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Independence Driving Day

July 4th, 2012 . Posted in Travel, United States, Western United States | Comments Off on Independence Driving Day

Wednesday – July 4, 2012

The complaints of the local crows woke us up early to see the sun rising slowly over the lake. We didn’t have to use the complimentary flash light on the night stand last night. The temperature outside was in the high 40s but it was warm and toasty in our room. I was glad I wasn’t camping.

Lake Quinault in the Morning

Back on Route 101 Southbound

Willapa Bay – “Oyster Capital of the World”

Lower Willapa Bay at Low Tide

Oyster Boat at the Dock

Where the Columbia River Meets the Pacific Ocean

Dismal Nitch: Campsite of Lewis & Clark in 1805

Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington

Owl Kite

Asian Kites

World War II Kites

Japanese Kites

Colorful Kites

Memorial

Lake Quinault – Day 2

July 3rd, 2012 . Posted in Travel, United States, Western United States | Comments Off on Lake Quinault – Day 2

July 3, 2012

The Lake Quinault Lodge was so cozy and comfortable that we decided to stay for a second night. We were going to have a “down day”, but we decided to explore more of Olympic National Park and the Pacific coast.

Looking Across Quinault Lake

Lake Front Porch

View of Quinault Lodge From the Lake

Lake Quinault

Boats on the Lake

Clouds Clearing on the Lake

Rain Clouds Moving Out

The Local Country Store

The Mercantile

Exploring the Quinault Rain Forest

Beautiful Waterfall

Redneck Yacht Club

Pacific Bluffs

Chainsaw Carvings

Sunset Over Quinault Lake

Olympic Peninsula: Port Angeles to Lake Quinault

July 2nd, 2012 . Posted in Travel, United States, Western United States | Comments Off on Olympic Peninsula: Port Angeles to Lake Quinault

Monday July 2, 2012

We had a delightful stay at the Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles and would recommend it as the best place to stay in Port Angeles. The weather was cool and gray with low clouds. The temperature was 56 degrees.

Scenic Overlook on Route 101

Low Clouds Over Lake Crescent

Looking Across  to the North Shore of Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent in the Rain

Logging Truck Rumbling Down Route 101

Jeff Under an Ancient Sitka Spruce Tree

Moss-Covered Trees in Hoh Rain Forest

More Fuzzy Trees Near the Ranger Station

Large Trees in Hoh National Rain Forest

The Near-Famous Hard Rain Cafe

Ruby Beach on the Pacific Ocean

Ruby Beach in the Rain

Walking On the Beach in the Rain

Lake Quinault Lodge From the Road

Lake Quinault Lodge

Lobby of the Quinault Lodge

View From Our Room

Quinault Lodge Lobby

Quinault Lake From the Dining Room

Lodge Sign

Olympic Peninsula: Bremerton to Port Townsend

July 1st, 2012 . Posted in Travel, United States, Western United States | Comments Off on Olympic Peninsula: Bremerton to Port Townsend

Sunday – July 1, 2012

We left Bremerton early and drove south on Route 3 south to Route 106 along a scenic road which followed the coast of the Hood Canal. It was drizzling lightly and 59 degrees. It looked like it would be another gray day, although the weather forecasters predicted some sunshine.

Picnic Tables Waiting For Better Weather

Long Walk in the Rain

Summer Cottages on The Hood Canal

Native American Casino – The Lucky Dog

Rain On Dabob Bay

Wild Flowers Along the Road

Victorian Building in Port Townsend, Washington

Cheerful Signs in Town

Port Townsend Bluegrass Buskers

Writer’s Workshoppe Window

View of Puget Sound From Port Townsend

Olympic Lodge – Port Angeles

Corner of the Lobby

Lobby of the Olympic Lodge

Photo of Olympic Lodge with Mountains Visible

Leaving Vancouver on Canada Day

June 30th, 2012 . Posted in Canada, Travel, United States, Western United States | Comments Off on Leaving Vancouver on Canada Day

Saturday –  June 30, 2012

Naval Ships in the Harbor

We checked out of Hotel Le Soleil in Vancouver and said our good-byes and thanks to the staff for a pleasant stay. The valet brought around the car and off we went. This is a holiday weekend for the celebration of Canada Day tomorrow on July 1st. Many streets in Vancouver were closed to traffic for the weekend and transformed into pedestrian walk-ways.

Bremerton Harbor

Our plan was to drive about five hours and to arrive somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula. We calculated that it was about 200 miles from Vancouver to Seattle so we expected that leg to take about three hours. It took about an hour to get to the US/Canada border and that’s where our plans fell apart. All three lanes of traffic stopped and we all crawled slowly to the gate. We sat in line in the car for a little more than two hours, slowly inching forward until we finally reached the border gate. Two minutes later, we were on our way, but far behind our plan!

Hope on the Horizon

We stopped at the next town for cups of coffee and a chance to get out of the car. We continued south on Route 5 and spent the rest of the day driving. At about 5:00 PM we arrived in Bremerton, WA. We consulted tripadvisor.com and chose the Hampton Inn located right on the harbor near the Convention Center and the ferry. We discovered that Bremerton was the home of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. There was a huge Naval base there and we saw several old ships near the shore.

The Battleship Turner Joy

We checked in, dropped off our luggage, and walked along the harbor in front of the hotel. It was still drizzling slightly but it didn’t feel especially cold. At the end of the walkway there was a battleship tied up at the dock named the Turner Joy which was available for tours.

Walkway Along the Harbor

We walked for a short while. It was getting late and we were tired from driving and being in the car all day. There had been heavy traffic during most of the drive and especially around Seattle. It had taken us six hours to drive 200 miles from Vancouver to Seattle, including waiting time at the border. At the end of the day, we were happy to have found a clean reliable hotel for the night.

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