Chasing Winter - Days 5 & 6 (The Olympic Peninsula and Seattle)

Day 5

So we started off our day with Blue Star doughnuts. I know that yesterday I said I couldn’t eat another doughnut, well, today is a new day! I have to agree with the locals on this one. Voodoo is the tourist trap but the real deal is Blue Star. Yesterday we tried all of their exotic flavors like blueberry, bourbon, basil, and blackberry peanut butter, today we stuck to the basics and got apple fritters and plain old glazed doughnuts. Seriously, a party in your mouth! They are so good

We said goodbye to Portland and headed off to Seattle. We took the 101 through the Olympic Peninsula. It was so beautiful! It was like a cold and foggy rain forest. I tried to get some pictures but as per usual, they did not do the view any justice. Here is an attempt:

We went to Forks, Wa and saw all the Twilight sights like 13 year old fan girls. It was super dorky and fun. My mom tagged along like a trooper. We got our nerdy pictures in the town and then drove out to La Push Beach which was gorgeous!

La Push was amazing! Here are a couple of pictures but trust me… they don’t capture the essence of that place, it was magical! I definitely think I could live in the Pacific Northwest, it is stunning!

We were going to have dinner at Bella Italia in Port Angeles but we ate lunch a bit late and weren’t hungry for dinner when we passed through so we just drove through the town and went on our way. All of these little towns in the Olympic Peninsula are really cute though. I would love to make my way back here and spend more time.

We took a ferry across Puget Sound from Bainbridge into Seattle. That was really fun because it was dark and we got to enjoy the lit-up Seattle skyline on our way. It was beautiful. I do have to say though… we definitely caught winter. It was windy and freezing all day. I am a little worried about how prepared I am for Iceland. I may have to do a last minute REI run to stock up on some more layers! We didn’t get into Seattle until fairly late – unfortunately every driving day ended up being about two hours longer than I had thought. We were tired but also super hungry so we ended up going to at 8 oz. Burgers and had a delicious hamburger that totally hit the spot. Delish!

Day 6

Seattle, what can I say? I LOVE this city! I have never been here before and I think I found my soul mate city. It is incredible here. Of course, as luck would have it, today was the first beautiful sunny day Seattle has had this year. Oh well, we got some heavy rain in Portland which gave us our “winter fix” and tomorrow I am headed to Iceland for some legitimate winter weather so I can deal with another sunny day.  We spent the morning touring Pike Place Market. The market is amazing! I love the local art and food and the uniqueness of it all. I could definitely spend all day there! We are going back tomorrow to spend a couple more hours before heading to the airport. One day is definitely not long enough for this city!

We had tea and crumpets at a cute little crumpet shop and then toured around the city for a couple of hours with another 30-year old hipster tour guide, Jake. He was awesome; we got tons of insider tips that made the rest of our day great. He directed us to the BEST fish and chips place – Owl n' Thistle, for happy hour. It totally hit the spot! Best chips ever! You know… I have found that if you get a good tour (check the Trip Advisor reviews) it can really be a great way to be introduced to the city. I have enjoyed the ones that we have done. You kind of have to get over caring about looking like a tourist, but once you embrace that you actually are a tourist and just get over it, it can be fun.

We went down to Post Alley, which was creepy cool. We saw the infamous gum wall, which was disgusting! There is really not much else to say about it. Gross.

We ended up having a “happy accident” when we got on the bus to go to Kerry park to capture some views of the city. We went the wrong direction and what was going to be a 20-minute trip took an hour! Honestly though… it was nice to sit down a bit. I seriously feel so old right now! We are averaging 10-15 miles of walking each day and I am sooooo sore! I am actually looking forward to spending a day in a plane, just to rest my feet! When we finally got to the park we did get some beautiful shots of the city. I definitely have to come back to Seattle. One day was not enough! I know I speak for Cheryl too when I say, we love the Pacific Northwest! It makes us feel so out of place living is So Cal. Not really a shocker, I know. Anyone want to move up here with us?