Hoh Rain Forest - Olympic National Park - more Day 4

Next stop was for lunch in Forks, WA. Twilight fans will recognize the above picture.

Our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. It sure was windy.


Then on to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park - First stop on Day 4

After a night's rest in Port Angeles, WA we headed to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. On the way up we saw lots of deer grazing on the side of the road. I wasn't quick enough to get any shots of them but here are some pics of the scenery on the way up and at Hurricane Ridge.

Day Three - A Victorian seaport

Day 3 was a beautiful, sunny day for driving and sightseeing. We made our way to Port Townsend, WA. Port Townsend is a Victorian seaport on the Olympic penisula. There are more homes and buildings from the Victorian age than any town we have ever seen. The building above is the Jefferson County Courthouse and is still in operation. We took a driving tour then went to the Rothschild House Museum. The whole house is furnished with 80% of the original furnishings. Here are just a few pictures from inside the home.

A gorgeous ball gown made for Ms. Rothschild. It is hard to believe it is over 100 years old. I wanted to get a closer look................ The sewing machine in the background is a New Home. Our tour guide took a closer picture of it for me.

Some of the children's clothes. I especially wanted to get a closer look at these. We did get to meet the curator of the Jefferson County museum. She was bringing in boxes of vintage black gowns from the Victorian era to set up for display. She allowed me a sneak peak at some of the gowns. We had a wonderful conversation which only made me want to go back there one day.

An antique rose from the Rothschild garden. The rose bush was planted in 1868.

Jim and I by the porch of the Rothschild House with the Puget Sound in the background. Our tour guide was kind enough to take a picture of us. I wish she had taken more than one...........I have a goofy look on my face.

Our next stop was to the Jefferson County Museum, very interesting but no pics. Then on to Fort Worden State Park for a tour of the Coast Artillery Museum, for Jim.

Day Two - A visit with a sewing friend

We woke up to a dreary, drizzly day for driving to the Seattle area but our day was made much brighter with a stop in Dupont, WA for a visit with Dawn. We had a wonderful visit and got to see her stitching up close. Dawn brought her Jan Kerton Bunny blanket to show me. It was just beautiful and Jim was very impressed with her stitching. We had a wonderful visit and hated to leave.

We originally planned to go into downtown Seattle, visit Pike Market Place and ride the ferry across to Bremerton, WA. The weather put a damper on our plans so we took an alternate route and headed to Bremerton to check in and relax. The view from our room was of the bay and the Olympic Mountains. Unfortunately the clouds hid them from view.

Day One - The Columbia River Gorge

Above image from Travel Oregon.com

Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Besides being an absolutely gorgeous scenic drive, The Columbia River Gorge (Historic Hwy 30 East out of Portland) also has beautiful waterfalls to get up close to. First up was Latourell Falls............ then Bridal Veil Falls and last of all Multnomah Falls. There were more, but we'll save them for a later trip. Multnomah is closet to I-84 than the rest and the most populated.

33 Years and Counting

Here we are somewhere over Chicago & Lake Michigan, May 8th, our 33rd anniversary. It seems like only yesterday we were married. Headed out to our favorite place in the US to vacation............... the west coast.

Almost there.............I believe that is Mt St. Helens in the background.