What We Did
Seattle --> Westport
After a hungover dim sum brunch, we departed Seattle on the Edmonds ferry. It was a quick ride over to the peninsula, where we drove down the east coast through Aberdeen ("Come As You Are") and ended up in the little beach town of Westport.
Westport
Our place in Westport was a quaint beach cottage walking distance from the shore. The town itself is one of the smallest we've stayed in yet, especially since so many houses are vacation rentals. There was a little downtown by the harbor, lots of divey bars, and a huge seafood culture (we got to grill an amazing wild Chinook). You can tell that the summer is where it's at its best. For us, it was windy, cool, and quiet. We really enjoyed going to the ocean again after being inland for so long.
Olympic National Park
After our week in Westport, we headed up the coast. First stop was the Quinault Rainforest, where we did a quick hike and stopped at the historic lodge by the lake. It was vibrant green and felt incredibly fresh. We continued up to Forks, a tiny town of little cinematic relevance, to gather supplies for our night.
Our destination was Second Beach (in between First and Third) - near the town of La Push. It was another short hike, and most of the people on the trail were heading the opposite direction as us. The forest was just as thick as the Quinault, but darker and wetter. We heard the waves before we saw them, descending the trail down to the sand. The beach was wide, long, flat, and covered in enormous driftwood. The tide was so low that you could almost walk to the sea stacks a few hundred yards away. We saw one other camper, but we were able to find a long stretch of solitude farther down the beach. As we began to pitch our tent between two massive pieces of driftwood, it began to rain. This made things a little sandy and wet, but that's expected when camping in May on the Washington coast. As soon as we put the tent up, the rain stopped and we set out to explore the beach. We walked a little further down but turned around when we saw a huge dead seal. We took advantage of the low tide to do some tidepooling before heading back to camp for dinner. Grace miraculously got a fire going as the rain began again, and we sipped our hot ramen and watched the tide slowly rise. Once the sun set, we retreated to the tent. But sleep was hard to come by as we heard the tide coming increasingly close. We knew the tide peaked right at midnight, so at 11:30 we nervously got out of the tent and monitored the situation unfolding on the other side of our log. The water was now less than 15 feet away, and approaching rapidly. Each new wave we were holding our breath and taking a swig of Crown Royale to keep us sharp. At last, midnight passed with the water just barely missing us, and we settled safely to bed.
We woke up Sunday and loaded up the car for the next drive. We continued north till we hit the water, then broke west for Cape Flattery. Cape Flattery is the Northwesternmost point of the lower-48 - it's accessible via a beautifully maintained trail on the Makah Reservation. The end of the trail was cliffs and sea caves, with big waves swirling dangerously below. We saw a lone sea otter floating amongst the kelp, and a couple of seals swimming around. The final leg of the trip was a drive back down the winding coastal road to Port Angeles.
Port Angeles
Our place in Port Angeles was unexpectedly large. It had a huge kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms. This was very welcome after our past two cramped spots. The town is also a bit bigger, and a little more weathered. On Tuesday afternoon, we drove up the winding road to Hurricane Ridge, nearly 6000 ft of elevation. At the top of the drive was an alpish view of the Olympic mountains to the south. It was a breathtaking panorama, with dozens of deer and marmots grazing the grassy meadows just a few feet from us. The meadows led down a steep hill to the thick rainforests below, and we could see every valley stretching almost the peninsula until the mountains rose again. It was surreal. It felt like a movie and we took some of our best pictures of the trip.
Thoughts
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The Olympic Peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions in the country, yet it feels like no one knows.
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Being around so many trees makes for a noticeable difference. Breathing feels much cleaner.
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While here, we watched some of the Twilight movies and discovered that none of them were filmed anywhere on the Olympic Peninsula! It makes sense after seeing Forks - the town is way to small to film a movie in.
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Fresh caught salmon is amazing - the one we grilled was better than any fish either of us have had in a restaurant.
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We learned a lot about Kurt Cobain on this trip - he group up in Aberdeen. The music makes more sense now.
Favorites
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Knotty Pine Tavern - The diviest dive bar in Westport.
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Beach Grub - An unlisted food truck in the owner's front yard. We walked here for a shrimp skewer lunch.
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Merino's Seafood Market - Where we bought our amazing fish.
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Cape Flattery Trail - One of the best-maintained trails we've hiked, with boardwalks through the forest to protect the fragile ground.
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Hurricane Ridge - One of the best views in North America.