Surf & Snow in Grayland

It seems we’ve had one beating after another from the weather here in the Pacific Northwest lately. Despite the recent snow we’ve had this last week, plans had been made earlier in the season to surf this weekend and we decided to give it a shot anyway.

Luckily, the roads where clear and we arrived at the Grayland State Park without incident. We had left ice and snow in Tacoma, but still I was surprised to see snow on the dunes outside our yurt! The waves were looking awesome; 8’ at 15 seconds, but it was hard to imagine jumping in the surf even in a drysuit. Although it was 3 pm, it was still below freezing and overcast. No warming up after the surf session here.

The next morning we were greeted by the warmth of the sun, and the surf was looking as promising as it had on Saturday. We had the entire family, but as it turned out Isaac and I were the only ones brave, or foolish enough depending on your point of view, to venture out. Fortunately, by the time we launched, the sun had warmed the beach to a balmy 43 degrees. While we were out playing in the waves, the rest of the group built a bonfire for us to warm up afterwards. Isaac and I had an awesome time in the summer like waves; hard to believe that just the previous weekend we were here looking out on 22’ waves.

We spent the day bouncing between sessions in the surf, and snacks around the fire. The kids sculpted a beautiful mermaid in tribute to Poseidon and we watched a magical sunset before heading back to the yurt to grilled fresh oysters from Brady’s.

Everyone is looking forward to our next trip to the coast.