This old doornob on one of the cabins on Driftwood Acres shows a map, with dramatic continental shifts. Australia has bumped into Florida, and Mexico is drifting northward into the Gulf. It is the kind of whimsy I was looking for, after talking with the owner of the camping/RV resort where we spent our weekend. As we registered for our campsite, he talked about the subduction zone, and a 'ghost forest' nearby that has drastically dropped due to the continents pushing up against each other. 
Steve Ludwig and his wife Annie own this old 1920's style property, which is on the Copalis River, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Pacific Ocean. I spent about a half-hour listening to Steve describe the history of the area, his dedication to protecting the Griffith Priday Wildlife Sanctuary bordering his property, and the extensive efforts it takes to care for his own old-growth forest.Fortunately, the original character of the original guest cabins and meeting house still exist, with the textures and colors that evolve over time, with weather, sea-salt, and rain.
This is a collection of old buoys, nestled in a trough. As I walked around the property, I noticed little bird-houses built from shells, wood-carvings along a forest trail, and an ancient-looking wind-chime that signals storms as they roll in. 
This is the old-growth forest that is maintained by Steve. He's cleared a walking trail, layered the path with wood-chips and mulch, and placed a little family of gnomes throughout. Look up, and some are hanging from guide-ropes, climbing up into 500 year old Sitka Spruce trees. 
I walked along this road, which took us to our campsite, the one at the farthest end of the park, the one that has the most dramatic view of the coastline.
Steve said that 30 mile an hour winds haunt this coastline much of the time, and that we were fortunate to secure the site on a day without wind. We pitched our tent on the very edge of a bluff overlooking a peninsula, along the edge of the forest.
Getting the bedding right is a requisite of mine, because of the chronic pain in my shoulders and neck - 4 inch foam, then 5 thick comforters. That provides enough depth to lay on, so I'm comfortable. The big down comforter is used as a covering - in all weather. On the coast, temps are still in the 50's at night. This is my way of staying warm - however, our bedding takes up a good 1/3 of the room when packed in our van.This campground is very well-tended, very clean. Every fire-pit has a 3-gallon container and a stir-stick for putting out campfires. And, careful instructions are given out at registration for putting out the campfire - pour the water, stir the ashes, pour the water, stir the ashes, pour the water, stir the ashes! And, due to the precautions necessary to protect the forest, campfires are not allowed from 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. The owners do a final check of the property at night, to make sure that all campfires are out - unbelievably, some campers turn in for the night, still leaving coals burning. Should the wind suddenly come up, this could be dangerous.
It was the 80-degree weather in the Seattle/Tacoma area that motivated us to spend our weekend on the coast, near Ocean Shores, where a temperature inversion creates a 10 - 20 degree difference in temperature.
While sidewalks shimmered in the heat in Tacoma, a cool mist shrouded the massive cliffs along the coast. We took a hike along the Copalis River adjacent to the camp. Catch the tides right, and you can canoe across the river, bushwhack across a narrow peninsula, cross a maze of rippled dunes, and greet the dramatic edge of the continent. There you'll explore one of the most secluded beaches along the coastline. 
We sat here, with afternoon coffee, after our hike, then took the canoe and paddled up the Copalis River about 5:00, when the tides were to our advantage. Without careful attention to tides, the paddling can be unpleasant and rigorous. We went in with the tide, and out with the ebb-tide.
When we got back to camp, I cooked some Spanish rice, warmed up some barbeque chicken, served that with a salad, yogurt and blueberries. I served the same salad for lunchtime, pictured here - George requires mostly fruits and vegetables because of his diabetes.
The next morning we lingered over breakfast, shown here: Fried eggs, split-saussage on a warm English muffin layered with stir-fry vegetables - shredded broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and onion. We struck camp, then took a long walk along the ocean. 
While George packed up our van, I made sandwiches - cheese with a sprinkling of shredded broccoli mix, mustard and relish. We were ravenous after a long walk along the ocean. I was so glad everything was prepared in advance! After lunch we canoed some exquisite wetlands, explored the surrounding state parks, and drove through Ocean Shores, down to Ocean City. There, we saw masses of tourists riding dune-buggies, flying kites along the ocean, and shopping. Espresso shops had cars lined up, both sides. The press of humanity was everywhere. I couldn't have been more grateful, that we had found a quieter, more secluded place to spend our weekend, away from the crowds. 
I have to include this additional image of Steve Ludwig, in his element at Driftwood Acres. I thought how he likes to pull apples from his own tree, enough for a pie. He's so eager to get more, that he's brought in some flowering crab apples, with the hope of some cross-pollination. He says a great day is "when I can sit back and enjoy watching the bees visit the apple tree." That, and a glass of wine in his hand and Barry White playing softly in the background.
