June 30-July 11, 2018
TL;DR: This acronym is very apt for this post, which is a bit longer than normal. Washington is a big state! It’s also a veritable feast for the eyes, with coastal panoramas, lush rainforests, and extremely spicy chicken sandwiches. Met up with some friends, ate our share of seafood, and now consider Seattle a new contender for our next home base (if it doesn’t end up being as pricey as SF).
The sights
Olympic National Park
Quinault Rain Forest
Took the four-mile loop to see Cascade Falls, a cedar bog, and a huge Douglas Fir. Fun fact: Douglas Firs are not actually fir trees, but pine trees. Also, thanks to their shallow roots, over 80% of tree deaths are due to wind.
Highlights: banana slugs, huckleberries, and salmon berries (edible!).
Everything was crazy green.
There were a ton of recreational cabins along the water that had been there since 1915, with an emphasis on respecting the sacred Native American ground by treading lightly.
Coastal Beaches
Super inventive with their names here. We started at Kalaloch Beach 4, where we saw a bald eagle (‘murica!) and a couple sea stacks.
Next stop was Ruby Beach, which was much busier because it had more and bigger sea stacks, lots of driftwood, and very hot sand.
Lake Crescent
The road around Lake Crescent is a two-lane highway similar to Lake Tahoe. So when there’s construction, it brings everything to a halt. Bonus of being stopped: road-side elk munching on grass.
Pulled into a boat ramp turn-out that was theoretically just for boats. A construction worker (originally from Placer, near Tahoe) pulled up and asked Bri if we could do him a favor and make sure we enjoy the water for him. Challenge accepted.
The lake was magnificent: The crystal clear blue water was especially incredible after the last few with pollen and dead fish. Like Lake Shasta, it had steep sides and not a ton of beach access.
We paddled to the other side, tied ourselves to a tree and hung out on the edge of the water for about an hour, relaxing and avoiding the wind, which kept getting stronger. We finally got up the strength to paddle back and the saga began. Fought against 20 MPH winds with whitecaps for 45 minutes. Had to hang onto a tree for a breather before the final push.
After about 500 right-sided paddles in a row, we made it. Phew.
In between the Park and Seattle
Port Townsend
Finally got to Port Townsend, where Bri’s Aunt and Uncle live. Interesting city with lots of old Victorian buildings and a charming downtown. Had a great visit catching up and playing games on the 4th of July.
Tacoma
Tacoma was pretty cute and right on the water. There were some very distinct areas that were appealing and others you’d want to sort of stay away from. Bluebeard coffee was a stand-out.
Seattle
Seward Park
About a mile from where we were staying with our friends in Beacon Hill, Seward Park was a cool spot overlooking Mercer Island. It was pretty windy, but our friend convinced us to go paddleboarding: He took one board and we shared the other, which worked out surprisingly well. Except Bri did fall in. On our way out, we noticed that Andrews Bay was much more calm and picturesque. Next time.
White Swan Public House
Stopped here for oysters and drinks. Sat right on the water and could see all the seaplanes and the Space Needle. Good spot for people and sailboat watching.
Serafina
Thanks to Jess and Andrew for this rec! Great drinks (you don’t have wine with your cocktails?), mussels, gnocchi, and bucatini. Ended with tuile cookies, which we couldn’t pronounce for the life of us but have confirmed they did not have nuts. Amazing when dipped in affogato.
Pike Place Market
Not a good place if you hate crowds. Cool to see the guys throwing fish (see center of photo in gallery), gorgeous flowers, and the questionable gum wall.
Stood in line for two dozen mini donuts from Daily Dozen—very worth it. The cinnamon sugar and maple bacon were incredible.
Also went to Sosio’s produce, which was interesting: They get your produce for you, and you can taste everything. Smartly named their produce things like “oh my god peaches.”
Stopped by Ugly Baby which had a delightful assortment of “shower magnets” with sayings like, “Even bad days can end in threesomes.”
Sisters And Brothers
There are more details in the Roadfood review below, but we couldn’t help sharing the experience of watching our friend, Daniel, try the “Insane” spice level (as Uncle Brian held his child and watched in disbelief).
After the first couple bites, nothing could calm the burn—panting and pacing, milk and bread, water to the face. His only choice was to wait it out.
Which turned out to be exhausting (don’t worry, he lived).
Counterbalance Brewery
Daniel’s cousin owns this place, and they had a nice selection of beers.
Hats & Boots Park (Oxbow Park)
Tiny park. Huge cowboy boots and a hat.
Just outside Seattle
Whidbey Island
Cool outdoors spot close to the city with a ton of little beaches and rock islands.
Explored some tide pools and enjoyed the relatively quiet feel. Went over the Deception Pass bridge, which was real high up.
Drove down to Penn Cove and Toby’s Tavern for mussels (see Roadfood review below).
Spokane
We picked up our first guest of the trip, Sara (Brian’s Mom), at the Museum of Arts and Culture.
Tempus and Elixir Tasting Room
The atmosphere at Tempus was pretty sterile but the guy helping us was so nice that it didn’t matter, and they had a nice Riesling. Then we went to Elixir, which had a much better vibe and some delicious options. Also learned that the Columbia and Walla Walla valleys produce a lot of wine.
Wandering Table
Walked over the bridge to the Wandering Table for dinner (very good!), which was right in the middle of an evening farmer’s market. Lots of cherry vendors, kids, dogs, desserts. All you need in life.
Details, details, details
We love tree tunnels!
Quixx is a fun new game that can illicit quite the scene at Thanksgiving.
In Seattle, slackliners also juggle.
Taking a shower without turning off the water is a true luxury. (Thank you, Daniel and Aubrey!)
Seattle’s Sound Link subway was a pretty easy way to get into the city from the suburbs.
Had an epic brunch at Seattle’s Four Seasons with our friends Corey and Jill. Amazing crab cakes and company.
Sometimes comic book stores look like record stores and you walk out feeling very old.
Amazon lockers are amazing and make you feel like you’re best friends with a robot.
Tons of small towns in the Pacific Northwest have these tiny drive-thru espresso bars—many of which are manned by bikini-clad ladies. It’s… strange.
Layla took her first ferry ride and didn’t get seasick.
Navigated our first low overpass (there were several in Spokane).
And then this happened…
On our way into Port Townsend, Google Maps threw us for a loop, turning us around and adding eight miles onto our trip. So we doubled back only to find the road was closed. So we turned right back around and kept going the original way, which was the road of many potholes.
In Tacoma, we stopped at Bluebeard Coffee. Jess hadn’t had coffee in a month, but decided to try their nitro cold brew. It was delicious—until then she threw it in her own face when a bag slid down her arm. Maybe it’s a sign?
When we were staying by Whidbey Island, it was super peaceful and quiet—until the Growlers rolled by overhead at 11 PM. Growlers, in case you didn’t know, are warfare aircraft that can go 1,181 MPH.
Guess what’s still broken? The fridge.
This time, it spewed out hummus and a beer. Working on a new lock situation.
Bri had never seen Footloose. He is now enlightened.
We bought a bike cover to keep the bikes from getting covered in dust every time we move. The first time we put it on, it started coming off about five minutes later… on the highway. Fortunately, we saw it happening in our rearview camera, and were able to pull over before it wreaked havoc on the highway.
Now we know
A quiet air mattress does exist.
The Log Cabin Resort at Lake Crescent is a delightful place that let us pull in, dump, and get water for free.
There is such a thing as a too-big oyster.
Some water stations have a random 40-second limit. Why?
Road food
Where we stayed
Nights one and two: Quinault National Forest
Found a stormy, foggy spot in the rainforest that was nice and level, with cool temperatures and greenery everywhere.
GPS coordinates: 47.362172, -123.877417
Night three: Olympic National Forest
The first spot we went to looked like a quarry, but was huge so we decided to take a nap/shower before dinner. Seemed too sketchy for a full night. Bri went out to turn the gas on and noticed shotgun shells all over the ground. Apparently the locals use the area for target practice?
Drove back through to Olympic National Forest, where there were lots of options on the side of the road. Found a spot that dipped down toward the river but it was taken by a fifth wheel (not sure how it got there). Found the mirror of the spot on the other side but didn’t want to risk taking Layla down there.
Tucked into a little spot right by the river with our bedroom window facing the creek.
GPS coordinates: 47.963980, -124.293847 (these are not the exact coordinates, but the spot was somewhere east of it along NF-29 on the north side of the Calawah River).
Night four: Northeast edge of Olympic National Forest
Really beautiful setting with tons of trees and flowers.
The forest was pretty much exactly like the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter… so yeah, we watched Harry Potter that night.
GPS coordinates: 47.992696, -122.962014 (again, not the precise location, but pretty close).
Night five: Port Townsend
Stayed in Bri’s Aunt and Uncle’s driveway. So nice to do laundry and not have to worry about finding a level spot. And hang out with family.
GPS coordinates: [Private]
Night six, seven, eight, nine: Seattle, at Daniel and Aubrey’s
Made it to what we thought was our friend’s house and panicked a little because the driveway was very steep… then Daniel showed up next to Layla and the house was on the other side of the street and the driveway was perfect (it’s only halfway into the driveway in the pic).
Their beautiful house also had an amazing backyard.
GPS coordinates: [Private]
Night 10: Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park
One of our first paid camping spots had a gorgeous view of the water, with our own private trail down to the beach.
Hiked up around to Lighthouse Point, which was beautiful. Very picturesque/what you’d expect on the coast of Washington.
GPS coordinates: 48.418557, -122.654132
Night 11: Wenatchee National Forest
Drove to what we thought was a rest stop but it said “day use only” so we went to spot #2, which was actually in an extremely beautiful setting. We couldn’t put out the slides, but that’s OK. It’s totally OK.
GPS coordinates: 47.779372, -120.910827
Night 12: Camping World, Spokane
First time in a Camping World parking lot. Didn’t have to check in or anything, and basically had the place to ourselves. We could even put out the slides. Straight up luxury.
GPS coordinates: 47.666692, -117.140299
Just show me the pictures already
