While other people were paying homage to their loved ones, bringing flowers to their places of rest, and honoring those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, my family set off in our van to explore uncharted territory (for us). In all the years I've lived in Washington (uh, that would be 13), I've never visited Sequim. After all the dark, cool, rainy weather we've had this spring, I really needed to go somewhere to get away from it all. And I love lavender. Sequim climbed to the top of the list, without there even being a list. And when Grandpa P heard the plan, he said, "Well, if you're heading to Sequim, you should take the kids to Hurricane Ridge."
So we did. We adored Sequim. We played at a wonderful park, had lunch at an awesome Mexican place that was built onto the old granary, but didn't go to any lavender farms. David and I talked about how if he didn't have such a long commute, and we had all kinds of money, we would just move right on over there and stay forever. Lucy is already planning our next trip.
After lunch, we made the 20-or-so-mile drive to Hurricane Ridge. When I was a kid, you just drove your car into a national park and enjoyed your time there. Now it costs $15. Per day. But for $30, we bought the pass that allows us to get into Olympic National Forest as much as we want for the whole year. (Good for us.)
So we drove the twisty road, and it got foggier and colder and we began to see snow on the sides of the road. When we finally reached the top, we couldn't figure out where to park because there was so much snow we couldn't see the visitor's center! We figured it out though, and the girls had a fun time playing in the snow for a little while. I bought a couple of postcards to stick in an album next to my photos of never-ending snow. But we will definitely be going back in the summer to visit again and go camping there.
So enough of the commentary...on to the pictures! Enjoy! We did!
We visited Carrie Blake Park. It had two playgrounds, lots of walking trails, and a Japanese-inspired garden.
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| Sadie on the swing |
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| A few scenes from the garden |
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| Who needs to visit the Olympic Game Farm when you've got animals this close? |
We ate lunch at El Cazador. This is the restaurant that's built right onto the old granary.
We are suckers for good Mexican food. The girls had beans, rice, and tortillas, and David and I had burritos that were half pork with salsa verde, and half steak with red enchilada sauce. Mine had a dollop of sour cream in the middle. DELICIOUS.
On to Hurricane Ridge!
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| This bag of chips was quite bloated at such a high altitude. | |
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| Amy loves the snow! |
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| Lucy loves making snow angels! |
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| Sadie is not a big fan of snow. |
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| Da Bear. |
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| Hurricane Ridge gets a little bit of snow in the winter. |
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| Oh, deer! |
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| No, it's not a blurry picture. That tree is covered in moss. |
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We had a marvelous time together, and the girls really had a blast. They were excellent travelers. We're excited to visit the Olympic National Forest often between now and next May, and we're already planning a camping trip. Come on, summer! We're ready for you!
