vessels and seafood industry plants, as well as attracting tourists.  Westport is at the southern jetty tip of Grays Harbor, with the City of Ocean Shores on the northern tip.  The City of Aberdeen, the largest on the Washington coast, founded 1890, is at the east end of the Grays Harbor.  

I hiked on many sand dunes and forest trails and along the seashore many times the past few days at Twin Harbors State Park.  I am pretty tired tonight, and my legs are sore.  It rained last night, but my Coleman 9'x9' Dome Tent kept me dry and warm.  

I plan to return to Grays Harbor this summer and autumn.  Next time I will camp alone at Ocean City State Park.  Then, Karen and I will stay at the Quinault Resort and Casino north of Ocean Shores.  Finally, we have two cabins reserved at Twin Harbors for a family camp out in October.