I just returned from a fabulous two week trip to Seattle, Mt. Rainier, Quinault, Kalaloch, Lake Crescent, Hurricane Ridge, Victoria, San Juan Island, Orcas Island, La Conner and Mukileteo.

The weather gods smiled on me. The weather was perfect the entire trip and I'm so grateful because I met several people who experienced clouds and rain for three days at a time and couldn't see a thing around them.

The highlights of my trip were:

1. Wildflowering meadows of Mt. Rainier.

2. Rain forest hikes in Quinault and Hoh.

3. Enjoying Lake Crescent at the Lake Crescent Lodge.

4. Hurricane Ridge hike to the top for great views.

5. Sol Duc Falls and hike to hotsprings.

We had a good time everywhere we went but some sights were disappointing:

1. Pioneer Square in Seattle. Not that unique a shopping area for any large city.

2. Trail of Patriarchs hike at Stevenson Pass in Mt. Rainier. Not too impressive for old growth trees and not as beautiful as many other old growth areas we've seen.

3. La Push, Second Beach and Rialto Beach. It took too much time to reach this area. La Push is a depressed Indian town with nothing to recommend it. Second Beach and Rialto Beach were OK but not good for swimming and they didn't compare to beaches in Oregon.

4. Obstruction Pass Park at Orcas Island. After a full day of hiking in gorgeous Moran Park, we hiked Obstruction Pass. The water stank from the algae and the beach is a billion little pebbles without shade. There's no potable water. The views weren't particularly beautiful so we couldn't figure out why this area was recommended.

I don't want to end on a sour note. There will be disappointments on any trip and someone else might love the places I didn't care for. Overall, our vacation was an "A" and my husband, who did none of the planning and had no idea of what each day would bring, was particularly enchanted.

Thanks to everyone on this Board who made my trip possible. Special thanks to Gardyloo for the Mukileteo suggestion for our last night. My husband really pooped out that day and couldn't drive a mile further. We were so relieved to get to the Silver Cloud Inn right on the water.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to help.

Jeannette

I couldn't find my message when I searched "Washington" on this Board. I found it in the general Board. I'm replying to move the message to the top again and then I'll let it go.

Jeannette

Thanks for the report.

Thank you for your trip report. So glad you had good weather--we're still having it. Just curious, though--was is not raining in the Ho Rainforest? I've only been there a few times (all in August) and it's always been raining when I've been there (not that I mind). But curious.

Hi Jeannette, sounds like you had a beautiful trip. No matter where one goes there are always a few places that don't live up to our expectations. You were sure in a beautiful area.

Did you like Victoria and Friday Harbor? I have family on Friday Harbor (the west side) and really need to get up there soon. Best wishes.

Enjoyed your report...
Did you stay at Kalaloch???
Your comments about Pioneer Square were really interesting...
i guess I never thought of it as a "shopping" area.When we first began our yearly trips to Seattle (20 yrs. ago)The area was dirty,few shops lots of homeless people in the Park The only reason I went there was the great bookstore on the corner..(.Elliott Bay Books) and by taking the little waterfront trolley it was easy to get there..
two years ago I discovered 2 new restaurants, very few homeless in the Park, several shops that were sort of "different" ,Starbucks on the corner (no big surprise) and that a truck had smashed the beautiful Pergola ( it is being restored by some famous ironworker)
Hope to get there again next year.
Your trip sounds wonderful....

Dear Artlover: It didn't rain in the Hoh rain forest. It sprinkled a bit on the drive there but then the sun broke through. We wore shorts and tee shirts on our hikes. It was bright and sunny when we left around 2PM. I didn't get to wear my wet weather gear that I bought for the trip but I'm not complaining!

Dear LoveItaly: We loved Victoria the first time we went there and we explored it for several days. This was our second visit and I think the city is even more beautiful. The rundown parts have been renewed and improved.

Friday Harbor is a pleasant small town. Other than a few galleries and clothing stores, we didn't see much reason to spend time there. We enjoyed some wonderful hikes on San Juan Island. The west side of the island is quite pretty. We really didn't have time to take advantage of San Juan Island or participate in any water activities before we had to leave for Orcas Island. Orcas is a lot quieter than San Juan but we liked it more. However, I think if you visit your relatives on San Juan Island, you'll have a great time. The pizza at Bella Luna was terrific!

Jeannette

Hi Jeannette, thanks for your comments. BTW, I love Victoria also. It is such a beautiful island. I keep putting off going to Friday Harbor as my SIL has not been well and I keep thinking she will get better, but I guess that is not going to happen. Fortunatly she can enjoy the wonderful view of the water and all the wildlife from her house and deck so that is good. She too so enjoyed hiking around the island until recently. Thanks for sharing your trip, I really enjoyed reading it. Best wishes.

To Traveler24: Yes, we stayed at Kalaloch Lodge. We weren't able to get one of the cottages. We stayed in one of the "motel" rooms. We had a partial view of the ocean and a very large, comfortable room with a private patio and chairs. The night before, we'd stayed at the Quinault Resort (not Lodge) and we thought it was great. We had a two bedroom suite with a kitchenette and a deck on the lake. It was small and quiet. Quinault and Kalaloch aren't far apart. Once at Kalaloch, we explored the Hoh rain forest and the beaches near La Push. In hindsight, we should not have stayed at Kalaloch that night which required an hour's backtracking. Instead, we should have driven to Lake Crescent a day earlier. On the other hand, exploring the beaches in the same day as Hoh was tiring. I originally planned to explore the beaches on the way to Lake Cresent the following day. However, we pushed ourselves because it was bright and sunny and it could have rained the next day. Luckily for us, we didn't have any rain on the trip.

My photos of the trip are magnificent and better than any of the post cards I bought as "back-up". I'm technologically behind the curve and I still use a small 35mm camera. I assume my photos are so good because the weather was so unusually clear.

Pioneer Square is Seattle is a pretty area with many trees. There are antique shops, galleries and bookstores. At night, it's a big night club area. You can buy a pass that will get you into a large number of clubs. A little north of the main Pioneer Square area, there are many homeless people in the tiny parks. We aren't antique or gallery shoppers so there wasn't much there of interest to us. The bookstores might have been more appealing if we weren't pressed for time.

Jeannette

Hi Jeannette

We also just returned (July 18) from a two week trip to Washington and wonder when you were there, because we had rain most of the time with a few bright days interspersed. Great on 4th of July in Tacoma and our last day, July 17, at Mt Baker and for our special dinner at Salty's.

Even in the rain, it is a beautiful area, and we have lots of good memories. Would love to see your photos. Do you post them anywhere?

We started in Seattle on July 12. We went to Mt. Rainier on July 14 and on July 15 we started our tour of the Olympic Peninsula at Quinault.

No, my photos aren't posted anywhere because they aren't digital. Maybe next year I'll buy a digital camera and join the rest of you.

Jeannette