I won’t lie: I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to moving to the Northwest. Not that I’ve got such love of LA; for the last four years I felt like I was living in a parking lot. But rain and fog and chill defined the images of Washington state and I wasn’t sure I would find it as lovely as say, Monterey, where I also considered going to school. A great financial aid package won out and I was on my way to Olympia.
We took a week, myself and a friend, driving up the coast and camping along the way. The second to last park was this: Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon. It was the best of the parks we stayed at. The nearby fishing village of Charleston had a shop where we bought an enormous chunk of fresh albacore, and everyone in town sold firewood. The showers at the campground were hot, and the site was relatively private, surrounded by a high hedge. We went hiking a bit, but the highlight was an excursion at low tide to see the tide pools around the point. We were smothered in mist and edged by crashing surf. The colors here were amazing. Subtle orange and plum hues contrasting with greys and the wall of dark green forest. It was absolutely beautiful. I decided I might like living around here.