The Olympic Peninsula

What an extraordinary weekend trip to the Olympic Peninsula! From Friday at 4am to Sunday at 10:30pm, Dylan's and my 800 mile road trip was such an adventure. We were bored of the sun in Bellingham and decided to spend some quality time in the foggy and wet forests of the Olympic Peninsula. We visited this region in March but only spent one night there. We knew we needed to spend more time there, and even this weekend wasn't enough! This area is so beautiful, peaceful, lush, and exciting; it is mostly comprised of parks, lakes, beaches, rivers, and trees. We actually semi-prepared for this adventure by making a reservation for the 7am ferry and writing a list of places we want to visit.

Upon waking up at 4am on Friday, we took our last shower, packed up the car, and drove for 1.5 hours to Coupeville. After a tired drive, we drove the jeep onto the ferry and 35 minutes later, we were in Port Townsend. We stopped at a grocery store to buy snacks for the day's activities and stopped in McDonald's for a "hearty" breakfast-I was already munching on the oreos I just purchased. After an hour, we arrived in Port Angeles and quickly entered the Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge was the first stop on the list. As we tracked, the weather was right on par with rain, clouds, and fog. After a mile into the park, deer became a common icon. Although deer are dangerous and wild animals, they were cooperative and photogenic for its visitors. We commonly stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of the animals with the beautiful foggy mountain landscape in the background, and the wildflower fields in the forefront. Dylan was able to get within a foot or two of these adorable deer. Pictures are below. Along with the deer, the amount of fog was outrageous. In the beginning, we got great silhouettes with the eerie weather, but as we approached the Hurricane Ridge lookout, the fog was so thick and bright you couldn't see five feet in front of you. We unfortunately couldn't appreciate the site to its fullest extent but we still flocked through the trails of the mountain. We especially made use of Dylan's new tri-pod and set up some pretty amazing "selfies". We always have some sort of theme in our pictures; we like to take abstract pictures of our feet in scenic areas and wear matching flannels. This shockingly takes up hours of our day, working hard until we get enough shots that we like. You can see some more pictures of us in the fog below!

After Hurricane Ridge, we stopped on Crescent Lake to walk the Marymere Falls trail. The trail was 1.8 miles round trip and took us to a lower and upper viewing of the 90 foot waterfall. I definitely recommend this hike because there are many tunnels, bridges, and unique paths to take. After a tiring hike, we proceeded to the Twilight capital, Forks. From what we saw, the town was very small, but we stopped at the local grocer/outfitter/cafe/and hardware complex to buy more snacks for when we camp. Because we wanted to head out of town 40 miles away and it was already 6pm, we decided to eat at the BBQ tent that served us some pulled pork sandwiches and sausages. We were faced with our first hurdle when we had to figure out where to camp. We wanted to stay near the Kalaloch tree cave at the campground there. After driving out to the coast, we unfortunately had to create a plan B because all of the sites were full. We drove back towards Forks to find an open place. When we pulled up at the next campground, the only sites that were left were walk in sites-which means you park and then walk to the site. We decided to drive a little further down the road to the next campground. After the 12 mile detour...that campsite was full too. We decided to head back to the second site and took one of the last two spots. We were relieved that we could finally rest for the night, so we pulled out of bag of chips and candy and fell comfortably asleep in Dylan's roof top tent. This tent is so comfortable that it makes us sleep in...The tent feels so safe, it is well insulated, and it stays much cleaner than a regular tent.

On Saturday morning, we packed up the car, and drove into the Hoh Rainforest. As we drove deep into the woods, we finally reached the rainy gathering center for hikes. There were a few hikes to choose from; we chose the Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature trails. They were both over a mile long and we had fun posing for each other's pictures on top of fallen logs, in meadows, and among the ferns. The rain didn't stop us from having fun, we embraced it to the fullest extent. After the two trails, we had a tasty lunch at the Rain Hard Cafe where we purchased some small pieces of artwork for our apartment. After a burger and bacon grilled cheese, we headed south towards Ruby beach. This beach was just amazing! The ginormous rocks scattered along the coast are just breathtaking. Someone explained it to us as, the perfect backdrop. So as you could imagine, we took hours of pictures in the water, along the beach, and with the scenic background. I'm in love with the beach pictures we took. We knew it was time to head to the next spot when we no longer could handle our sandy shoes and salt water soaked pants. Next, the tree cave! But first, we had to figure out where to camp. We decided to ask a forest ranger about the tree cave and mentioned we are looking for a place to camp. She happily informed us that there are a few spots left! This was the campsite that was full last night, so we were so relived to stay in this area. We had a great spot close to the beach and only a few minutes walk to the tree cave. The tree was very neat, the roots hung from...well, I can't explain it, so I included a picture. We then walk down the beach to grab dinner at the lodge next to us. We imagined the walk would be simple, but when we realized we had to cross a man made log divider, we were a little skeptical. The logs were placed at the end of a river leading to the ocean; we were more worried for the camera equipment than ourselves. But after an exciting crossing, we made it to the lodge just in time for sunset. The driftwood littered beach was so romantic, I couldn't believe I was still in Washington. We grabbed some sandwiches, candy, and soda and took pictures while we ate dinner. There was no way we could go back on that uncertain log crossing, so we took the convenient forest path back to the campground. I would recommend the Kalaloch area because it is in the middle of no where, on the coast, is beautiful, and is close to the lodge and food.

On our last day, we decided to drive to the most Northwestern point of the lower 48-Cape Flattery. After passing Neah Bay, we arrived in the Makah Indian Tribe and hiked a few miles to the lookout point. We were not sure how long of a hike it was, but the trail had side lookouts and interesting boardwalks. After the downhill walk, we got to see all of the amazing rock structures in the water. Because a picture speaks a thousand words, I'll save you some reading a post a picture of this view. Cape Flattery is a must see in the Olympic Peninsula and I know we will be back to catch the scene in a foggy setting. We decided to take the latest ferry back to Bellingham at 8:30pm so we had a few more hours to explore on our way back. One of Dylan's must sees was the Sol Duc Falls. Sol Duc also has a hot spring as well, I would have loved to go if we were not pressed for time. After a mile into the hike, we arrived at the waterfall. There was a beautiful bridge over the falls's ravine which was mossy and exotic. This natural waterfall was the perfect ending to an amazing weekend. We knocked everything off of our list and can't wait to get back out there! Thanks for reading!