Washington

This morning we woke relatively early in a cheap Seattle airport hotel, having arrived at 04:30 UK time after a flight from Washington DC. We rented a car and then drove for two-and-a-half hours to Tokeland, where we ate lunch at the Tokeland Hotel and will stay tonight. I stayed here on my trip to the Seattle area in autumn 2019, and was very keen that A experience its singular charm. 

The hotel dates from the late 19th century, and is the oldest resort hotel in Washington state. Inside it's filled with antiques and bric-a-brac from the early 20th century, and serves food that's cooked with the local fish and shellfish. 

The experience of being here was even better this time since it was a beautiful summer day and the hotel was busy, so the diners and residents spilled out onto its lush grassy grounds. There was plenty of room for impromptu games of volleyball or badminton, and young children and dogs from different families all played together with the hotel's three dogs and two cats. 

After lunch, we walked to the end of the sand bar where Tokeland is situated. There's a shop selling seafood, including freshly cooked crabs. Unlike my last visit, when I ate a whole crab on the pier for lunch, we only had room for a single oyster "shooter" each, and then coffee.

In the evening we at a meal that was good, but better for the fish and seafood ingredients than the cuisine.

And the name? Chief Toke led the Shoalwater Bay tribe in the late 18th century. That's not to say that weed is never smoked here (quite legally), as I know myself, but not on this trip.