It was kinda foggy, even at the mid-day hour, when we pulled into the parking lot next to the lodge. The sun was out and on shore it was warm, but down on the beach the fog and breeze made a sweater or light jacket appropriate that September day.
We elected to stroll along the water's edge before heading to the lodge for lunch.
The lure of the sea, the pleasure of walking along the sandy beach and the sight of
so much driftwood was irresistible. The smell of salt air, the distant pounding of
the surf and the screech of the sea gulls combined to make it a delight. And some
exercise didn't hurt either, though it made me even hungrier.
Some of those enormous driftwood logs were especially interesting too. Their smoothed silvery surfaces, tangled forms and jumbled way they were piled onto the beach was almost artistic. I was especially taken by one large tree root, nearly eight feet tall, with its gnarled form inviting at least one photograph.
Some youngsters were playing the the stream which flowed down to the ocean. The
water was clear and barely knee deep. They were having fun stacking smaller logs
and attempting to create a dam, but the water flow was too swift and they made
little progress whilst we observed the effort. We decided to leave them when hunger
overcame the urge to remain on the sands and we headed back up the trail toward
the lodge ... and some lunch.
The Kalaloch Lodge building sits pretty close to the highway (U.S. 101), though there are numerous furnished rental cabins a little to the south overlooking the water from atop a bluff. We peeked inside a vacant one to see that they were quite comfortable and ideal for four or five people to share. A couple types are available, varying both in side and accomodations.
We had two choices of places to sit in the dininbg area of the lodge, a fancier room
overlooking the water or the coffee shop on the road side of the building. Since we just
wanted a bowl of chowder and a salad, we chose the latter. It didn't have much
atmosphere, but thye food is the same no matter where you sit. And that chowder was
absolutely delicious. I've had clam chowder from Maine to California, but none was
ever better than that served here at Kalaloch Lodge that day. Mmmmm. Delicious!
For those of you who are either driven by your stomachs (like me) to seek out places with great food, or who are more inclined to seek a delightful coastal resort, getting to Kalaloch Lodge is easy. U.S. Highway 101 loops around the Olympic Peninsula and you can't miss the Lodge. It's also in the once place where the road approaches the coast along the western portion of the loop.
And, Oh yes ... just down the road a bit is a visitors' center that's worth a brief
stop. They have literature, maps and helpful people to help you find many other
interesting areas to visit, especially the Hoh Rain Forest. Here's a map to help
you find the place.