VAKV @ Portland | Seattle | Vancouver . Summer 08

8/25 (Monday)

VAKV left Portland at around 8am. We crossed the Columbia River/ Jantzen Bridge and get into Washington State. The drive to Port Angeles, WA took about 4.5 hours, but we kept our spirits up with getting lunch in Shelton’s Safeway(yay for that humongous sub that feed us all!), snacking, and random talks such as HOV lanes, Washington’s head as signs for their State Highway (honestly, I still think that is weird, and I am absolutely amazed because A was able to take decent pictures of the Washington head while I am zooming at 75mph on I-5!!), and waterfront houses. Of course, the scenic was fab along the Hood Canal that it is way bigger that what I imagine a canal would look like.

With much anticipation, we arrived at Port Angeles and visited their Chamber of Commerce to get some info about the area and Olympic National Park. The port there is so calm and beautiful and so close to Vancouver Island that we can see the island across the Strait of Juan de Fuca! Apparently, Port Angeles spent a lot on the waterfront as the area seemed so cute and colorful. Even though there are a bunch of parking lots near the ferry port, the area is decorated with beautiful flower planters, a peace trade bell, a stone Octopus sculpture, and mural on the beach side structures.

We went up to Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park next. Although the weather was really unpredictable, the scene of the snow capped mountain and a sea of tree is undoubtedly gorgeous. We saw a golden mantle ground squirrel, and on our short hike to the top, we even saw a deer family!! As we reached the top of Sunset Point, we were able to see the not only the mountain and a glimpse of Strait Juan de Fuca, we also saw the road we drove up from and there was rainbow for a while. We spent a while there and took a lot of lovely pictures.

We went to Crescent Lake afterwards, a lake located roughly 30 minutes west of Port Angeles. Crescent Lake was really calm and quite that we feel like we own it. The light reflecting from the water surface is so bright; we said it’s almost like the light from heaven. I really enjoyed sitting under the rock pile with the shade of a huge tree and at the log talking with K and V while A practiced her stone-slicing-water skills.

Later, we went on a super short trail to Madison Falls, it was a gorgeous little waterfall surrounded by the forest. The environment was just tranquil.

We drove back to Port Angeles afterwards and ate at CrabHouse. Being so close to the Pacific Ocean means we want our seafood! Yay for Oyster!