Annual End-of-School Camping Trip

9 years ago, when Thomas was in 1st grade, 5 families at our school - each with a 1st grader - decided to go on a camping trip the first weekend after school ended. The moms all coordinated a trip to Grayland Beach State Park on the Pacific ocean, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Seattle. We had such a great time that we decided to do it again. The next year, I think we had 8 families. Last year - the 8th annual - we had over 25 families. This year was a little smaller - probably closer to 20 families, but a great time, as always.

Dads and kids, with the 'Happy Fathers Day' banner that the kids made on the 2008 trip!

If you spend 3 consecutive days on the Washington coast in June, you're pretty much guaranteed to experience some inclement weather - rain, wind, cold. Most of our trips have involved battles against the elements (not that they've deterred us from having fun). This year was (as my kids would say) epic, as we had sun and warmth, and NO RAIN, for the entire weekend. It was beautiful and made this special, community-building weekend all the more fun.

We're not talking rustic camping. Grayland is car-camping at its finest, with paved cul-de-sacs and each site with potable water, a firepit, a picnic table, and a couple electrical outlets. And every site is just a short walk (over sand dunes) to the great expanse of a Pacific coast beach. The kids have a ball wearing themselves out on bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, etc., riding through the park and around the neighboring cul-de-sacs, or skimboarding, wave-jumping, sand-castle-building, etc., on the beach.

Matthew giving Jeffrey longboarding tips!

Victoria learning to ride a 2-wheeler on the 2008 trip!

The Lange Family campsite, with Jack keeping watch. Karri and I slept in the 2-person tent we used on our backpacking trip in South America in 1997!

Karri and Thomas proving they can still fit in the kiddie camp chairs we used on the first trip in 2004!

The trip usually falls on Fathers Day weekend and the dads are usually granted a 'hall pass' to head into the fishing town of Westport, at the mouth of Grays Harbor, or Tokeland to the South, on Saturday or Sunday to watch the US Open and enjoy a couple bloody mary's. We usually come back with coolers full of live Dungeness crab that we buy straight off the boat and cook up as part of a community potluck meal. We got shut out on crab this year (our go-to fisherman didn't get back to port until after 7pm), but still had plenty of food for all.

Victoria with friend Elena - holding live crab on their way to the cooking pot - 2012 trip! 

Enjoying this year's potluck

After the potluck, we headed to the beach for a sunset bonfire that the older kids had prepared that afternoon.

Victoria getting a piggy-back from cousin Jeffrey at the bonfire!

Jeffrey, Victoria, Matthew and Jack enjoying the bonfire!

Sun setting over the Pacific

Happy couple!

On the beach at sunset! So great to have Jeffrey with us. His sister Jennifer joined us on this trip 5 years ago!

We love this trip for so many reasons. It signals the start of our summer. It reminds us what a beautiful part of the country we live in. It gives us time to slow down a bit and spend quality time with each other. And it reminds us how blessed we are to have so many wonderful friends in our West Seattle community!