Westport, WA

Westport, Washington- Home to WA tallest lighthouse

Since my plan for the weekend was to do nothing (this lasted a whole 2 hours), I decided to take a drive to check out what the buzz was about  Westport; a small coastal town is located roughly 20 miles south of Aberdeen. I didn’t really know anything about this town or what to expect, but what I experienced today was more than I could have hoped for. I started the day wandering the boardwalk that was full of small shoppes, fishing charter companies, and lots and lots of TAFFY!  I spent some time on the rocky shoreline watching surfers catch some waves. It wasn’t the best surfing weather, though not raining, and people in WA driven to spend as much time outdoors as possible when the weather is pleasant.

For lunch, I went to Bennett’s Fish Shack, which was packed and smelled delightful. What better way to decide on a place to eat, right?!?! As usually, I went for the fish and chips with a cup of clam chowder washed down with an organic amber beer! Washington has yet to disappointment me with this selection. I might just eat my way down the Washington Coastline finding the best fish and chips! Anyone care to join me?

During lunch, I started chatting with a couple who invited me to go crabbing with them. It was just like what you see on The Deadlist Catch, expect it’s done off a dock, not as dangerous, and much easier. All that’s needed are crab rings or pods, raw chicken, line, and open water! Looks like I have added another “to-do” on to my never ending list. This couple taught me the rules to crabbing, the difference between red-rock crab and dungeness crab (red vs. purple-brownish), and how to tell if the crab is a male or female. This was my first crabbing experience.

Standing on the dock, I started hearing this grunting noise and noticed heads popping out of the water. SEA LIONS were following boats into the marina and that’s when I was told about the sea lions dock. Sea lions are not friendly but on this dock, I was standing only 20 feet away and they weren’t even fazed by all commotion. There has been attacks in the past according to a fishing guide, but today they were pleasant (thank goodness for my sake).

Now onto the lighthouse (my first lighthouse experience). Known as Grays Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1897/1898, standing 107′ tall, with 135 steps to the top, this lighthouse lends a friendly note that a safe harbor is near. This is the tallest lighthouse in WA and the third tallest on the west coast.  Originally, the lighthouse stood 400 feet from high tide and now stands 3000 feet from high tide. For full information on the lighthouse, click here, as if I continued this post would never end.

Cranberry Bogs were next on my list and another first experience. Ocean Spray has a factory between Aberdeen and Grayland (24 miles apart/4 miles south of Westport)  and of all the cranberry bogs in Grayland, only 1 DOES NOT sell to Ocean Spray. It’s strange to think that whenever I drink Ocean Spray cranberry juice, I could be drinking cranberries grown just south of me. There is an entire driving tour surrounding Grayland’s cranberry bogs and I only did about 1/3 of the self-guided tour and plan on finishing this tour on another day. If you want more information, Click here. I did take pictures of the first cranberry bog, which was planted by E.B. Benn in about 1919; the Stevens variety bog, which are generally ripen and grow earlier and have a sweeter taste; gray spots in bogs damaged by cranberry black vine weevils; and 1818 Cranberry Road which is the historic site on which the Furford Picker was first used (machine used to harvest cranberries).

All of the above was completed in a mere 6 hours. I am still amazed by the gems surrounding Aberdeen and each week my love for this state  continues to grow. My 3 month anniversary is approaching and when I think back to all I’ve seen and done, I can’t help but think “I’m where I should be”. Stay tuned to see what my next mapless adventure is going to be!

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