
I arrived at SeaTac on Friday morning and was greeted with overcast sky and fine misty rain...yep this is just how I remembered it...good thing I packed my trusty raingear. I spent this first afternoon letterboxing in the amazing Fauntleroy Park and took a drive through downtown to admire the architecture before catching the ferry across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. But I needed a little lunch, so a stop a the Pyramid Microbrewery for a beer sampler and chili was the perfect stop for this beer snob wannabe. After purchasing a couple of souvenirs it was time to head to the Seattle Ferry Terminal and voyage across the sound to meet my friends on the other side. As the ferry pulled away from the terminal the sky west turned blue and that would be the last rain I would experience till my last day (sans the one place you cannot and did not want to avoid it!).


The road on west side of the peninsula snakes back and forth alternating between the ocean shore and the woods. In the interior it becomes clear that this area is all about the bounty the woods has to offer...LUMBER. We stopped in the Stepford Community of Seabrooke for a $10 glass of wine and continued on our way.

The Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympic National Park was probably the greatest disappointment (and thankfully the only) of the entire trip. We were shocked to find that our $150 a night (low season price) Seacrest room had an ALMOST completely obstructed view of the ocean, a musty smell and super parse furnishings, beyond the beds there was one uncomfortable chair, and a $25 Walmart bench on the porch. The bathroom offered hard towels that didn't dry your body and dispenser soap, shampoo, and conditioner in the tiny plastic shower stall. Old moldy linoleum floors and chipped veneer finished off the sparse bathroom, and the huge dressing area attached to the bathroom didn't even offer a bench. I have stayed at several other national park lodges and was appalled at the lack of amenities for the price we paid for this room. The service in the dining room was little better. Trust me folks, plan accordingly and don't waste your money here.
First thing the next morning we made our in-room pot of coffee, used every environmentally unfriendly dry creamer packet in the joint and hightailed it to Forks. There we found a much needed tasty breakfast complete with real cream for our coffee all served by a teenage girl who could have given the dining room staff at Kalaloch a lesson or two. This was just what we needed and returned us to...glorious day two.

Next stop, the Makah Indian reservation to hike the Cape Flattery Trail to the northwesternmost point of the contiguous US. The road out to the reservation hugs the edge of the water. Huge pines dot the landscape and provide a small but false sense of security.

We took the recommendation of turning right at Clallam Bay and traveling WA 101 instead of the coast hugging WA 112. We understood why when we arrived at the breathtaking Crescent Lake were simple clouds bumped into the mountains and eagles fished (and caught) their dinner with the sun setting into the west end of the lake...life doesn't get much better than this!

The next morning Hope and I had coffee and big hugs. Instead of taking the ferry back across the Sound to SeaTac, I opted for driving around and over the beautiful Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Two more letterboxes before I have to get the car back to the rental place. I was amazed by the beautiful architecture of the old Union station in Tacoma, now the History Museum and the Chiluly Bridge and Glass Museum nearby. I looks like I will have to return to Tacoma and Hope's house...and next time needs to be soon!