Can you critique our itinerary for ONP/Ft Lewis/Cascades
 

Hello, We are a couple in our 50s and are traveling from New York State (upstate) to Washington. We plan to go to Ft Lewis to see our son graduate from officer training. So here is what we have so far.
Friday @ 2 pm arrive at Seatac; pick up rental car, drive to Everett LaQuinta for overnight. We will have been traveling since 6am est so we don't want to drive very far when we arrive.
Saturday: Take ferry to Whidby Island to pick up Rt. 2; drive to Winthrop; overnight at Chewuch Inn.
Sunday: After breakfast we will drive to Leavenworth, and then on to Ft. Lewis area; overnight at Ramada Inn Lacey.
Monday: Attend military ROTC graduation; spend day with our son; overnight at Ramada Inn Lacey.
Tuesday: Drive to Poulsbo; relax and look around area; overnight at Poulsbo Inn
Wednesday: Drive to LaPush Beaches, then back to Port Angeles; overnight at Olympic Lodge
Thursday: take 8:20 ferry to Victoria, BC; tour Butchart Gardens and waterfront; overnight at Bed and Breakfast near waterfront
Friday: take 10:30 a.m ferry back to PA, go to Hurricane Ridge, Dungeness, Port Townsend; Poulsbo; overnight at Poulsbo Inn or in Bremerton
Saturday: Relax, head to airport at 6:00 for red-eye flight home.

I have concerns about the schedule. Are we pushing too hard through the Cascades? We are not heavy duty hikers since hubby has bad knee. We also wonder if we should leave Poulsbo on Wednesday and go to catch the 8:20 or 12:45 ferry to Victoria and return on Thursday. Then Thursday we would go to Hurricane Ridge and overnight in Forks to see La Push beaches; then on Friday head back hitting Dungeness and Port Townsend and end up somewhere around Bremerton/Poulsbo.

I am also very concerned about arriving at Seatac on Friday at 2 and picking up the rental car and getting on the road. I am afraid the traffic will be awful. But, the other choice would be to stay at one of the airport hotels on Friday and take light rail into Seattle, THEN early Saturday morning head out for the journey to Winthrop (such a long ride!

So if you would be so kind as to help us out figuring out what would be logical. We appreciate your help so much. We leave July 29 so I need to firm things up quick. I do have reservations made at hotels, but can adjust them if I work quickly. Thanks!

Congratulations on your son’s graduation.

On the first night, I think it would be more enjoyable to stay near the airport and take light rail into Seattle than to drive to Everett and stay there.

You don’t need to take a ferry to Whidbey Island to “pick up Rt. 2.” Instead, simply drive up I-5. The drive from SeaTac to Winthrop via Darington and Marblemount is about 200 miles and it takes four hours without stops or delays. (There are restroom facilities and a general store in Marblemount.)

In Winthrop, I suggest you stay in a nice new place that opened only a few weeks ago—Methow River Lodge. Here is the link: http://methowriverlodge.com/

The only day I see a problem is the one you do the fairly long drive from Winthrop to Lacey. On this drive, you will have the choice 97 or 97 Alt. Select 97 Alt. which passes through the resort town of Lake Chelan and offers better views of the Columbia River as you drive south. Leavenworth is a good place to take a break. As you drive west on Highway 2 there is McDonald's on the right hand side of the road soon after you pass the sign for Sultan. In the little town of Sultan, Ixtapa is a very good family-run Mexican restaurant.

The Olympic Lodge is the only hotel you mention with which I am familiar. It is a very good place. Request a room that faces the golf course.

HTTY

PS Forks, Everett, and Poulsbo are not very interesting towns in which to spend a night.

I should have mentioned that there is a very good bakery in Twisp--a town 10 miles south of Winthrop through which you will pass when you drive to Lacey: http://www.cinnamontwisp.com/

Also, the Twisp River Pub is the most up-beat place to eat a meal for miles around: http://www.methowbrewing.com/

HTTY

HTTY, thank you for your information. I think you are right about not heading out until the next morning and just taking the light rail in. I had just wanted to get some driving time in, but I think the traffic will be a problem. I wish we had an extra day on our way from Winthrop to Lacey, but we have to get to Lacey by Sunday evening at 8 pm at the latest since the most important part of our trip will be Monday seeing our son. How long do you think it will take us to do that part of the trip? how long should we plan to spend in Leavenworth? I had also thought maybe I should rearrange the trip and not do the Cascades until Tuesday, but that would throw off the Victoria trip that I don't want to miss.

We will plan to go to the Twisp River Pub. I am relieved Olympic Lodge is good. Again, thank you.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the only reason we were going to stay at Forks was because I figured we would spend some time looking at the beaches and could stay at Forks, rather than drive back to Port Angeles.
Originally we were going to stay at Bainbridge the last night, but someone told me to go to Poulso instead. What do you think about staying in Bainbridge? Thanks

The drive from Winthrop to Lacey is about 285 miles and 5 1/2 hours going via Leavenworth, Sultan, and Monroe.

We never spend more than an hour in Leavenworth, but you may find enough to amuse you there for two hours. One attraction is the nutcracker museum: http://www.nutcrackermuseum.com/

At the west end of town there is a very established place called Gustav's where the big attraction is a deck with a wonderful mountain views. The pub food is o.k. too: http://www.gustavsleavenworth.com/

If you get an early start (8:30ish) out of Winthrop you should miss the rush hour on I-5 and be in Lacey by about 4:00 p.m.

Forks has a great location and I don't know why it is so poorly prepared to offer tourists a good time. Here is a nice place to stay in the area. Each unit has a kitchen. There is a take-out restaurant nearby. There is a good grocery store and other dining options in Forks: http://www.qriverresort.com/map.html

I can't advise you about Poulsbo vs. Bainbridge because I'm not familiar with the lodging options. If there is a place you want to stay in Bainbridge where you can walk to shops, restaurants, pubs, etc., Bainbridge would be my choice.

HTTY

There are lots of great places to stop and see on Whidbey Island. Downtown Langley is probably one you would want to stop and see. Lots of cute little shops and restaurants, great views, wonderful atmosphere. Langley is a short drive off of the main highway once you arrive onto the island, but it's worth it.

Kaira, If traffic is going to be a big problem on Friday afternoon then we will probably stay at the airport hotel and begin the route in the morning. I don't think we can get on the road on Friday in reality until 3:15 pm. I would prefer to chop the trip up a bit to avoid being in the car so long. Otherwise, I think going to Langley would be a good start for us on Friday (drive from airport to Langley).

It is fastest (and more scenic) if you take SR 20 to Winthrop and US 2 only back.