For years I've dreamt of visiting the Pacific Northwest, specifically Washington and Oregon on the coastal side. The rain forests, the beaches, the mountains, the islands, the quaint small towns. Everything and everywhere in that region seemed just too beautiful to be real.
Last month it finally happened and it was everything I dreamt it would be...
- DAY 1
As we approached the PNW, we were treated to amazing views of snowcapped mountains, which gave way to rivers, lakes, and neighborhoods beautifully lined with lush green landscapes. The anticipation of landing on PNW soil made me feel like a child on Christmas morning.
Our first order of business: lunch! We headed to Seattle for a Cambodian restaurant, Phnom Penh Noodle House (which itself deserves a whole separate post), that I had researched. There aren't any in the DC area where we live, so this was a must. After what might have been one of my favorite meals in my entire lifetime, we headed out to Mount Rainier National Park. The drive down was spectacular. Highways lined with green spruce trees, Rainier towering in the distance. It was a sight to remember.
We were in such awe of Rainier and its surrounding scenery, we ended up spending more time than we had planned and missed driving up to Paradise. We were disappointed, but made a mental note to put it at the top of the list when we return. Our drive down was full of the same amazing scenery. We couldn't get over how green and almost neon everything was. We made it in time to exit the park before the gates closed and made our way down to Hood River, Oregon. With just enough light left in the sky, we spotted a tulip field while driving through Mossyrock, WA.
- DAY 2
After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, the wonderful Best Western Plus Hood River, we headed out to explore the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and waterfalls. I had seen so many photos of this beautiful area and just couldn't wait to see it in person. It was everything I had hoped it would be. I was so happy about booking my hotel in Hood River (which really set us an hour back roundtrip) because the drive from Hood River to Cascade Locks, where I originally wanted to book our hotel, turned out to offer the best views of the gorge. Driving along the Columbia River with the mountains in the backdrop felt surreal. I almost expected pterodactyls to come flying in from between the mountains. Unfortunately, with just an iPhone camera, I couldn't quite capture how magnificent this place was...
We jumped on the Historic Columbia River Hwy for the waterfall tour. It couldn't have been easier. You don't even have to get out of your car to see the waterfalls. We visited three of them and saw several more along our drive. Multnomah Falls was just as magical as it appeared to be in all of the pictures. Benson Bridge being nestled between the two falls made the whole scene just feel mystical, like we were in Rivendell. We could have easily devoted our entire trip to just this waterfall area. There were so many trails and overlooks to explore. We added it to our list for a return trip.
After a quick stop at Vista House for a final overlook of the Columbia River Gorge, we moved on to Portland. We wanted to tour a luxury apartment community in downtown, but the whole leasing staff were out on lunch so we didn't get the opportunity. The concierge was nice enough to show us some of the amenities, which were all very upscale-fabulous! The building had a fantastic donut shop on the street level so we grabbed a couple of maple and bacon. They were divine! Almost, just almost, as heavenly as the ones from Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken in Downtown DC.
Next stop was Cannon Beach! On our way, we spotted a jerky outlet with more varieties than we could count on our fingers! Naturally, we had to stop to sample the goods.
Happily snacking on our roadside find, we approached Cannon Beach. The first glimpse off of Sunset Blvd took our breath away! We've seen oceans, shorelines, and beaches on the east coast, but none were anything like Cannon Beach. The crystal blue water, the sandy beach, the monoliths, and the mountain backdrop. It was just breathtaking! We spent several hours strolling along the beach admiring the monoliths.
On our way to our hotel in Ocean Shores where we were spending the night, we caught the sunset along Highway 101.
Our first adventure on Day 3 was Quinault Rainforest. It was our first visit to a rain forest. There were many firsts on this trip. When we arrived, there was another couple there, but they were on their way out. And although there were several cars in the small parking lot to the entrance of the forest trail, we didn't see anyone else while we explored. It was such a treat to have the whole place to ourselves. We were so grateful for the personal time we got to fully absorb the magic of the rainforest. You could feel that everything; every leaf, blade of grass, clover, even the fallen trees, were full of life. This was the Valley of the Giants, a name befitting of its characteristics. We had never seen larger trees anywhere. It was quite humbling to stand next to one.
We broke up our two rain forest tours with a stop at Ruby Beach. It was beautiful when we arrived, with blue skies and wispy white clouds. An hour later the fog rolled in, causing the most beautiful dreamlike effect.
The fog got so thick that we just couldn't see more than several feet ahead of us, so we departed for the Hoh Rain Forest. This one is a little more well known and had a bigger crowd. It was still considered off season so the "crowd" really wasn't much of a crowd at all.
We were famished after our second rain forest tour and were lucky enough to find a great pub right at the entrance of the town of Forks called Blakeslee, where we enjoyed good food and great service. It did the trick after a busy day of exploring the western Olympic Peninsula.
After dinner we continued on to Port Townsend, where we would be spending the night at my first bed and breakfast. We drove slowly past Lake Crescent, stopping in a few spots for pictures and to take in the incredibly scenery of the clear lake water framed with mountains of the Olympic National Forest.
Everything about my first stay at a bed and breakfast was perfect! Blue Gull Inn Bed and Breakfast's quaint Victorian was full of charm! We woke up to the smell of hot brewed coffee and realized we were the only guests there, so we had the host, John, all to ourselves during breakfast. While we enjoyed delicious omelets, fresh fruits, sausages, home fries, and an amazing banana nut bread, John filled us in on all of the things we shouldn't miss on our way back to Seattle via Whidbey Island. After breakfast we checked out, took John's advice, and spent some time walking the beach at Fort Worden State Park. After stuffing ourselves with his wife's amazing breakfast, it was much needed. Then we strolled through Port Townsend's gorgeous little downtown and bought some souvenirs before boarding the Kennewick ferry to Whidbey Island.
We were so excited to visit Whidbey Island's pièce de résistance, Deception Pass. John explained to us that the seascape is dramatic with the tide moving in opposite directions and causing whirlpools. We didn't see this happen while we were there, but we didn't spend too much time watching for it either as we were too busy taking in the incredible scenery of islands surrounded by turquoise water.
We took the Pacific NW Trail to Macs Cove, then continued on to Deception Pass Bridge. Crossing the bridge isn't for the faint of heart. With only three feet of sidewalk to walk on (which isn't so bad until you have to share with oncoming foot traffic) and a 180 foot drop on one side and 18 wheelers speeding by on the other, it gets a little intense. Hanging out on Pass Island was truly a treat and completely worth the blood pumping walk back and forth.
We spent several hours at Deception Pass and could have spent several more, but there were tulip fields to find before heading back to Seattle to meet my co-worker for dinner. So we drove over the twin bridges, crossing over to Fidalgo Island and into Skagit Valley.
- DAY 5
After spending 8 hours working a convention, I couldn't wait to get into Seattle for some sightseeing. The best place to see Seattle was, of course, atop the iconic Space Needle. The wait in line wasn't too long, or perhaps it was but felt short because we were busy reading the timeline history that was lined along both sides of the walls leading up to elevator. Genius move on the part of the designer! At the end of the night we went to Kerry Park to see the Seattle skyline with the Space Needle.
This day was supposed to be dedicated entirely to touring downtown Seattle, but I had discovered a bridge about an hour away that I just had to see. This bridge was only known to the locals, until social media made it popular to the online communities. Finding it is not easy, but once you do, it's well worth the time driving from Seattle and hiking the trail to the bridge. It's old and abandoned, but was once a working rail road track used by lumber companies. The tracks are gone and what is left is a beautiful old bridge that offers breathtaking mountain views of the Olympic National Forest. The bridge is about 367 feet high, so walking on it is not for the faint of heart. There were quite a few people out there that day, mostly teens and young adults. A couple of them had a very hard time staying upright. One in particular was on all fours. I asked if I could help, maybe hold his hands and walk across with him, but he declined choosing to calm his nerves by taking it slow and easy. He was one of the younger ones out that day. My partner and I admired his tenacity.
The bridge was another highlight of the trip. We built quite an appetite so we headed back to that amazing Cambodian restaurant from Day 1, where our server welcomed us back with open arms! The service there was as warm and friendly as the food was delicious! We were so sad that it would be our last visit and not knowing when we would be back to enjoy it again. After dinner we spent some time walking around downtown, then finished the evening with a nightcap in Post Alley.
- DAY 7
Everything about our trip was so exciting, including our last day! I woke up anxious to begin the day at the original Starbucks! Although my signature drink, the Skinny Vanilla Latte, tasted exactly the same as it does when I order it at home, it was still exciting to taste one that that came from the place that started it all. After grabbing a souvenir, we walked across the street to Pike Place Market for breakfast. Pike Place is a feast for the senses! So much to see and taste! There were tulips of every shape and color and whole branches of apple blossoms (I was so conflicted with that because on the one hand it was gorgeous, but on the other, whole branches of a tree were cut down). Exploring the market, we couldn't help but feel incredibly envious of Seattle residents who were privy to this amazing place. The closest thing we have back at home is the Wharf, which just doesn't hold a candle.
~ Stephanie
