Pretending we were on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy starring the Twilight cast. 2022: Seattle > Port Angeles > Olympic National Park

Wednesday

To start, there was no leaving of any wallets this time. That may have been because Josh made me put all my wallet stuff in his pocket, but it also could have been that I learned my lesson.

We were lucky again to fly direct to Seattle from Atlanta, landing in Seattle a little before 10:00PM. After the questionable motel, and the freezing cabin, this trip I took pity on Josh and booked us in a Holiday Inn – Lake Union area for $178 per night. To me, this was worth the extra price to have a safe and secure location and parking included.

Thursday

Our morning began with an organic and locally sourced breakfast at Portage Bay Café – South Lake Union location which was delicious and environmentally satisfying.

It was a good thing we ate such a large breakfast because next we acquired our 10,000 steps before lunch. We walked what feels like the entirety of Seattle: Space Needle, Olympic Sculpture Park*, Pike’s Place Market: The Fish Guys, The Gum Wall*, Flagship Starbucks, The Amazon Spheres, and everything in between.

*Could skip

After cooling off, as we had unusually hot and sunny weather, in the hotel for a bit, we hopped in the car and drove 40 minutes north via I-5 to Everette WA, where the Funko HQ Retail Store is located. This was a fun stop for both of us as I picked up some Harry Potter Pops that fit nicely in my book collection, and Josh made himself at home looking at everything in site.

Friday

Friday morning consisted of driving the 2 hours and 35 minutes via US-101 N (the Ferry station was under construction and we were unable to navigate it, so we drove around to the peninsula). We checked into the Super 8 by Wyndham at Olympic National Park. This was a great mid level hotel, and we learned why there was a price jump our specific weekend. Apparently the first weekend in October in Port Angeles is the Annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival https://www.crabfestival.org/festival-info-2/welcome-to-the-annual-dungeness-crab-and-seafood-festival/ complete with crab hats and live music!

After checking in and grabbing a quick bite to eat we decided to start our Olympic NP itinerary.

1:00 PM – We made out way to the Olympic NP visitors center (where we learned our first stop at Hurricane Ridge was closed).

1:30 PM – The Lake Crescent stop was an amazing one. If the weather had been a touch warmer there would have been many more activities to participate in. But as it was, we enjoyed sitting on the Lodge Dock and admiring the view.

Summer Activities: Kayak/SUP rentals, bridge jumping, swimming

2:30 PM – Our next stop also would have been more of a stop in the “on-season,” as the Hot Springs Resort was closed for the Winter. We hiked to the Sol Duc Falls which was beautiful but very populated.

3:30 PM – The most disappointing part of this trip was to Forks WA. While I had seen online not to expect the town to look like it does in the movie, as most of the movie is really filmed in Oregon, I was still surprised at how small and non-vampire like it was. The one highlight was on the drive down to Rialto Beach, at the edge of the La Push Reservation, there was the treaty line sign.

4:00 PM – Driving through La Push (baby!) we arrived at Rialto Beach. This location was both stunning and eerie as the water broke over rocks, and the fog shrouded the base of the tower pines. We spent an hour walking along the coast picking up pretty rocks and looking for sea glass. By the time we turned around we were thoroughly damp and starting to get cold with the setting sun.

Back in Port Angeles, I had a tattoo appointment with Molly Troxler at @heartworknw (Instagram handle). I had the best experience from the booking, to the design, to the tattoo experience itself. After my appointment, we ate dinner at The Rail where we had hearty burgers and local brews. It was a great dinner to warm one up from the inside out. After dinner we couldn’t resist the music and commotion from the Crab Fest tents and swung into see what it was all about. Both of us were immediately in agreement that this would be the evening plans for tomorrow.

Saturday

Saturday morning we started the 2 hour drive up WA – 112 W to Cape Flattery. This trail is the most north western point of the continental US and worth every minute of the drive. As Cape Flattery is on Makah Territory, you need to stop in at any of the businesses (we stopped at the gas station) in Neah Bay for your $20 Park/Territory Pass.

From Neah Bay, you follow the Cape Flattery Road, even when it turns into Cape Loop Road. Park at the Trail head and follow the wooded and marked path to the various observation decks and prepare to step onto the set of an Avatar movie.

If I was doing this trip over, I would have stopped in at Salt Creek County Park, as this is supposed to have amazing views with the Canadian city of Sooke as the background.

For lunch we checked out New Day Eatery https://www.newdayeatery.com/ which was delicious. We were sat on a one-sided bench up against the window, which was perfect for crab fest themed people watching. Then back to the hotel for a quick nap, as we knew that Crab Fest was going to be a party to prepare for.

So Crab Fest was not limited to one tent with boxed dinner, no no no. This was a festival. There were tons of craft booths, crab hats and other gear for sale, and every restaurant in town represented with a food booth (serving something other than crab legs). We grabbed some popcorn shrimp, some local cider and made new friends who were also surprised with the addition of Crab Fest to their weekend trips. Crab Fest went on into the night with music and drinks for everyone.

*Note: Sydney is allergic to celery (weird, we know) and this prevents her from eating most seafood based seasonings such as Old Bay which is why she did not participate in the Crab dinner

Sunday

Our time out in the Pacific Northwest was sadly at an end, though I am confident we will be back for Washington’s two other NPs! We reversed the two and a half hour drive back into Seattle to the SeaTac airport and made our way back home.