Day 3 – June 29, 2009

We woke up to the alarm ready for our day of adventure. We got dressed for our day outdoors, and we ate a quick breakfast with our goodies from Wal-Mart. We headed towards Port Angeles to meet up with our guides at Adventures through Kayaking Outfitters. Billy opted for the kayaking and mountain biking tour and I happily followed along.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Don. We were outfitted with all of the clothing (wetsuit, booties, windbreaker) we needed for kayaking. You will want to bring a bathing suit to put on under all of their gear and definitely use the restroom prior to putting the wetsuit on. After our entire group (it was a mom & daughter joining us for the morning kayaking) was suited up, we head out to the Freshwater Bay with Mark, our kayaking guide. Because I’m a big chicken, I wanted to be in a tandem kayak with Billy. The water was so smooth in the bay. After practicing a few of the basic maneuvers we ventured out into some different cove areas. While we were out and about, we saw different wildlife and vegetation: bald eagles, starfish, various types of seaweed, river otters, ducks, and other types of birds. The water started to get a little too choppy so Mark decided it would be best to head back to Freshwater Bay and play around in there. I was pleased with his executive decision; did I mention that I am a chicken? Once we were back in the bay, we kayaked around some rocks and took the obligatory pictures. The Olympics provided a beautiful backdrop. Our morning of kayaking was awesome – very knowledgeable and friendly guide, great views, perfect weather and lots of opportunities to see wildlife.

Billy kayaking in Freshwater Bay

Billy & I kayaking

When we got back to the shop, we changed out of clothes to get ready for mountain biking. We were greeted by Chris, our mountain biking guide. He was eager to get us on the bikes and out on the trail, but we had to eat lunch (it was provided with the package). After lunch, Don dropped us off at the bike trail. We poked around on the bikes at the drop off area to get comfortable then we headed out on the trail. This is where the adventure begins. Not a quarter mile into the trip and I fell off of my bike. Yes, Billy it was my fault. J I took my feet off of the pedals and it did make me wobble as I hit a grassy patch to the right of the trail. Man, this did not put a good taste in my mouth for mountain biking. I am proud of myself though because I never cried even though I really wanted to. Hey, I was the only girl there so I had to hold my own. After walking for a few minutes, I got back on the bike. I had Chris lower my seat because it was bothering me that it was so high.

One of my scrapes after falling from my mountain bike

Billy & me on the mountain biking trail

We eventually finished our biking/walking adventure probably twice as long as it should have taken us. I have to say that Chris was the perfect guide for a scaredy cat like me. He is very encouraging and is willing to give you as much time as you need to get comfortable. For anybody that is interested in doing this tour, I think you should realize that the trail is probably not meant for beginners who not very adventurous due to the fact there are quite a few switchbacks as you decline. Billy did great because he does not have the same sense of fear that I do. I’m not ruling out mountain biking, but I would like to try an easier trail.

Don picked us up at the end of the trail, and we head back to the store. After saying our goodbyes and invitations to comeback and see the Flaming Lips, we proceeded back to Lake Crescent for some relaxation.

Relaxing at Lake Crescent - what I do best

For dinner, we ate at Sabai Thai in Port Angeles. We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a table. Many of the restaurants are closed on Mondays. The wait was well worth it. I had some delicious Pad Thai, and Billy noshed on Thai Barbeque Chicken that was cold. We went back to the lodge to relax and retire for the evening after a stop at Safeway for some cookies.

Daily Reviews

Adventures Through Kayaking – 5 stars
Pros: amazing staff that was knowledgeable and friendly (Thanks Don, Mark & Chris!), small tour group, provided with everything we needed, lunch, great activities that allowed us to experience more of NW Washington.
Cons: Would liked to have gone on an easier trail for mountain biking

Sabai Thai – 4 stars
Pros: delicious food, prompt service
Cons: Thai BBQ Chicken was cold, 20 minute wait

Day 2 – June 28, 2009

What a great view to wake up to – Lake Crescent! Billy and I woke up at a more reasonable time this morning even though it started to get light outside around 4:30 a.m. We showered and enjoyed our breakfast of cereal sans milk and apples.

Marymere Falls was the first item on our agenda for the day. We picked up the trail on the Lake Crescent property. The trail was a luscious forest of Douglas fir and ferns. Be careful of downed trees. I was leading and forget to alert Billy to the downed tree, and he bumped his head because he was trying to change the date/time on the camera.

Walking on the Marymere Falls Trail...The tree that Billy bumped into is behind me to the right

Despite Billy’s bump, we were able to continue our leisurely hike. The trail was wide and fairly level with small rise and falls until we passed the two footbridges. As you approach, the sign for the Falls Loop I would advise go the opposite direction it recommends because I feel it is easier to go uphill with out steps and downhill with steps.

Go the opposite way of the sign. You will end up back at the sign after you view the falls.

Marymere Falls are quite a treat with two overlooks to view the dainty falls. After taking some pictures, we headed back to the room to complete our 1.5 miles hike without any injuries on the way back.

Marymere Falls

After we regrouped, we went to the Albertsons in Port Angeles to buy some deli meat and bread for lunch. With lunch in hand, we stopped by the ONP Visitor Center which is a letdown after visiting visitor centers in Yellowstone NP, but it had the necessary information and brochures. We loaded back to the car to begin our ascent to Hurricane Ridge.

Once we got to the top, we ate our self-created ham sandwiches at one of the picnic tables near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. We had a spectacular view of the Olympics. We joined the ranger-led walk at the front of the visitor center at 2:00 p.m. Ranger Ron led a walk about competition versus cooperation of different species and animals in the park. As we walked, we met up with quite a few black tailed deer. After the walk concluded, Billy and I ventured to Sunrise Point to capture some great views of the area. The hike is fairly easy, but it was steep at points. It was definitely worth it.

Ranger Ron at Hurricane Ridge

View from Sunrise Point

We went back to the visitor center to catch the 4 p.m. ranger talk. It happened to be led by Ranger Ron again. He told 5 different stories from the park with one of them being false. The audience had to guess which was not correct.

After our entertaining talk, we stopped by Hurricane Hill for a short hike. This is a super easy hike which would be great for beginning hikers. There is a gravel/paved trail the entire way. Billy and I only went as far the switchbacks because we wanted to grab dinner in Port Angeles and get back to Lake Crescent for the ranger campfire talk. Walking as far as we did was worth it because we had great views of the Olympics along with some animal sightings of deer and marmots.

Hurricane Hill

Black tailed deer on the Hurricane Hill trail

Once in Port Angeles, we decided eat dinner the Soho Asian Bistro. There were very few choices of restaurants because it was Sunday. Soho had a few groups already dining when we arrived. Billy had to go back out to the car to get our sweatshirts because it was quite cold inside. I ordered chicken lo mein, and Billy ordered Szechwan chicken which was pretty good which says a lot for Billy. The lo mein was tasty, but it could have used more soy sauce during the cooking process.

After dinner, we went back to Lake Crescent, but did not get there in time for the campfire talk. We went to the lodge to use the wireless Internet connection and relax. Another great day in Washington!

Sunset at Lake Crescent

Daily Reviews

Albertsons – 3 stars

Pros: Clerk allowed us to use the store card since we didn’t have one

Cons: none

Hurricane Ridge – 5 stars

Pros: Lots to explore, easy trails with the option to venture out to more difficult trails; interesting ranger talks; nice visitor center

Cons: Not a lot of informative displays/dioramas in the visitor center (We’ve been spoiled by Yellowstone).

Soho Asian Bistro – 4 stars

Pros: Billy actually liked his meal which is hard to come by, cute environment

Cons: Lo mein not as flavorful as it should be