On the trail at Mt. St. Helens National Monument, Washington

One thing that can be said about the way we travel is that we usually don’t take the most direct route. In fact, we often find ourselves backtracking to visit a wonderful place that we wanted to see but had missed the first time around. Such was the case on our northwestern adventure.

Our road trip itinerary from Port Angeles to Portland and back to Washington again

Arriving by ferry from Victoria, we disembarked in Port Angeles. It was late but we managed to find an acceptable campground nearby and in the morning we were on our way to Olympic National Park. We had long wanted to visit this amazing park, which among other things is known for its spectacular temperate rainforest. Our first stop was Hurricane Ridge, named for its often intense and unpredictable gales and winds. We had glorious sunshine, though, and enjoyed our view of the Olympic Mountains along the Upper Ridge Trail.

View from the Upper Ridge Trail, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington

We camped near the Hoh Rainforest and hiked there the following day. To us it was a fairytale world of exotic green spruce and maple trees, with many unique species of moss. There is also abundant wildlife throughout the park. In addition to black-tailed deer and partridges we found two magnificent elk while taking an evening walk around our campground. However, despite our best efforts the light was too dim for a photo! There is a lot of old growth and on the way out we stopped for a photo of a “Forest Giant” that reminded us of the sequoias in California.

The nearby beaches were shrouded in fog, so we kept driving… We had decided to continue on to Portland, Oregon to spend more time with our friends, Beth and Richard. It turned out that our schedules were in conflict and this was the only time we could get together. It was a wonderful weekend, even with the 90°F (32°C) heat. We spent the day with Beth and Richard, visiting the International Rose Garden in Washington Park, the Saturday Market, then passed the crowd lined up at the famous Voodoo Doughnut Shop on the way to Powell’s Bookstore. I never miss an opportunity to visit a bookstore that’s new to me and this one takes up an entire city block. Impressive, to say the least. I don’t doubt its claim to be the largest independent seller of new and used books. Only the prospect of a late lunch could persuade me to leave!

International Rose Garden, Washington Park, Portland Oregon

Stopping by the famous Voodoo Doughnuts, Portland Oregon

After our fabulous lunch and decadent dessert at Papa Haydn’s a well known (and highly recommended) Portland restaurant, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Beth and Richard at their beautiful wooded home. We enjoyed walking around the property, more reminiscing and sitting outdoors to watch the moon rise over St Johns Bridge. After breakfast we said goodbye to our friends and headed back to Washington with more recommendations of “must-sees.”

On the way to Seattle, we detoured to Mt. St Helens National Volcanic Monument. Through the exhibits and films at the Visitor Center, we had an in-depth look at the events leading up to the horrific eruption of 1980. Then we hiked along the trail near the Visitor Center and concluded that Mt.St. Helens was still pretty awesome even though one third of her had disappeared in the volcanic blast.

On the trail at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Park, Washington

Next stop was Seattle, where we did some touristy things: first up was Pike Place Market, a lively and colorful public market on the waterfront where you can buy just about anything. Then we walked to the Seattle Center. It was built during the 1962 World’s Fair and is most famous for the iconic Space Needle. Instead of going there, though, we focused on the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, with stunning displays of blown glass both indoors and out.  Each installation was spectacular and we felt as though we had been transported into the realm of Alice in Wonderland. Next door was the EMP Museum (aka Experience Music Project), where we were taken into the world of music, pop culture, sci-fi and fantasy. Inside we found mesmerizing interactive installations and flamboyant exhibits competing for our attention. Among them was “Hear My Train a Comin’ that featured lyrics, personal instruments, original photographs, outrageous outfits, and rare concert footage from the late Seattle guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Of course, there was also a shrill performance by the Seattle grunge band Nirvana, displayed larger than life on a mega-size screen.

One of many blown glass installations at Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington

Although Seattle is a fascinating city, it is quite spread out and not exactly our idea of “walkable.” We did walk it, however, and the cool morning temperature gave way to another scorching day as we tried to retrace our steps back to where we had parked our camper. To further confuse the issue, there was a lot of road work going on that blocked pedestrian crosswalks and resulted in our going a couple of miles out of our way. When we finally arrived back at our camper we decided that any further exploration of Seattle would take place on our next trip north. It had been fun but it was time to head toward the coast. On the way we stopped in the historic town of Raymond. We read that it was once a wild and woolly lumber town and sure enough we spotted an old covered wagon and general store as well as an Art Deco era theater.

Covered wagon, Raymond, Washington

Finally we reached the Long Beach Peninsula on the coast, and walked along the Discovery Trail Boardwalk. It is a windy area and there were many kite fliers on the beach. Indeed, one of the main tourist attractions here is an International Kite Festival in August. Along the boardwalk is a monument to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, as they passed this way on their quest for the Pacific Ocean. We then journeyed south to the hamlet of Seaview and found the Depot Restaurant which our Lonely Planet guidebook had recommended. It’s a quaint little place in a restored historic train depot and we were amazed at the excellence of their cuisine. It was, in fact, the best we had on our entire trip! The seafood and creative desserts were outstanding!

The bar at The Depot Restaurant, Seaview, Washington

A foodie’s delight, Depot Restaurant, Seaview, Washington

We continued on to the charming port town of Ilwaco, with its trendy galleries and boutiques. We were surprised at the cost of the art here since this is primarily a fishing port and we didn’t see many tourists. Located nearby is Cape Disappointment State Park, which was the final stop on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was so named because of the turbulent ocean and sandbars that resulted in numerous shipwrecks. Actually, almost 2,000 vessels of all types and about 700 lives have been claimed by the treacherous waters off the Peninsula over the past 300 years. In the days before GPS and cell phones, sailors relied on lighthouses, some of which are still in use and many are open for visitors. We stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center for an informative history lesson, then visited both lighthouses here before making our way down the Oregon coast.

Port of Iwaco, Washington

A photo of Cape Disappointment in the Interpretive Center, Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington