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Published: October 28th 2009
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The drive through Washington on the way to Seattle.We have been on the move!! After Missoula, MT we headed Northwest toward Seattle. We were going to make it a two day drive, but felt so good we just drove on through and pulled into Seattle around nine. We went straight to the Space Needle to soak up Seattle in all it's magnificence, and enjoy a bite to eat. It was beautiful! The Needle is 520 feet high, and rotates so as you sit you slowly get a 360 degree view of Seattle. After it closed, we drove to the outskirts of town and got a room for the night. The next morning we drove back into downtown and found easy parking right across the street from the Pike Place Market. We spent most of the morning wandering around admiring lively and colorful the pastry shops, flower shops, produce shops, seafood shops, underground bars and restaurants, and artist vendors. We hit up the original Starbucks right across the street, and sat by the the bay for a little while just enjoying the people and sounds of the city. After the market we headed to the aquarium for a few hours, then went to an underground bar to relax for a
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Washington sunset. bit. Around dark we caught the Bainbridge Ferry across Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. By the time we got across we were getting tired, so we drove to a safe spot and camped in the van that night.
Early the next morning we were up and headed around the Olympic National Forest on Highway 101. We stopped to take a scenic drive up Hurricane Ridge and enjoyed stunning mountain views, very strong winds, and even some snow. We also took a detour onto Scenic Highway 112 up to Cape Flattery; the northwestern most spot on the contiguous US. We hiked through an amazing forest on Indian reservation land, and out to the overlook on the Pacific Ocean. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but still beautiful. We even saw seals playing and fishing around the sea caves! Afterward we headed slowly around the peninsula on Highway 101 to the Hoh Rain Forest; the only temperate rain forest in North America. We camped in the van and listened to the rain and the sounds of the forest all night. The next day we hiked around and enjoyed the incredibly lush, green, and wet landscape.
That day we headed
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On the road! down to Portland, and got in a few hours before dark. We spent the evening walking around enjoying the nightlife of the city, and camped in the van that night. The next day we visited a few bookstores, spent some time drying out/warming up in a bakery, and then hit the road again. We hopped back over to the coast and crept along Highway 101 down the Oregon coastline. We stopped at scenic overlooks, took pictures, and hiked down to the water when possible to watch in awe as giant pacific waves crashed over the rocky coastline. (CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS!!) It was a slow-going but absolutely beautiful drive. The highway creeps right along the beach, and you look out at these GIANT boulders/islands/rocks that are spread out along the coast out in the surf. By dark we made it to Crescent City, CA!! We are resting up tonight and heading to the redwoods tomorrow! Stay posted! 😊
PS - the first video is the water crashing all around, the second it a "hole" in the rock where the waves pushed the water through it with such force that it shoots up like a geyser.
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nicole
non-member comment
ariel has always loved visiting aquariums!