Alas, there was nothing we could do, stranded at sea, so we just enjoyed the view and made the most of it. Arriving in Bainbridge, we drove to the cute Main Street and stopped for hot lavender lemonade and warm cinnamon buns at the busy Blackbird Bakery. Now that alone made the unplanned trip worth it.
Lucky for us, Bainbridge wasn't too far from where we were meant to be, and we headed along the windy roads shaded by autumnal trees towards Olympic National Park. Since we'd be visiting a few National Parks over the next few days, it made sense to buy an Annual Pass for $80 for the car, rather than pay $30 each time.
We asked for recommendations at the Visitor Centre and were suggested the Sol Duc falls, which involved a fair drive to the trail head and then a wet walk through tall and pretty trees to the aforementioned waterfall. It was pretty impressive, and we were some of the few people there which made it feel nice and secluded.
For accommodation that evening, we had planned to go back to the town of Port Angeles, but I spotted Forks, Washington on the map, and decided we had to go there. Why? Well, it was the setting for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to stay there. Plus, it was closer to where we needed to be the following day, so win-win really.
Forks was not quite what I'd expected in that it was pretty much just one short road, and that was about it. I wasn't quite sure what Stephanie had seen in it to base her novels, but I was willing to find out. We checked into the Pacific Inn Motel and wandered out for dinner at Pacific Pizza which appeared to be the place to be if you're a fisherman who loves camo. I fit right in.
After a night without too many run-ins with vampires and werewolves, we headed for breakfast and Blakeslees Bar and Grill. Not only did they have Twilight inspired coffee mugs, but outside were about a hundred elk munching from the apple trees and grass that paved the neighbouring air strip. Now that was pretty cool.
We headed off to a different part of Olympic National Park, with our first stop being the Hall of Mosses. The name kind of gives it away, and we walked along a trail with trees draped in mosses that looked beautiful dappled in sunlight. With extra time to spare, we also opted to do the Spruce Trail, and had the forest pretty much too ourselves.
One of the park rangers had recommended we stole at Ruby Beach along our drive, so this was our next destination. The beach was pretty, but brutally cold, with the glacial wind whipping at any exposed skin. Refreshing to say the least.
We continued on to Quintana Lake where we took another short walk through the forest towards an old homestead, and then decided to drive around the rest of the lake rather than returning down the road from which we'd come. Not our smartest decision, as this took nearly an hour and a half with not really much of a view. Live and learn, I guess!
By this point, it was time to start looking for somewhere to stay further down the coast, and so we first drove to Ocean Shores, enticed by its name. This turned out to be a resort town with a main strip running through the centre with hotel after hotel lining the street and not much else. There were plenty of deer, and even a trash panda (aka a racoon) to be seen along the roadside, but we didn't think there would be much in the way of nice places to eat, so carried on.
Perhaps we should have stayed at Ocean Shores, as the more tired we got, the more desperate our decision making became, and we pulled up at the first motel we found in Aberdeen.
Checked into our cheap Travelodge, we headed to Billy's for dinner, with my three course meal consisted of pretzel bites with beer cheese (yum), a veggie burger (odd texture), and deep fried raspberry cheesecake (when in Rome). Not bad for the middle of nowhere.
However, it was when I returned to my room that the fun began, as my neighbours were having a very vocal argument next door, with a lot of screaming and crying and threats being made. Deciding that the walls were certainly thin enough for bullets to pass through, I asked to be moved to a room preferably not next to the HQ for whatever drug/prostitution ring my neighbours had been members of.
After what turned out to be a pretty decent night's sleep, we ate breakfast at the hotel as it was included, and headed on our way. All in all, I wouldn't fault the Travelodge, it just depends on the clientele there at the same time you are. Having survived that night, it was time to head off into the mountains...
I hope you enjoyed today's blog! I'll be uploading the rest of my West Coast USA adventures shortly, so make sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @CiarasCountry and feel free to drop me a message in the comments for any recommendations of where I should visit next!
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