Washington

Sol Duc Falls

It was our 10 year anniversary this year and we decided to take a trip to a place we’ve wanted to go for a while but never seemed to make it to. The plan was to spend the first two days in Seattle, two days visiting Olympic National Park and one day visiting the Cascades but we quickly learned we needed more time for Olympic and threw out the Cascades. This trip was shorter than we usually take mostly because it was an “extra” trip for us.

Woodland Park Zoo

Our flight landed early in the morning and our first destination was to the zoo. This zoo was packed with kids which was not enjoyable. I assumed it was camp day because they all seemed to be in troves. The first half of the zoo wasn’t great but we enjoyed the second part. One of my favorite parts were watching monkey’s swing on the trees and ropes. They were so funny. I could have watched them all day. Another of my favorites were watching orangutans. I enjoy being able to see them because they aren’t very common at zoos. These guys were particularly funny because they all had blankets. We watched one carry his blanky around and then sit down. He covered himself with the blanket and then started to eat his lunch. Another one had his blanky on his head when we walked up. We then watched him cover his face and then lay down. They were so funny. We also got to see a mountain goat which I was pretty excited for because we’ve never seen one.

Seattle

After the zoo we stopped off at our hotel and then headed to the space needle. The area around the needle is pretty neat to hang out in. There were different vendors and food carts and some people playing music. We then went up and walked around. The views were nice and we were lucky because the weather was clear enough where we could actually see Mt. Rainer.

Seattle

We then took a bus tour around downtown Seattle. The tour wasn’t that great but we did get to see some different areas. We got off at Pike Place Market. When we arrived it was around closing time so some folks were packing up. We were impressed at how big the market was. We each bought a delicious cookie. We then decided to wander more and heard a call for a harbor boat cruise. We walked up to the ticket desk and got some information. We decided on the spot to go on the cruise that left in 15 minutes. It was fun being spontaneous. The boat tour was nice and we got to learn a little more about the city. One thing I remember is when they built the new Seahawks stadium they wanted it to be loud but they didn’t account how loud it would be. Something happened in a football game and the crowd got so loud it registered as an earthquake.

Eating Crab

After the cruise we went to dinner at a crab shack. It wasn’t typical for us because we don’t like much seafood but I was interested because there are so many restaurants serving it. It was super fun. Kyle and I shared crab legs, salmon kabobs and potatoes. They brought it all out in a big bowl then dumped it right in the middle of the table. I asked the guy what to do since I’ve never had crab legs before. He gave me a cracker and a hammer. It was fun playing with the food but was incredibly time consuming. After dinner we decided to take a ride on the Great Wheel. We had perfect timing because the sun was setting during our ride.

Seattle Aquarium

The next day we started by visiting the Seattle Aquarium. This was one of our favorite aquariums as it was different than all the others we’ve been to. This one focused on local ecosystems. The pacific reefs are cold water and not something we usually see. They are just as pretty and a little bit “cooler” than other reefs. We got to see lots of different things. It was really nice. They also had sea otters there which were super cute and I would have liked to watch them all day. They had a program at the zoo where you could watch a diver in their main viewing tank. It was funny because they played the song “Under Pressure” and the diver danced to it underwater.

Glass

After the aquarium we wandered around the market again. There were so many levels, inside and outside, it was crazy. Anything you could ever want, such as a flying pig, could be found here. We found a shop that sold handmade glass hearts that were made with ash from Mt. Saint Helens. We bought a heart since it was our special anniversary trip.

Uber Accident

In the evening we went to a local Seattle favorite fast food restaurant called Dick’s. The menu is interesting because it hasn’t changed in about 30 years and the only thing they changed was to add Diet Coke. It is also interesting because they do not allow changes to their food. It’s basically a hamburger/cheeseburger and fry kind of place and it was pretty good. We then went to a comedy show. After the show it was dark out and Seattle at dark brings about some characters. We decided to get an Uber since the hotel was kind of far. We made it all of five seconds in our ride before we were hit by a car. It was very scary because there was a loud bang, the car shook and went dark. Our driver pulled out into the driving lane when he got smacked. The side airbags went off and everyone was okay. It was right near an intersection and there were many people around but not one person came over to ask if we were okay. The only people that came over were homeless people asking for money. Can you believe it? We enjoyed our time in Seattle despite it being much hillier than expected and getting into an accident but were ready to move on to other things.

Biggest Sitka Spruce Tree

Merriman Falls

Thursday was our 10 year anniversary and we were headed to Olympic National Park. ONP has been on my list for a long time so I was very excited to go. We did it in the reverse direction that most people do but that’s okay. We started off in Lake Quinault. They have a loop there that goes around the lake, river and forest. Our first stop was to the Big Sitka Spruce Tree. This tree was huge being the world’s largest at over 58′ circumference, 191′ tall and 1000 years old. Our next stop was to Merriman Falls. These were just along the road side and if you weren’t looking you would have missed them but they were very pretty with the huge rocks and moss hanging from the trees. Next we stopped and got out along the Quinault River to walk along the gravel beds. The water was a really pretty blue and the river was deeper than appeared.

Pacific Coast

After the Quinault region we moved up to the pacific coast. The coastal region has many different beaches for stopping at. The first handful are all about the same but the first beach we went to which was actually called Beach 1 was super cool. This beach had a forest full of Sitka spruce trees that all had burls. The burls were so cool and they were so big. This was a nice surprise and I loved walking through them. We stopped along many other beaches and they were cool but all looked the same.

Pacific Coast

We had lunch at the Kalaloch Lodge then continued on to see the Big Cedar Tree. Earlier in the day we had stopped at a rangers station and the ranger had told some other visitors not to skip the tree because the next time you come it might not be here. Part of the tree had collapsed in a storm about five years ago. Like the Sitka tree, this tree is 1000 years old, too, and 175′ tall. It’s pretty impressive when you can’t get far back enough to fit it all in your photo.

Ruby Beach

Our next stop was to Ruby Beach which is one of the more popular beaches in the park and very reminiscent of the black sand beach, Reynisfjara, in Iceland. It is nice because of the rock formations and at low tide you can explore them all. The tides follow the moon and the best time to visit is during the full moon. Low tide when we visited wasn’t super great for exploring the tide pools but we made the best and still enjoyed wandering around. There were lots of jellyfish on this beach. Our resting spot for the night was in La Push (#TeamJacob). The room was PERFECT for our special day. We got the second floor (there were only two floors) and a corner room. There were lots of windows and we could look out at the beach from our bed. It was a cute room and I liked the Native decorations. For our special dinner, we drove to the market store down the road and got a frozen pizza and cookie to make back in our room. Simple and nice :).

Hoh Rainforest

Our next day began with the Hoh Rainforest. I was super excited to see this area and it didn’t disappoint. I only wish my camera would have been able to capture how cool this place was. The moss dripping on the trees was so pretty. We also found many banana slugs. Some lady said to me, “oh, you don’t have these where you are?” Um no, we’re from Michigan. She told us a story about when her sons were in camp growing up part of their initiation to the camp was putting one on you face. She offered to take my photo if I wanted to do that. I debated it but decided, ew. Kyle found a black slug, too, and we learned later this was a European slug. The Hoh River flows through the park and it was a very pretty blue. We sat by it for a little while just taking it in. The camera just doesn’t pick up the colors like being there in person.

Cape Flattery

After Hoh, we ventured up to Cape Flattery which is the most northwest point of the continental US. I didn’t plan to go here because I didn’t think we would have time but we decided to dedicate three days to the park instead of two so we had time for it. The road to the cape was incredibly narrow with an insane amount of twists and turns. I was glad I was driving because I thought for sure I would have been nauseous… like Kyle informed me he was later. The area where the cape is sits on the Makah Indian Reservation. You actually need a permit to enter the area. The cape was my most favorite thing on our trip. Since I didn’t plan to come here, I didn’t get to do any research and had no idea what it was. I was thinking it was probably something like a peninsula you walk out to and kind of lame but it was not! You take a nice hike out to it through the forest with odd looking trees and then you get to the ocean.

Cape Flattery

This not a beach as you are on a cliff basically with viewing areas. The cape was full of huge rocks and little caves and we even saw a person kayaking. There were a few different little islands out and a bunch of seabirds and sea lions. I was extremely excited when I saw a puffin in the wild. Not only was this the first trip where I had ever seen a puffin but I finally got to see in it the wild. I told everybody there and some lady even let me borrow her binoculars because I had left mine in the car. I had been trying to see puffins for years but every time we would go to where they are, they were gone. Then, we saw a sea otter! It was so cool being here. I literally could have stayed here all day. I wish Kyle had the same enthusiasm. After the cape, we found a cool little waterfall, called Beaver Falls, that was very hidden but a short hike beneath the road. We had it all to ourselves which is the best way to enjoy neature.

Salmon Cascades

We continued on to the Sol Duc area. Our first stop was to the salmon cascades. It was not salmon season but this is where you could come to watch them when it is. The cascades were pretty neat and you could hop out on the boulders pretty far into the river. We hiked up stream a little bit to get away from the people and just sat and enjoyed the scenery again. The water was so blue here. Next, we hiked through the ancient groves which was a hike through a forest with lots of big trees. A cool but uneventful hike. Our next stop was to the Sol Duc falls. The falls were pretty as they sit inside a ravine. Before heading to our hotel, we stopped at Lake Crescent to watch the sunset. It was pretty good timing again and the lake was so pretty at dusk with the mountains in the background.

Port Angeles

For the night, we stayed in Port Angeles which is where the park is headquartered. The town sits right on the Straight of San Juan de Fuca and you can see British Columbia from the shores. They actually have a ferry you could take across. We did not bring our passports nor did we have time. It was super neat here and I actually asked our waiter at dinner about living here.

Hurricane Ridge

Our next day was Saturday and our last full day. We started in the morning visiting Hurricane Ridge. It was crazy how fast the weather turns here. We did several hikes here but could not take the road up past the visitor center as it was closed for the annual mountain goat capture. It would have been super cool to see a mountain goat being helicoptered through the air but we did not see this. When we got to Hurricane Ridge it was chilly, sometimes started to sprinkle and very grey and cloudy. By the time we left the clouds were clearing and the sun was coming out. We were only there an hour or two.

Lake Crescent

We then went back to Lake Crescent. We learned from our stop the night before they have pontoon boat rides and wanted to take one. We got there a little early so played Sorry and had lunch. The weather was starting to turn again and it got chilly and windy. The five other people that signed up for the boat cancelled and it was just us. We agreed let’s just do it. We suited up with sweatshirts and rain gear and I bought a $12 beanie from the gift shop to keep my ears warm. Our private tour began late as the captain needed to go rescue some kayakers. We then ventured out and it actually wasn’t as bad as we expected. It was pretty choppy but we could handle it. We got to see some homes and learn about these private residences in the national park. There was an 800 sqft house that was for sale last year for $1 million. We also learned about a sad story about a point on the road called ambulance point. The story was there were two little boys whose dad was a logger. The mom and dad went to the town for a washing machine when they first came out. This was a long time ago so the roads were not what they are today. The parents never came home and the boys never learned what happened to them before they died. A policeman was determined to find out what happened and hired a dive team. The team ended up finding the car and the bodies still inside. The children of the boys chose to leave them in peace. This was a creepy story to hear when the lake was rough and we were right next to it. We then headed to the eastern side of the lake. The two sides were like night and day. The eastern side was sunny and calm. There were people swimming in some areas and we even saw a few boaters. The lake was very pretty and we could not get over the beautiful green/blue color.

Marymere Falls

Madison Falls

After the lake we did a couple hikes to some waterfalls. The first was Marymere Falls which was a very pretty cascading falls. The next was Madison falls which was also pretty and tall. On our way out of the park we stopped to talk with a woodcarver and bought one of his pieces made out of eastern redwood.

We both really enjoyed this trip and have about seven more trips back here planned full of things to do. I wanted so bad to see an orca but it didn’t happen this trip. There is so much out there to see we wished it was closer. Overall, it was a great way to spend our 10 year anniversary.