Summer Roadtrip

3/1/2018

Washington State Olympic Penninsula

This past summer Gene and I embarked on one of our longest road trips to date. We Flew into Seattle then took the ferry to Poulsbo where we began exploring the Olympic Peninsula. This was one of our most favorite trips in the states. The scenery in this part of the world is breathtaking, the people friendly and the towns quirky- we spent 10 days exploring and had a blast. Here are some of the highlights of that trip.

Poulsbro was a great place to position ourselves for a few nights. The town is a great place to explore with plenty of restaurants, shops and a beautiful marina. We were lucky enough to be there for the Fourth of July celebrations with amazing fireworks. If you ae in this area be sure to check out the incredible bakery ………………..delicious!!!

After discovering Poulsbro and the surrounding area we headed to Port Angeles to explore The Olympic National Park. This area of the world is simply stunning. If you can travel to this area I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and do and everywhere you look you are bowled over by the sheer beauty of the mountains, rivers, ocean and waterfalls. Magnificence embodied.

This area is a hikers haven, everywhere you turn there is beauty to discover. One of my most favorite hikes was at Hurricane Ridge where the beauty of the snow covered mountains in the summer was simply spectacular. We also loved taking hikes in the rainforest area in search of falls and simply enjoying the simple quiet of the forest. The rivers were powerful and breathtaking. We spent three days exploring Olympic State Park and we could certainly return for 3 weeks as there is so much to discover.

On the Road Again..................

After an amazing time exploring what The Olympic State Park had to offer we were back on the road this time following the coastline down heading to Oregon via Quinault Beach. The sites along the way were just splendid.

Astoria

After a fun time gambling at Quinault Beach and Casino Resort we headed to our next stop Astoria. Astoria turned out to be a great place to stay with some great history. This town dates back 200 years. It is situated on the Columbia River very close to the Pacific Ocean. Great sights, great restaurants and a perfect place to stop for the night. We stayed in a really quirky motel called the Atomic.

Go for the sights......................

Stay at The Automic................................

This is a quirky little motel close to the river. I chose this place because it was by the river, looked interesting and was reasonably priced. If you are wanting glitz and glam this is not the place to stay but if you want a clean, comfortable, different place check out The Atomic. The room was quiet, clean and the bed comfortable. We walked from the motel down to the river and to the Buoy Beer Company for dinner. The motel serves coffee and continental breakfast in the morning and the service was very friendly. We were greeted by the owners with free ice-cream cones- just fun! They also gave us free passes to The Column which is a must see when in Astoria.

Eat At The Buoy Beer Company.............. Great food -outstanding views.

Next Stop -Cannon Beach

Our final destination on the coast was to be Cannon Beach. I had seen pictures of this area and had always wanted to see the beach with the “big rock”. We did a quick detour to Seaside Organ to attend Mass and I was quite surprised by the beauty of this little seaside town.

Heading to The Dalles

Next stop The Dallles .I chose this to be our final night of our road trip as I had read that the area was exceptionally beautiful. We were not disappointed. Along the way we stopped at Multnomah Falls which are truly spectacular.

Highly Recomend........

clocktowerales.com/
We loved this place. Excellent food, good beer and live music .

Final Road Stop

www.oregon.com/attractions/bonneville-fish-hatchery
Our last day we were packed and ready to make the 250 mile drive back to Seattle. Along the road we couldn’t resist one last stop. This was an impromptu stop at The Bonneville Fish Hatchery. Turned out to be one of our most interesting stops.