September is a great time for a ROAD TRIP!

Yep, it's that time of the year again! Road tripping time! I'm vacationing a little earlier than usual, but that's the way the ball bounces sometimes. I'm not too concerned about hot temperatures because I'll spend much of the time hugging the coast all the way down to Los Angeles. I spent today mostly driving, somewhat slowed down by Puget Sound freeway traffic...it can get that way in the mornings AND Fridays!

After picking up some road trip food at Uwajimaya, I had lunch at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. I was hoping for one of their new chicken sandwiches, but they still hadn't restocked at the restaurant I visited. So, I settled for the equally acceptable spicy fried chicken meal with their delicious red beans and rice.  Two hours drive later, I rolled into the southwest Washington coastal town of Long Beach. The adjacent beach is 28 continuous miles long, making it longest in the United States. It's also the longest drivable beach in the world. Before checking into my pit stop for the night, I visited the locally famous Marsh's Free Museum.

 

The place is a combination museum of oddities and gift shop, and it was fun just looking at everything. There were old coin operated machines, taxidermied animals and the just plain weird. The shrunken head and Jake, The Alligator Man would fall under the latter. I couldn't resist when I saw the salt water taffy and the multitude of flavors...I bought a bag's worth.

After checking into my accommodations...a cute, rustic cottage...I walked down to the beach. It being off season, it was almost devoid of people. There was just one lone vehicle, four horse riders, and a half dozen beachgoers just walking around.

Tomorrow, my road trip vacation REALLY begins. There will be less driving, taking it easy, seeing the sights and hiking the trails, as I make the slow trek south. Now, if only the rain would hold off!