DUNGENESS LIGHTHOUSE
– Just off the Road
A few
weeks ago my family and I decided that it was time! We’d lived in Sequim for nearly a year, gazed
across the water at the light blinking in the distance, walked along the first
mile of the Dungeness Spit, but never had the courage to go the distance.
With
pedometer on my belt, hiking boots on my feet, backpack full of lunch, snacks
and water on my back, we set out. My
spouse is the photographer in the group, so he hiked with his “large” photo
pack, full of lenses, filters, batteries, water, rain gear, first aid kit, etc.
(he likes to be prepared), while my grandson went pack-less so he could move
more easily, since moving is everything to him.
My daughter went with her essentials – mainly sunscreen, a sun hat, sun
glasses, and a sun shirt since she’s pretty allergic when overexposed.
It seemed
so far away, but the distance melted away as we discovered the many interesting
things to be found on the spit.
First up
was the wonderful rock cairns scattered everywhere in one section of the
beach. We could have lost a lot of time
there, since the grandson wanted to build and rebuild each one.
He settled
for the discovery of a Canadian flag washed up on the beach, with which he
roused the seagulls from their lethargy.
The
discovery of a huge barnacle was worthy of a few minutes of photography to my
husband.
For my daughter
and me, the randomness and beauty of the driftwood caused us to stop often just
to explore.
When we
arrived at the light, we enjoyed a tour, ate lunch on the lovely green lawn,
and contemplated the 6 ½ mile hike back to our car.
The end
result of our adventure was a vow to return as lighthouse keepers for a
week. What better way to experience the ocean
than being a part of this time-honored tradition? As the sign says: “”Welcome to Serenity.”
