savvynomadadventures

(You down with NOP, yeah you know me) The last 7 months have been insanely challenging for Honey and myself. Me: trying to keep my fine dining restaurant alive and thriving during a Pandemic. Honey: working the graveyard shift in a psychiatric unit from 6 pm to 6 am. Not only are we strangers in the night, zombies passing each other for a kiss at 7 am, we are completely unable to decompress and discuss our fears regarding the uncertainty and alarming nature of the world we are living in right now. We needed a break and needed it badly.

What about a road trip?

We are both nature dilettantes and were yearning for the outdoors. Honey had visited the Olympic Peninsula when she was in high-school, and vowed she would one day return to experience her vast beauty once again. My only knowledge of this area was through the Twilight Series (don’t you dare judge, it was a long time ago and I was desperate for something to read), as the books took place in this area. So, like are we going to see some vampires or what? The airport wasn’t as scary as everyone led on. It was pretty much a ghost town. Everyone was dripping with sanitizer and the plane was only about 25% full. Flight was short and sweet and as we landed in Seattle I started to feel like a kid again (just please don’t tell me Santa isn’t real…I can’t take that disappointment that again). We rented an SUV, grabbed the road trip essentials (Sour patch kids, coffee and chips) and headed for the ferry.

We started to panic because we realize that our planning this trip was more than lackadaisical. It was down right negligent. To be honest, we didn’t want to plan every moment out, we wanted to chill and enjoy going with the flow, however, we left some pretty basic shit out… like where the hell were we going when we got to the ferry station? I had to pull over because we literally realized we were clueless in Seattle, (at least we weren’t sleepless).

Boom! Our Ferry to Bainbridge Island leaves at 11:25, that’s in 27 minutes, next one isn’t for several hours! GPS puts us at 25 minutes away. Dear Lord, is this really how we are starting this trip out? Our Mitsubishi SUV quickly turned into and Maserati. As we sped through the neighborhoods of Seattle I realized that I was going faster than my GPS could maintain and I missed our turn onto the Ferry dock! Of course, all of the damn streets are one way. I literally screamed and frothed at the mouth a bit when I realized I probably just made us miss our boat. I tried to remain calm…the clock silently ticked away as I hit every single red light known to woman. We finally arrived at the gate at 11:25; the cashier said “you are probably NOT going to make it but you can try… go go go go go!” We raced down the speedway, (oops I mean dock path) to the boat. The horn was blasting and they were waving us on! What? We made it? WE MADE IT!

Ahhhh yes, maybe this trip will be full of fun little surprises. Let’s roll baby! We slowly started to embark and as the ferry cruised through the Puget Sound we were afforded a dazzling view of the Seattle skyline. And so the road trip begins…First Stop: Lake Crescent Lodge & Marymere Falls

Lake Crescent & Marymere Falls

A splendid 3.5 hour drive along the Hood Canal, over a floating bridge, through the reticent Olympic National Forest, and onward a meandering road along crests and valleys full of rolling rivers, sparkling lakes and peaceful ponds led us to our first stop. Lake Crescent. The drive alone was amazing, but when we arrived I could do nothing but sit silently and smile…and those of you who know me know that sitting silently isn’t something that I am usually capable of.

This is it. This is why we came here. Absolute serenity as we are quietly serenaded by the sounds of loons and the trees swaying in the light breeze. Snow fed rivers cascading through ancient forests full of wildlife. Rugged peaks gently collide with flowering meadows as the world seems to sing in harmony in this spectacular wilderness park. I am in love. I almost cried it was so beautiful.

We opted to stay inside the National Park at Lake Crescent Lodge for our first 2 nights

https://www.olympicnationalparks.com/lodging/lake-crescent-lodge/

As we settled into our lakeside cabin we decided to hike to Marymere Falls, one of the iconic hikes in the area. It was a gorgeous 2 mile hike through a lowland forest consisting of fir, cedar, hemlock, and alder trees and opening to a lovely waterfall! Short and sweet it was a perfect hike for our first day! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60921-d117082-Reviews-Marymere_Falls-Port_Angeles_Clallam_County_Washington.html

Time to wind down… We relaxed on the porch and witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever seen. This place is truly magical and I can’t wait to see what is in store for us over the next week!

I woke up early and couldn’t help myself… this sunrise view is from the lodge while I was writing this blog!

Next stop… Hurricane Ridge!