BJinHolland

We have just returned from a great visit to the Pacific Northwest and I wanted to thank the many Fodorites who helped in the planning.

We arrived in Seattle from Holland early afternoon, waited in an inordinately long line at the Alamo counter for our reserved car and then found a relatively empty counter at the garage level. My advice in Seattle - don't wait at the arrival level car rental counters if you have a reservation!

The drive to Port Townsend via Seattle to Bainbridge ferry was scenic and smooth (we were ahead of rush hour). Port Townsend is definitely the place to stay as a base for the Olympic Peninsula. Wonderful, picturesque Victorian town with enough nice restaurants, antique and gift shops, parks and activities to satisfy just about anyone.

We stayed at the "Sea Loft" in Pt. Townsend which looks exactly like the photos on its web site. Couldn't recommend a place more strongly for a couple wanting a quiet, homey vacation base. Walking distance to town, around the corner from a beautiful park, every convenience you would want or need has been supplied. The loft is built over the detached garage of the owners who are warm and friendly but unobtrusive. We would go back in a minute. We would move in permanently if retirement were near!

Daily activities from Pt. Townsend included a drive up to Hurricane Ridge, a day on the whale watching boat Pugent Sound Express (departs right from Pt.T) with a stop at Friday Harbour; a visit to Poulsbo (would never have imagined this type of cute Scandinavian village hidden from the main road) on our way to Bloedel Reserve. Plan 2 hours at Bloedel which is a must for garden lovers. We managed a movie at the historic Rose Theatre. Toured Whidbey Island (lovely gardens at Meerkerk) and photographed the bridge at Deception Pass.

Leaving Pt. Townsend after 5 nights we drove west and south to the Hoh Rain Forest. The 2 nature trails provided a good stretch through gorgeous scenary. Leaving Hoh an overnight at Kalaloch Lodge or Quinalt Lake would have been best, but we wanted to get further down the road so we made it to Long Beach. Reminded me of the old English beach resorts, quiet and sort of dowdy. But we had a clean, but uninspiring, room at the Edgewater Inn with a view of the Pacific and a very good dinner at the attached Lightship Restaurant.

The next day's drive along the Columbia River was wonderful. We crossed over to the Oregon side at Vancouver and back over across the Bridge of the Gods. Tip: if you want to take a picture of this beautiful bridge you should do it from the Ore side if you are heading east. It was a long drive to Bend but on quiet and good roads.

Two nights in Bend at the Riverhouse Motel which a number of people on this board recommended. We had a reservation and they upgraded us to a fireplace suite overlooking the river. Nice place to stay but some of the furnishings are looking a bit worn. The new Shilo next door is also right on the river and might bear investigating as an alternative. Having breakfast and dinner on the outdoor deck at Riverhouse was wonderful and the food was quite good.

We drove the Cascade Lakes Byway and had the road practically to ourselves. The lift was not operating so no trip to the top of Mt. Batchelor, but this is a peaceful scenic road for a relaxing day's journey.

We took the Outback Scenic Byway Hwy 31 south to California. Again practically had the road to ourselves. Interesting to see the difference in landscape travelling south from the tall green pine forests of Wash to the volcanic and rolling hills in Oregon.

In Calif we overnighted at Susanville (looked at Chester on Lake Almanor but couldn't find anything other than very, very, very old motels). Susanville is an OK stop for an overnight. Best Western was clean and recently renovated.

Staying on back roads we drove around South Lake Tahoe continuing south and only the Mercator Pass (can't remember the road number) was, to me, a nail biter. Didn't seem to bother my husband who was driving though. Simply spectacular scenery in that area! Overnighted at Bishop Walker River Lodge. We enjoyed this stop in this tiny town. Our room opened on to a patio and grassy area on the river. We had dinner at 1881 a restaurant in a lovely old home on the main street.

Our last day on the road we headed out early. So early in fact that we had to go without breakfast! The one or two restaurants and even the motel continental breakfast is not open or available until 8 a.m.

We drove through Yosemite on Tioga Pass and it is breathtaking. We have now driven the pass both ways and agree that we prefer the East to West drive. Across the valley to Salinas (family) and the end of our journey.

This was a rather bland account of a really great trip. Just wanted to report that any of the sights or stops I have mentioned I would highly recommend. And thanks again for the help in planning.

Austin

Thanks for your report! We hope to take a trip to N. California and Oregon next year. Went to WA last summer and it was amazing. The Pacific NW is beautiful. We actually hope to move there maybe in 6 or 7 years. We will definitely check out Port Townsend.

ellen_griswold

Thanks for a great report, BJ! Glad you had such a great trip. Brings back wonderful memories.

We too, were surprised to discover the dowdy (perfect word BJ) and somewhat desolate towns along the beautiful WA coast! The area is definitely prime for a renaissance..it could be a wonderful resort area. After exploring Hoh rainforest, we stayed oceanfront at the Best Western in Ocean Shores.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Port Townsend! GREAT town in every way, good for whale-watching, too. (used Capt. Jack's) The retirement idea also occured to us...maybe we'll see you there in about 30 years!

artlover

Thank you for your wonderful trip report. Am so glad you had a wonderful time and that people were as nice to you there as they were to me when I was in Holland.

tpl

Hi BJ, glad to hear you had a good trip. We are planning a similar vacation in July. Can you tell me how long the drive from Port Townsend to the Hoh rainforest was? Also, how long it took to get from from Sea/Tac to Port Townsend? We will also be traveling before rush hour.

Thanks so much.

circa

Glad you enjoyed you trip to the Northwest....I live nearby the areas you visited....nice to hear others enjoying the sights of Washington and our neighbor states....come back again.

BJinHolland

Dear tpl, I guess I should have kept a better journal. It seems to me the trip from SeaTac to Pt. Townsend was about 3 hours including the ferry. The drive from Pt. Townsend to Hoh was about 2.5 hours leaving at 9 a.m. from Pt. Townsend (very little traffic).

I made an error in my report by naming the town "Bishop", we actually stayed in Bridgeport at the Walker River Lodge. Bishop is a much larger town further south.

BTilke

Good report! What restaurants did you try in PT? Did you get a chance to look in the Earthenworks crafts/art gallery? Did you have a chance to try the Khu Larb Thai restaurant or the sushi bar/Japanese restaurant Sentosa? (The sushi in the Pacific Northwest is so much better than anything I've been able to find in Europe). How did the weather cooperate?
BTilke (former PT/Sequim resident, now in Brussels)

BJinHolland

Dear BTilke, We weren't really into the restaurants in PtT as we had our own kitchen (filet mignon and salad at home can't be beat!). We did eat at Surf(?) one night simply because the weather was heavenly and we wanted to eat outdoors. The fish dishes we had tasted quite fresh. The weather, with the exception of one really cloudy day, was terrific. Absolutely gorgeous area and we plan to return!

tpl

Thanks for the followup, BJ. Looking forward to starting our trip soon.