Olympic Peninsula, WA

We thought we would be spending time in Sequim, where we read the sun shines and the retirees go, but we kept on going and found the port city of Port Angeles more to our liking. Time was spent wandering the streets and just sitting by the shore watching the activity.


Walmart is very rv friendly so we stayed there two nights. Salt Creek Recreation area includes a nice campground on the strait of Juan de Fuca, one of several run by the county. This is on old Camp Hayden land complete with WWII bunkers.


At the end of the road is a prime place for tide pooling but we were still about an hour early. After taking a look at the rocks I decided I would be prudent and not go scrambling across the jagged, steep, and perhaps slick rocks to see sea urchins, anemone, and starfish at this time.


An abundance of stately fir trees cover the hillsides in this part of Washington. The 1400 square mile park includes so many ecosystems that it is a biosphere reserve. Our best view was from the ferry to Victoria.


18 mile Hurricane Ridge Road, which begins at sea level and climbs to 5,000 feet, was our midday pursuit into the Olympic peaks. The highest peak is Mt. Olympus at 7,965 feet. The fog kept much of the forest a mystery to us but much more was revealed.




Lake Crescent is a deep turquoise blue fjord like lake with a cedar sided lodge built in 1916. There we learned the park is celebrating its 75th birthday in two days. The early morning mist still lingers in the air and with the rain it might all day.




The western slopes of the mountains receive the brunt of the Pacific storms and the mild temperatures with the heavy rains create a temperate rain forest. This area includes the setting for the popular Twilight series of books and movies. I made the mistake of listening to the worker at the lodge and did not go. He thought it resembled the nearby drive which was beautiful.


As we left the peninsula we did stop in Sequim at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm. The cute little farm is gearing up for the Lavender festival which will take place in a few weeks. They need a little more sun for the lavender to be in full bloom. I was surprised at how big the bushes are.



The final town on the peninsula for us is a historic old seaport full of Victorian buildings from the last of the 19th century. Port Townsend was at one time one of the busiest ports in the area but now tourists seem to be the main trade.



All ships that entered Puget Sound had to stop at the customs building here and with a fill of sailors and merchants it was like a scene from the Wild West. Residents built their gingerbread laden Victorians on the bluff above the riff raff.


Here we boarded our ferry for nearby Whidbey Island.