Last month me and some friends flew into Seattle, spent two nights there at a friends, and then rented a car, and drove to Port Angeles, and hiked in Olympic National Park for 4 days. After that, we drove to the Gorge to see Phish.

I very much enjoyed Seattle. My buddy lives in the Fremont area, and he took us on a brewery tour. They were all good, but I would rank them like this, top being best:

Reuben's Brews
Outlander Brewery and Pub
Urban Family
Holy Mountain
Fremont Brewing Company

The weather was damn near perfect in Seattle, and I really enjoyed riding around the city. Very clean city, and everyone couldn't have been nicer. We also went to Ballard Seafood Fest, which is a cool event.

We also did Pike's Place Market on the day we flew out. While crowded, it was a neat experience. We ate at Emerald City Fish and Chips as well. Their fried salmon is to die for, and so is their crab puppies. I suggest checking it out if you are ever in the area.

In ONP, we stayed at a pretty cheap airbnb on Lake Sutherland, which is 15 minutes outside of Port Angeles. Lake Sutherland is beautiful. Its not big, but it has clear blue, pristine waters, surrounded by mountains. Its right by Lake Crescent, which is a bigger, even more beautiful lake.

Lake Sutherland

Lake Crescent

The first day we went to Hurricane Ridge, and hiked the Klahhane Ridge. Great trail, with stunning 360 views basically the whole way.

View south from Hurricane Ridge

facing west

(my friends sitting on a hill)

Later that night, around 10 pm, we went to the Second Beach of La Push Beach. We hiked through a misty rain forest, and came out to a clearing, and boom, there is the pacific ocean. First time I'd seen the pacific ocean.

The next day we visited the Hoh Rainforest. It was neat, but I was expecting a little more based on the hype that people built up for me, and maybe for the fact that we'd already hiked through similar forests. It was still an enjoyable experience.

The Hoh River

From there we went to Ruby Beach. It was similar to La Push, but it was a clear day, so it was a different experience.

(hole looks like someones head)

The next day we started off with Marymere Falls, which was right down the road from our bnb

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Posted by Funky Tide 8

Tittleman's Crest

Member since Feb 2009

52715 posts

Posted on 8/24/18 at 11:11 am to Funky Tide 8

After Marymere Falls, we drove up Blue Mountain. It was a semi-terrifying experience driving up the mountain. It was about 7 miles straight up a winding, gravel road that was about 8 feet wide. Our rental was an Altima. The mountain was immersed in clouds, and because of the winds in the road, I couldn't see what was coming around each corner. I had to go very slow, and beeped my horn basically the entire time. On one side of the road was mountain, and the other side was a drop off that would equal certain death had we slid off.

We made it though, and it was totally worth it. The top of the mountain was above the clouds, and the views were absolutely stunning. Driving down the mountain was much easier.

I didn't take a lot of pictures at the Gorge, because I was partying, but it was beautiful as well. Dry, but beautiful. I did get one picture from Wild Horse Monument.

The whole trip was a great experience, and I definitely want to visit again.

This post was edited on 8/24/18 at 11:13 am

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Posted by VABuckeye

Naples, FL

Member since Dec 2007

35570 posts

Posted on 8/24/18 at 12:08 pm to Funky Tide 8

Those are some awesome pics! Thank you for sharing your experience. I visited my uncle in Everett a few years ago and I'd love to go back and spend more time there.

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Posted by Crow Pie

Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center

Member since Feb 2010

25330 posts

Posted on 8/24/18 at 9:06 pm to Funky Tide 8

Thanks for the pic especially the ones from Hurricane Ridge. We drove there from Seattle on our trip to the PNW last week (see my thread here) and by the time we got the the road going up to the ridge the haze/smog from new fires all but blocked any view.