My husband, Travis, and I went on a wonderful trip to the Seattle area last September. In one week, we put 1000 miles on a rental Hyundai as we visited Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks, San Juan Island for a little sea kayaking and the Gorge Amphitheater for a DMB show.
This first image was taken in the tiny seaside establishment of La Push, inside the Quileute Indian Reservation. It was here that my husband met the ocean for the first time. While he frolicked in the surf, I wandered around and found this row of cabins which looked like the type of lodging you’d find at a vintage 50’s summer resort. They looked like they’d accommodated summer tourists at one time but had since become vacated and/or privately owned, and subsequently and unfortunately fallen into disrepair. A shame really. They were so quaint.
Detail of a crab shell on the beach at La Push.
After a long day in Olympic National Park, we hopped on the Bainbridge Island to Seattle ferry and enjoyed our first ferry ride. This jumpy image illustrates our excitement perfectly (I know, I know, it’s just a boat, but to a couple of landlocked Utahans, it was pretty cool!). We fell in love with the ferry system and how people use it as part of their everyday travels. My commute to work consists of eight miles of asphalt, nine stoplights and no water in sight.
We traipsed all over San Juan Island, searching with wild abandon for the four Alpaca farms listed on the map. Why? Travis has an crazed obsession for the fuzzy, goofy, spitting beasts. Much to his disappointment, we found only one farm still up and running: Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm.
On our one lazy day during the whole trip, we found this beautiful trail at American Camp on San Juan Island’s southern point. In just a few miles, we covered a grassy meadow, a bald summit, a beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a pine forest and this lush ferny rain forest. It was amazing!
After a late night drive from the Gorge to Yakima, we woke up early and headed toward Mount Rainier National Park. We drove through a curvy canyon for miles and finally were rewarded with this, our first view of the volcano. We pulled over in the turnout and were greeted by the nicest couple from Texas. We exchanged cameras and took snaps of each other with the glaciered peak in the background and as they pulled away in their motor home, we were left with “Ya’ll have a safe trip!”
Our plan for the day was to simply drive through Mount Rainier National Park on our way to the coast and the Columbia River and the expanse of Lewis and Clark memorabilia that we were sure to find there, but when Travis overheard the salesman at the Sunrise gift shop telling some other tourists, “You’re pretty lucky to be here today. It’s the first time we’ve seen the peak in days,” we bagged the rest of the drive, bought some postcards and sat on the deck of the Paradise Lodge, just below this window. We spent some time perusing the area, the gift shops and the visitor’s center. Aside from living in the great caldera of Yellowstone, we’d never been that close to volcano before. I can’t wait to go again!
I suppose that a trip to Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Pike Place Market. On our first day of the trip, we quickly walked through the market and grabbed some tasty pictures and sandwiches. It was definitely worth seeing, the people, the cultures, the goods for sale, everything. So much variety!
We found Alexander while cruising through Pike Place Market. I wonder if he was an actual attraction at the market at one point or just some artist’s whimsy?
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