Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I knew that a trip to the ocean in January would probably warrant all the cold and wet weather gear I had. What a pleasant surprise to find out that the 100% chance of rain every single day actually wasn’t true!

I had invited Mom to come out to Copalis Beach to the Iron Springs Resort for a couple days to celebrate my birthday. I think Joel is still a bit confused about the logic of that. Come to find out later that Mom had taken Natalie and Larina to this very same resort when they were younger. I thought I was the favorite but it appears that is not true – Mom never took me there! HAHA.

So, it wasn’t a new place to explore for Mom but it was new to me! The resort consists of 28 cabins up high on a cliff overlooking the ocean and Copalis Beach. Our cabin was set back a little bit but we could still catch a peek of the ocean from our front window. They looked to be recently remodeled and had a great floorplan including large kitchen/dining/living combo, huge deck, fireplace , two bedrooms and a bathroom.

We enjoyed a fire every evening in the fireplace while we watched movies (two thumbs down to Barbie, sorry Larina!), Law & Order episodes and the US National Figure Skating Championships where we learned that “snow” was not a good thing.

We walked down to the beach one sunny afternoon and I took about a mile hike down to the whale carcass that was still decomposing on the beach. The second day I ventured down the winds were just right for a nice blast of nastiness from the remains.

Although it was the “off” season most of the restaurants were open so we were able to enjoy Irish fare one day, Hawaiian fare for my birthday dinner and seafood the next day. Add in the pastries and all the great food that Mom brought and we were certainly well fed.

I was a great mini-vacation and fun to see and hear about the various areas on the coast that Mom and Dad used to camp, hike and enjoy.

Thanks Mom for joining me!