Just got back from our yearly family getaway. Considering my and my hubby's busy schedule, we decided to just do a quick weekend getaway. Since my hubby spent time in Wa for his prior job and loved the Olympic National Park, we decided to go there.
It was nice and intimate for him to share prior experiences/places with me. He would always talk about his time camping and hiking in the Olympic rainforest with so much happiness. It was awesome to finally see what he was talking about.
He needed to give me some intro info to the area. There's a National Park, where he would go camping, but at the top is Hurricane Ridge, where you can see the top of the Olympic mountain range, which even in July still has snow at the top. After you cough up about $25 to enter, you can drive 30 minutes to the top. Up there is a ranger center, bathrooms, and a small café. There are many outlook areas and benches. You are not to go on the grass (as they want to grow/replant the meadows), which is tempting for some guests as deer graze there.
It's a breathtaking view as you are surrounded by 180 degrees of mountain tops. There are many hiking trails, but unfortunately dogs aren't allowed. In addition, there are some steep mountain roads that you can drive, which looked like the Jeep and off road vehicles seem to enjoy. I also saw many mountain bikers try to bike up the steep hill to the top. Poor guy, we entered the park at the same time, and on our way down we saw he was only halfway up. Not for the faint at heart.
Setting is mostly forest and meadows, but my hubby said there is a rainforest also in the neighboring area, which is under the Wa State Park. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore, but hey that gives us a reason to visit next time.
At the bottom of the Olympic National Park, is the town of Port Angeles, Wa, which is off the Puget Sound. It is a training site for the National Guard (one of my friends told me=) Reminds me of a typical NW coast little town. Has a small downtown/business district with restaurants and cafes. Also has a pier that looks out at the Puget Sound. Port Angeles has a marine aquarium too, which has a cool rock sculpture of an octopus.
We ended our day eating bbq from Coyote BBQ. Reasonable priced and got a bbq plate with 2 meats and sides for about $20ish dollars. We got brisket and bbq chicken. Sauce was on the side (which was great because I hate when there is too much sauce). Sauce was not overtly sweet and somewhat vinegary which was awesome. Brisket was flavorful with chicken cooked perfectly (not dry at all) with a subtle, yummy brine. Potato salad was on point and had a hint of dill. Also had to add an order of chili cheese fries, that had lots of meat, including sausage.
We ended our day around 8pm and as the sun set we made our way back to our home base in Tacoma, Wa.
--Until next time,
cutiee23
Links:
Olympic National Park
Port Angeles, Wa
Coyote BBQ
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