On the Road Again (aka 'The Longest Post')

Today saw the Ware Family farther North and West than any of us have ever been.

We left out from my sister's place this morning (THANKS SIS!!) and treated ourselves to some pancake gluttony in Bremerton. With our bellies full we made our way north, up the Kitsap Peninsula, across the Hood Canal (you know, it's that hook-shaped thing on the map), over to the Olympic Peninsula where we've spent the rest of our day. After the day we've had today, I'm embarrassed to confess that this was not part of the original plan.

Our first stop was at the Visitor's Center in Sequim (pronounced 'skwim') to get the lay of the land. I very helpful older gentleman gave us plenty of helpful advice. He suggested that the boy and the girl might enjoy at a stop at Troll Haven, an off-map-private attraction a dozen miles or so back East on 101. I'm glad we stopped, but I could tell we'd over-reached our welcome when we wandered into the realty office that was part of the compound.

We didn't remind the kids that Sequim was near the Olympic Game Farm we'd visited a few years prior, so the missus and I didn't take any heat for skipping that this time and moving down the road.

[Side note: Rats! I just noticed from the website that we missed our chance to meet Grizzly Adams today...d'oh!]

We made an essential pit stop in Port Angeles to get an oil change for the car. We were over 3200 miles in the last fifteen days. After the oil change we went south of Port Angeles to Olympic National Park's Hurricane Ridge. I recall mentioning in an earlier post that I worried about running short of descriptive language sufficient to describe all we've seen on this trip. It is no hyperbole to say that the drive to Hurricane Ridge is breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and...well...all I can seem to think of is the tears that filled my eyes as we made our way to the top. The sight of young Roosevelt Elk bounding through alpine meadows a la Pepe le Pew was truly a sight to behold. A short (less than 100 yard) walk over the ridge from the visitor center affords visitors views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada to the North.

After being eye level with snow-capped mountains, we made the short, 17-mile drive back down the mountain to Highway 101 and continued our journey West. We made a number of stops along the way including a brief respite at the scenic Lake Crescent. We eventually rounded the corner and began Heading South on 101 and went to the 'First Beach' at La Push - also a part of Olympic National Park. It is truly remarkable to be able to be on top of a snow-capped mountain, and dig your toes in the sand at the beach at the same national park on the same day. Olympic NP is only half the size of Yellowstone (meaning it's over a million acres) and is easily as diverse - if not more so. In fact, we intend to continue our Olympic NP adventure tomorrow with a trip to the Hoh Rain Forest.

A note about lodging: on this trip we've experienced the gracious hospitality of friends and family, a few nights camping (including one sleeping in the car) and a few nights in trusty ol' La Quinta. Tonight marks a new twist to the adventure: rustic B & B. As I type this post, the rest of the family is snoozing (I won't identify the snorers) away in a cozy room on the third floor of a quaint old farmhouse. Yes, I can hear the frogs and crickets outside. Yes, it is quite pleasant. Perhaps I can interview the family in the morning and post a short video about the place. Until then...

...thanks for reading.

P.S. - Check out these before and after videos...