After leaving Mt. Rainier NP, we drove west and then north into the Olympic Peninsula. On our first afternoon in the peninsula, it was sunny and cool. We explored the snow town of Port Townsend and then settled in at a hotel in Port Angeles.
The following morning, we journeyed up to Hurricane Ridge (5,242 feet) in Olympic National Park. The large peaks stood out on the horizon with the dark clouds of a massive storm just to the west. We spent the day skiing and snowshoeing. Hurricane Ridge lived up to it's reputation...the winds were brutally cold and threatened to blow us north into Canada!
After leaving Mt. Rainier NP, we drove west and then north into the Olympic Peninsula. On our first afternoon in the peninsula, it was sunny and cool. We explored the snow town of Port Townsend and then settled in at a hotel in Port Angeles.
On day 3, the storm caught up to us. In the lower elevations, it rained heavily with extremely wild and gusty winds. We still managed to do a couple of short hikes to waterfalls and even in those short times outside, proceeded to get soaked! That evening, we stayed with our friend Chiggers who lives in a cozy house in a remote area of the peninsula along the Bogachiel River just south of Forks.
On our fourth day in the peninsula, the rain continued. We drove along the dramatic coast on our way to the Oregon border and in a couple of days, home. 
I have always wanted to visit this part of the country, especially the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
ReplyDeleteWhen we visited the Olympic peninsula in 1986 (can it really be that long ago?) I recall that the people we met at a church service encouraged us to visit Hurricane Ridge. It was not on our agenda - I imagine we were heading to Crater Lake that afternoon - so we missed it. I have often hoped to get back there!
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