Rialto Beach

Activities,Travels — Tags: , , , — Elizabeth @ 11:02 am

A Day in Paradise

One of my favorite places to visit in Washington is Rialto Beach on the Pacific Coast.  It’s about a 4 hour drive from Seattle, which includes a short ferry ride across the Puget Sound.  The drive is absolutely beautiful: forest-lined highway coupled with snow-covered mountains in the distance.  The beach always has this magical mist all around it; the grey ocean calls to you in rhythmic moans.

Of course wildlife abounds, both those filled with life and those whose life force has left them.  The beach is unlike any I’ve ever seen: covered in rocks of almost every color, lined with sun-bleach trees, and dotted with craggy rocks that rise up out of the ground reaching for the skies.

It’s a perfect place to take photos thanks to mother nature’s awesome backdrops.

Getting to the tidepools is about an hour’s hike down the beach, but it is one of the most worthwhile walks you’ll ever take.  The reward is tons of brilliant pools of tiny ecosystems just waiting for you to explore.

Huge trees, both natural-colored and sun bleached can be found all over the beach…also perfect photo backdrops.

The ocean has always held my attention; I am equally fascinated and fearful of its beauty and strength.

Olivia loves the beach!  She enjoys the hiking, playing with all the rocks, eating sand, wading through the waves, and the nice long nap that awaits her on the ride home.

If you’re looking for a wonderful weekend trip, head out to the Washignton Pacific Coast and find yourself a cozy beach motel or bed and breakfast…you won’t regret it!

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?

It’s a ZOO Day!

Activities,Friends/Family — Tags: , , — Elizabeth @ 10:25 pm
A few weeks ago I had to travel to IKEA to make an exchange for a piece of furniture which was put into the wrong bin, thus I picked it up incorrectly and had to make a special trip to exchange it for the right one.  In an effort to save a beautiful day from being filled with a lame errand, I decided to take Olivia to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle after the exchange.
We dressed the part: Coral-colored, monkey-adorned outfit accessorized with matching glasses and a sun-taming white hat
(Who cares what I wore, I’m sure it was not as cool as Livi’s outfit) 
 
We saw penguins…they were smelly.
We found this adorable cat…I can’t remember what it was really called.  
 
This yellow dart frog is poisonous…and lives in a very humid terrarium.
 
How gorgeous is this toucan?  I’d love a purse and matching belt in that shade of teal.
 
We finally found the elephants…15 mins to spare before closing…they are my favorite!
 
This cute baby turtle is an African Sulcata…he is from Africa, he should not be in this climate.
   
The Woodland Park Zoo is conveniently located just outside of downtown Seattle (about a 10 min drive).  Parking is about $5 for the day, admission to the zoo is $17.50 during the summer, $6 less in the winter season…babies are free!  The zoo is large, but not too large that you can’t see it in one day.  It is well shaded, has lots of benches for resting and having lunch, plus has a great cafeteria and lots of little snack kiosks throughout the park.  Livi and I had a great time at the zoo and would recommend it to all ages!
What’s your favorite zoo animal???