Today we'll do a loop around the south side of Gray's Harbor. We did the North loop a week or so ago when we were in Copalis Beach. Rte 12 W took us through woods and small communities. There are many interesting communities forming this coastal area. The first residents were the Chehalis and Chinook Indians.
We turned onto Rte 107 which ambles along the Chehalis River. The river is fairly high and we haven't seen anyone fishing. Ken saw a little place called Clarks so we stopped for a late breakfast. It was a cozy little log cabin type building with old pictures of the area on the walls and run by a family. After breakfast we continued down Rte 107 to Rte 101 S and rolled through the town of Raymond and turn onto Rte 105W toward Tokeland Peninsula.
Our Washington Planner Book (these are fantastic) told us not to miss the historic Tokeland Hotel, the oldest resort hotel in Washington. We drove out to the end of the road where there was a fish processing building and then stopped at the hotel. It's a lovely old style farmhouse with a very homey feel and was built in 1885 as the home of William S. Kindred and the daughter of the homesteader, Elizabeth Brown. Five years later they expanded their farmhouse and opened the Kindred Inn. Two steamers, Shamrock and Reliable, made trips from South Bend to Tokeland. Mr. Kindred used to meet the boats with a big, horse-drawn carriage. Tokeland soon gained a reputation as a fine beach resort, attracting guests from as far away as Idaho and southern California. Today the hosts are keeping the same tradition by offering comfy rooms and good home style food.
There isn't much else in Tokeland, so back up Rte 105 W through little beach villages. North Cove and Grayland had many accesses to the beach, so we drove the car onto the beach, but it was a little mucky after the rain so we left.
Up the road to Westport at the end of another peninsula which sticks out into Grays Harbor. There is a summer ferry that takes you across to Ocean Shores where we were a few days ago. We followed the signs for Grays Harbor Lighthouse which is still an active aid to navigation today. Up the road from the lighthouse we found a 1.5 mile paved trail along the the dunes. We walked the trail which we found to be a memorial to people lost at sea and others who loved the ocean. We sat on one of the benches and just appreciated what was around us. At the end of the trail was a jetty where we saw guys surfing and we watched for a while. Following a path down the dunes we walked back on the beach looking for sand dollars and agates. Ken loves roaming the beaches. The tide was starting to come in so we decided to climb up the embankment and sat on the edge of a dune watching people on the beach. Then we took the trail back to the car.
Driving around the rest of Westport we saw fishing shacks and a little marina with lots of boats that look like they've had a hard life. We liked the one that was named - "HARD WORK"!
Following Rte 105 along the harbor and onto Rte 12E we headed back to Elma. It was a nice day. We had grilled hot dogs and hamburger outside tonight and enjoyed the warmer weather. It was in the 60's today.
Pictures: Westport beach, Westport walking trail
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