It’s high season in Indianola, you wouldn’t know it by the weather. But hey we can’t sit around waiting for good weather, it’s summertime now, gray, rain or shine. Indianola Days is this weekend. There’s lots happening Saturday and Sunday. Sadly no Stunt Night was scheduled, maybe next year. It’s hard to find info online about our charming Summer celebration, so I thought I’d post the schedule of events here.

SATURDAY – JULY 30
Sand Castle Contest — low-tide is minus 2.1 ft at around 11 am, judging is at Noon. This isn’t one of those fancy sculpture contests with trucked in fancy sand and pros doing the designing. This is locals having a blast on the beach, coming up with crazy ideas and getting down and dirty building their creations. So join in the fun or come on down and take a tour. It lasts until high tide washes it away.
Steve Kikuchi Fun Run & Walk — 9:15 sign-up, 9:30 kids begin 1/4 mile run, 9:45 adults begin 2 mile run.
Street Fair — 10 am-5 pm, local arts & crafts
Kid’s Beach Games — 11 am
Horseshoe Contest — 11:30 am (right side of dock on tideflats)
Kid’s Corn Husking Contest — 1:30
Indianola Days Salmon Bake — 4:30-7:30, at the Bud Merrill pavilion, the highlight, always well attended, last year over 800 meals served. Cost is $12 for a great salmon dinner, $6 for hot dogs. Bring your own plate, cup and utensils, or add $2 for compostable items. This event leaves a small environmental footprint, I believe all the trash gets composted at Persephone Farm. (Volunteers are needed to help prep/serve/clean up and provide bread and pies — info in the Breeze or check the big Indianola bulletin board or Post Office bulletin board. Or email Fernwoodsy if you want a phone number to call.)
21+ Dance— 8-Midnight at the Clubhouse (not sure of the cost)

SUNDAY – JULY 31
Unique Car Show — 10 am-2 pm
Pet Parade! — 9:30 sign up near clubhouse, parade starts at 10
East vs. West Baseball Game — 11 am

Where is Indianola? OMG you don’t know?
Here’s a link to Indianola, WA on Google Maps.

Beach and pet parade photos above are from 2010 Indianola Days (it was warm and sunny!). All info is from the July 2011 issue of the Indianola Breeze.

Beach at La Push, Washington

We spent three awesome days on the Washington coast. Winter sunshine is a rare commodity on the coast, but we lucked out. Temperatures were below freezing. Each morning the beach rocks and driftwood had a frosty coating. We just bundled up and headed out, exploring Oil City and the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park. We stayed in La Push at the very comfy Quileute Oceanside Resort. It was good to see how the small, remote communities of Forks and La Push have thrived with the attention from Twilight fans. Winter is definitely not peak season, but many folks were around because of the holidays.

It’s always humbling to be around big nature: the ocean, huge trees, waves, rocks and rivers. I highly recommend a wintertime visit, just don’t forget your woolies.

View through a huge spruce drift log root ball.

Hoh River, Oil City trail to beach, Olympic National Park

Witches Butter, a colorful fungus growing on driftwood

Oil City an amazing driftwood beach

Hoh River, Olympic National Park

Hoh Rain Forest moss in the sun!

What wonderful weather we’ve enjoyed this Holiday season. I’ve been venturing out of the woods to see the sun. It’s so low in the sky it slices through the trees, but we don’t get too much of the direct stuff where we live. It’s an invigorating walk down to water, there the sun shines directly in your face. The Indianola beach faces south, it’s a wonderful place to absorb some light and, if it’s clear, gaze at Mt. Rainier and the Olympic mountains. The long dock, once a stop for the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet ferry to Seattle (1919-1951), is the ultimate platform for maximum light exposure. Well, the forecast is calling for rain, we didn’t get any today, but it’s coming.

Today was a beautiful day for a top-down drive to the Olympic Peninsula and up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. It was so clear we could see Victoria B.C. across the Strait.  The elevation at the Visitor Center is about 5200 ft, but feels much higher as you look out along mountain ridge tops. We bought a year park pass ($30) and look forward to exploring more of this amazing park. It’s a national treasure.