Olympic Peninsula

After our extended stay in Seaside, OR, we headed north to Olympic National Park. Our first stop was the Hoh River Rainforest.

The area gets its name from the Hoh Indians who once populated the area. It is known for being one of the only temperate rainforests in North America and includes rare Blue Spruce trees, famous for their use in airplanes like the Spruce Goose.

As you can see, the area is very lush and full of life.

Jim and I spent the night in a tent, while everyone else stayed in the camper. Thankfully we had a small space heater, since we didn’t have…ah hem…appropriate sleeping bags.

We plan to stop at REI for some better equipment before we camp in Mount Rainier in a few days.

From Hoh River, we journeyed over to Sol Duc, another area within the Olympic National Park.

There, we hiked through an old growth forest, and it is possibly the most beautiful hike I’ve ever taken. It was only a short loop, but we loved exploring and lounging in the bowers of this heavenly place.

Wow!

After that, we took the children down to the water to splash and throw rocks.

The next morning we hiked to Sol Duc Falls. It was yet another magnificent journey through the woods!

After a brief snack, Evie took me to her special spot in the woods where she wanted to spend “hours in the bowers.”

After a quick lunch of grilled cheese…

…we drove to Crescent Lake to take a look around.

Afterwards Jim and I bid farewell to Cappy, Grandma, and the kids to spend a night in Bainbridge Island. We wanted to have a break in the middle of the camping and also pick up some needed supplies, like real sleeping bags. Our AirBNB on Bainbridge was spectacular! It was right on the Puget Sound with a view of Seattle in the distance. We also had a splendid dinner at a French-inspired Vietnamese restaurant called BaSa.

The others continued on to the far northwestern point of Washington (Olympic Peninsula).