And what an adventure it was......
First off, I hate seafood. I don't dislike it, I don't not care for it, I HATE IT. I hate the smell, the look, the feel - HATE IT. With that being said, I can tolerate the fact that other people enjoy it. And I must admit that sometimes I wish I liked it too. I also wish the Spice Girls never broke up, but what's a girl gonna do??!!
We decided to take our four and three year old to experience their (and my) first clam dig. Based on the following experience, I don't regret waiting until 34 to go clam digging. We woke up (or I woke up) at 5 am to get everything packed up for our little trip. I checked out the weather report hoping the 100% chance of rain had turned in to 100% chance of sun. Apparently, mother nature did process my request from the night before. The goal (made by our fearless leader) was to be in the car and on the road by 6 am. We were in the car and on the road by 7 am.
The trip out to the coast was 2 hours and 34 minutes (according to MapQuest.) At first, I was told the low tide was at 11. So we needed to be there by 9 am, but had to be off the beach by noon. Actually, it was at 10:17. I figured the kids would fall back asleep once in the car. WRONG! Who knew they would turn in to the biggest gabbers on the planet at 7 am in the morning. They barely want to get out of bed at 7:30 on a school day.
About an hour and a half into the trip, it was discovered that the clam gun was still in the other car!
Really??? Seriously???!!! So we began the adventure of finding a clam gun on the way to dig clams. Sounds super fun right?!
During our drive out to the coast, we went through two towns (Aberdeen and Hoquim). While filling up the gas tank in Aberdeen, I needed to use the bathroom. I went in to ask the attendant where the nearest restroom was. He told me to stand "over there". He proceeded to help every other customer. When the store was empty, he pointed me to the restroom. Apparently, they have issues with homeless people blockading themselves in the rest room. Driving through these towns was quite depressing. I'm sure the rain and gloom didn't help. I said "Wow, this town is super depressing" while in Aberdeen. The response "Kurt Cobain is from here." Yep, that confirmed it even more. Thanks!
We finally get to Ocean Shores and find a clamming gun. After watching customers come out in parkas purchased at the store, I was asked if I wanted one. And my response was......anyone wanna guess??? "No, I got this" MY FAMOUS RESPONSE TO EVERYTHING. You would think I would have figure out in the last couple years to say Yes, right??
Once we arrive at our clamming destination, I was amazed. It wasn't raining, it was MONSOONING. (I know that's not a word - but whatever!) I tell the fearless clammer to go ahead and we will meet him on the beach. I put layer upon layer of clothes on the kids to prepare them for the windy, rainy, freezing weather they are about the endure. The kids are excited to get on the beach after driving for hours. I realize they have no idea what they are in for. The beaches they have been at are calm and we go on semi warm days. They are not use to ocean beaches.
Heading out to the beach, our four year old is ecstatic. She wants to do everything her Dad does. And she is usually great at it the first time. She runs into the waves, only to find out there is a leak in her boot. (1 point for Mom, NOT!!!). Our three year old is not impressed. He immediately says it's too cold and he wants to go into the car. We stand there for about 10 minutes watching Dad using his clam gun.
Our four year old decides she wants part of the action. She starts clamming with Dad. She got a total of 11 clams. Not too bad for a four year old if you ask me! Our three year decides to run backwards from a wave and trips into the wave. Fortunately, we do make it a rule the kids have to wear their life jackets at all times near the water. He was in no danger of being carried away. But, he was completely soaked through all layers of clothing. I tried to keep him on the beach distracted from the cold, wet, windy weather and soaked clothes. That did not work for long. We headed back to the car.
Our four year old was finally done about an hour later. We got changed out of our wet clothes and sat in the car eating lunch. Dad finished up this clamming about an hour after that. The kids and I sat in the car and watched the wind and rain and clammers.
All clammers had to be off the beach by noon, but guess what? The fishers didn't. So we ended up staying another hour while Dad tried to catch a fish. Ending up with nothing on the hook, he headed to the car. All three of us were excited about finally going home. But this was not the end, oh no!
We headed to another beach where Dad did catch a perch. Now, we are headed into 4 pm. The kids have been up since 5 am and we have been sitting in the car for hours. Luckily the ride home was a lot faster than the ride out there.
In total, we ended up with 26 clams, 1 perch, and a whole lot of experience. After unloading the car, cleaning the seafood, and starting laundry, we crawled in bed about 10pm. Just as my head hit the pillow I heard, "Let's plan the next dig!"
So, what did I learn from this trip:
- When someone tells you to bring one change of clothes for after, bring at least three.
- You will probably spend a lot of time in the car, so bring more than one movie for the dvd player.
- Bring twice as many plastic bags as you think you need
- Heaters don't only keep you warm, but can also dry out clothing
- Just because it's North Face, does not mean it's water proof
- The kids will not take a nap while on an adventure like this no matter how early you wake them up
- Moms need a change of clothes too, actually we probably need two!
- And finally, THANK GOD FOR MY IPAD AIR WITH 3G service (when you can get reception that is). Luckily, I had a few books I've been dying to read so I did have something to occupy my mind when there was no reception.
ღஐ jennifer ஐღ
