Anyhow, it's just windy roads surrounded by old farms and ancient houses and churches in small towns, sometimes berms covered in wildflowers, often a river meandering along beside you.
I took a different route this time than I usually do and loved seeing even more of all of that. However, I forgot how we usually went and couldn't particularly figure out where to turn on the way home, since we'd decided to go home the old way and see some of our favorite sights.
Instead we had more meandering and more beautiful old buildings and tiny towns. We went through Chehalis, Napavine, Winlock, Vader, and hit the outskirts of Toledo, Mossyrock, and finally Morton before heading home.
Here are the photos from Long Beach itself, Nahcotta (where we stayed), and the rest. The Hotel we stayed in was called Moby Dick Hotel and I swear it had a ghost because no matter what I set my camera to do if it was facing one certain direction in our room it wouldn't take the photo. Then my mom had very bad dreams and a bad/ominous feeling all night.
Also, we left early because I was getting sick from allergies. Turns out they keep dogs in the hotel on the off season. SO beware those with sensitivities in either of those areas (ghosties or dogs). Other than that it reminded me of my Grandma's house and her town (Bisbee) down in Arizona and was all in all a leaf-licker's hippie paradise. I do recommend it for communing with nature, sitting around reading, writing the final chapter of your novel, exploring history first hand, or just staying somewhere fun, quiet and out of the way.
I'd say no to taking kids there, no to going there if you're any sort of homophobic (we encountered more lesbians than I've seen in the whole rest of my life), and no to going there if you're allergic to dogs or hippie/nw leaf licker chic.
I REALLY loved the building though so even if you don't stay, if you find yourself on Sandridge road in Nahcotta, you should stop in, have a bit of food in the little restaurant, and check out the awesomely restored 1938 building.
Okay, now for the pictures:
