A view of Mount Rainier before we landed in SeattleAs we settled into our room, Billy said they gave us the Priceline room. One wall of the room met up with the back of the elevator shaft, we heard a constant drilling noise throughout the night as the elevator moved to different floors. It was annoying yet manageable for one night. Since we hadn’t adjusted to the 3 hour time difference yet, we were up around 6 a.m. Then we began our search for breakfast, and we settled with going to Denny’s which is just a couple of blocks down from the hotel. Billy and I both ordered Grad Slams. The service was fine and the food was adequate to meet the needs of our hunger.
We went back to the hotel to freshen up for our drive to Olympic National Park (ONP). While we were getting ready, Billy phoned Budget to send a car to pick us up and drop us off at their off airport rental location. We ended up with a silver Toyota Corolla. The process was quick and painless.
To start off our journey, we stopped by a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Federal Way. We picked up some snacks and water to munch on throughout our trip. Finally, we were on our way to ONP. Around lunch time, we stopped in Sequim to eat at the Oak Table. We were seated immediately. I ordered the shrimp and avocado sandwich. It was absolutely delicious. Billy got the chicken teriyaki sandwich.
After our stomachs were full, we hit the road again for a short distance. Our next stop was Dungeness Spit. It was great to get out of the car and walk for a while. It costs $3 cash to enter the hiking trail area; they had a volunteer at the trailhead to remind people to use the envelopes for payment. We only had a five dollar bill, so the federal government got a few extra dollars from us. We journeyed down the gravel trail and were amazed at the sight of the spit from the observation decks. We walked around 1 ½ miles down the spit plus the ½ mile on the gravel path through the forest. Luckily, we ended up walking a little bit further than we planned because we were treated with views a seal pup. The baby seal was hamming it up while sunning itself. I was standing a little too close I came to find out later, but some fellow hikers approached and stood directly next to the seal. I was very disappointed by their actions. As we walked back the wind started to pick up so definitely wear layers or bring a jacket. Also, don’t forget to put on sunscreen. I got a little too much sun on my chest while Billy burned on the back of his calves.
Dungeness Spit
A seal pup on the Dungeness SpitNext stop…Lake Crescent Lodge. Actually, we had to stop by Wal-Mart in Port Angeles to get a decongestant for Billy’s dripping nose. Thank goodness for Wal-Mart! Now we were really on our way to Lake Crescent Lodge. As we drove from Port Angeles to Lake Crescent, we able to catch views of Lake Crescent itself as we got closer to the lodge. They scenery was absolutely gorgeous with mountains surrounding the glacial lake.
Lake Crescent Lodge
We quickly checked in at the main lodge (while Billy checked in, I tried to make reservations at the restaurant, but was told they are first come, first serve), and then we unloaded our stuff into our room in the Storm King Building. The room is straight out of the 80s or maybe even the 70s. It has wood paneling, a lovely floral comforter and gorgeous yellowish brown tile in the shower. Hey, I can’t complain we had a gorgeous view of Lake Crescent from our sliding glass door that opened up onto a patio area. Just be prepared that the rooms are less than desirable if you are used to the Ritz, but it met our purposes.
Enjoying our patio outside of Storm King room
Enjoying our patio outside of Storm King roomBilly and I dined in the Lake Crescent Lodge restaurant. I had the half portion of the fish and chips. It was yummy, and the portion size was perfect with 2 planks of fish. It is escaping me right now what Billy ordered. For dessert, we chose the three berry pie with ice cream. The pie could have used a little bit more sugar with the berries, and the crust could have been a little lighter.
As we left the dining room, we were surprised to see a storm brewing over Lake Crescent. We were planning on attending the campfire ranger-led talk, but there was a lot of wind from the storm. Just as we were sitting down in the lodge, we noticed that the ranger was also moving his talk inside. We were in luck! The ranger’s discussion was about the Elwha River restoration project. I would say he spoke more on the history of Olympic National Park with tidbits about the project. His talk was laced with ONP related songs to the tunes of other familiar songs, such as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”…this was a winner for the kids.
Billy about to beat me in a game of CheckersDaily Reviews
Radisson at SeaTac – 1 star
Pros: close to the airport, free wireless Internet in room, Sleep Number bed
Cons: Priceline room next the elevator with annoying sound; low water pressure
Budget Rental – 5 stars
Pros: Picked us up at hotel directly across from airport, saved us the airport tax & fees; friendly staff
Cons: None
Oak Table – 4 stars
Pros: Waffle fries; shrimp avocado sandwich-Yum!; quaint environment
Cons: Expensive
Dungeness Spit – 5 stars
Pros: unique experience, easy hike, not very crowded after the initial entry area; baby seal sighting; beach & mountains = gorgeous
Cons: Non-manned fee station-must have the correct amount of money
Lake Crescent Dining Room – 3 stars
Pros: good views of the lake, not as expensive as the Roosevelt Dining Room at Lake Quinault
Cons: Flaky waitstaff, less than stellar pie & chicken
Lake Crescent Ranger Campfire Talk – 2 stars
Pros: Accommodating to the weather conditions; something to do
Cons: Not particularly on topic; oriented towards older people & children
