The Summer of 2022 has been warmer than most and the last few weeks have seen triple digit days. 

In addition to the heat, I've been working a lot, so when I noticed the weather report calling for another warm day - I asked my wife if she'd like to take a short road trip to the beach! 

In general, we like taking scenic drives - the Pacific Northwest is full of natural beauty, but the journey to the coast on the Washington side is pretty epic. 

There's the trees, the rivers, and several awe inspiring bridge crossings - all on your way to where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet. 

Long Beach, WA is somewhat unique in that you can drive your car right out onto the sand. Super convenient as a parent, but with a little added excitement when cars are coming and going. 

Upon arriving, we drove out to a spot where I was confident we wouldn't get stuck, then piled out of the truck for the kids to play in the ocean and sand. We took a little break for sandwiches and warming up, but otherwise our time alternated between the waves and digging in the sand. The water is a bit chilly this far north, and the wind had a little bite - but the kids were undeterred. 

As the afternoon started to wain, we headed into town for ice cream and exploration. 

First stop was Scoopers, where we waited in line to select among 48 flavors of ice cream and an even broader selection of salt water taffy. 

Belly's filled and sugar injected we walked through town to Marsh's Free Museum. It's a bit of marketing ploy in that access to the "museum" is free - and they do have some cool artifacts, but the building is also a well stocked retail outlet - full of the usual tourist trappings. 

After crushing pennies and taking pictures of Jake and sasquatch it was time to start thinking about dinner so we piled into the car and headed toward Astoria, Oregon and Geno's Pizza and Burgers.