What I Read While I Was Camping, Weekend #4: Dungeness Spit

Well, it's been a summer full of shoving pillows into garbage bags, packing and unpacking sleeping bags, and being as minimally involved with the air-mattress-inflation situation as I can be while still considered "helping." While our final destination for family campouts this summer might not have shaken out like we'd originally planned it to, I think we were all still plenty happy with the result. 

And by that, I mean my brother and I are very happy not to have to go camping again until next year. My mother, on the other hand, has been eyeing if there are any extra spots at some of our favorite places this November.

Where we went: Dungeness Spit Recreation Area and Campground

About a two hour's drive away from our home in Tacoma, Dungeness Spit is also one of the only non-state park campgrounds we visited this year. Honestly, you can kind of tell: this area is managed by Clallam County, and there's a much more hometown feel to the way that the campgrounds are laid out. Big, sprawling campsites, ample room for navigation, and even a small playground for children... but also, smaller amounts of amenities, and a more narrow availability of things like spigots, or even hot water in the showers. 

There was a lot of ambient light at our campsite, which I enjoyed, and the trees do a decent job of breaking up any sound from neighboring sites, as well. A lot of the other campers we saw at this location came bearing RVs, campervans, and teardrops, because - again - the spots were quite large. 

It's located an easily navigable distance from both the Dungeness Spit, as well as other trails along the bluffs you can use to get a glimpse of the water. Also, as was ascertained by my sister with the help of Google Maps, Canada! 

What I packed:

I'd like to think I've learned at least one or two things from a summer full of packing a duffel every other weekend or so. Have I finally read Emperor Mage, like I've been threatening to do for literal weeks now? (Like I did here, here, and here!) No. But at least I'm not at the same place I was last year while camping, which meant stuffing four or five books into my bag for a three-day trip. 

This time, I only packed one hardcover copy, and my Kindle! 

Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighter's Manual, Luvvie Ajayi-Jones (on Kindle)

Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino

What I actually ended up reading:

So, here's the deal: we left early. Like, way early: after arriving and setting up shop on Friday afternoon around 530pm, us kids - my brother, my sister, her girlfriend, and I - had convened around the post-breakfast not-a-campfire (because the Washington State burn ban is still in effect through September, at a minimum) on Saturday morning to discuss what we were going to tell the parents.

The weather coming up off the water led to a night that was chilly and uncomfortably clammy, while the morning had already brought sprinkling rain, with a forecast that was showing threats of more across the afternoon. Again, the burn ban meant we couldn't have the normal, warming campfire we're used to, and huddling around a singular propane burner didn't exactly yield cozy rewards. 

Was it all that bad? Not really. We've camped plenty of times in too-cold temperatures... memorably once when there was still snow on the ground in late June. We've camped in rain plenty of times, too. But after a summer that had already seen three full weekends of camping?

Instead, we all went home, went out to eat at a local Italian place we love, had an actual firepit - complete with a large propane burner - in our backyard, and stayed up watching some YouTube, before going to bed in a spacious, cozy queen-sized bed. 

I got half of the way into Professional Troublemaker before we called it quits.

Trip Highlights:

That wasn't to say that it was all bad, though! There still managed to be some nice moments in the midst of the not-ideal temperatures. After all, there's no easier way to have fun, than spending time with family. 

We made up for a less-than-cozy nighttime temperature with a walk along the bluffs, which led to a really gorgeous sunset view. Then, my sister rigged up a mini-propane stove around the structure of our campground's fire, so we could end the day with at least a little bit of light.

I refused to leave without having at least a little time to hike out on the Dungeness Spit... it was the reason we'd chosen this campsite, after all! We only made it a little ways down the surf and sand, but there was still plenty to see, including wildlife - and wildlife remains, as you can see here - as well as a whole lot of bull kelp. And we got to breathe in a little bit of the salt air coming off the ocean, which is always good for the soul!

What I finished up at home: 

Professional Troublemaker, obviously! It took a little bit of time back at home... but when you've only got less than four hours before your library ebook copy is due back, and you've got two hours left in the ebook itself, there's a little more pressure to wrap things up. 

Well, that's it for camping trips this summer... but it's not the end of camping content! Keep an eye out for full reviews of everything I read while camping to come soon, as well as a few more posts I've had lined up for a while... like the full haul from my bloggoversary thrifting adventure! 

Did you camp at all this summer? Are there any more vacations left for you before schools start back up again in August? Let me know, in the comments below!