So to finish day 6, we left Portland and headed up I-5 for Washington!
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Cross this one off the list!
Before we got to Olympia we veered west again and headed to the Olympic peninsula. First stop, Aberdeen to load up on camping supplies. |
We found Highway 101 again and made our way around the peninsula by reservations and rain forests. The clouds were low and I loved making pictures of them!
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| Dense forests |
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| Our camping site for night 6...prepping for a night of rain |
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| We understand the severity of beach logs but this sign was too fun to us |
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| The Pacific Ocean |
I feel so sorry for this tree because of erosion from the wind and water coming off the ocean and a stream running straight under it- it looks like it' just trying to hold on!
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| We were able to catch another amazing sunset!! |
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| Once the sun started setting it got so cold!! |
It got down to around 47 degrees that night so we were thankful for our warm sleeping bags and the extra blankets I packed!
Day 7- Forks, WA to Seattle, WA
When we woke up, we tried our best to dry our tarp and chairs off...and I realize I left my boots out in the rain. Then we continued our journey around the peninsula stopping briefly in the town of Forks and Port Angeles.
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Port Angeles |
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| Straight of Juan de Fuca |
After an amazing seafood lunch in Port Angeles, we headed to Bainbridge Island to take the ferry to Seattle. It was such a cool way to see the city for the first time!
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| On the ferry to Seattle! |
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| Seattle from the ferry |
Our hotel in Seattle was super close to the Space Needle so we walked past it several times and it was so cool to see each time!
We went up to the top to watch the sunset and watch the city turn dark after a tasty sushi dinner!
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| Josh checking out the sites |
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| The city from the Space Needle |
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| It was too cloudy to see a great sunset but the views were still gorgeous |
Day 8- Seattle, WA
This was another day where we stayed in the same place for a second night so we spent the day exploring Seattle! Our first stop was Pike's Place Market.
We saw the men throwing fish at Pike Place Fish Market, we stood in line and got coffee at the very first Starbucks. In a nutshell, we were tourists.
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| The original Starbucks |
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| Drinking our coffee by the water |
We also walked over to see the famous gum wall. It was pretty gross but still fun to see!
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| Gum Wall |
For lunch we decided to check out the famous Pike Place Chowder. We stood in line again but their seafood bisque was worth it!
I then had Josh drive us around the city to see a few unique sites like the Fremont Troll!!
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| Fremont Troll |
I also read that the best view of the city with the Space Needle is at a small park in the Queen Anne neighborhood called Kerry Park. Apparently on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier from here too but we weren't so lucky the day we were there.
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| View of the city from Kerry Park |
After that, we toured an awesome chocolate factory called Theo chocolate- I didn't get any pictures there but I highly recommend it! And if you are the last tour of the day, you can eat a TON of samples because they are trying to get rid of them!!
For dinner we ate at Dick's Drive-In which some people say is like the In-and-Out of Seattle. It's a fun restaurant and I had to take the picture below because it's classic Josh and Heidi. After like 5 minutes of sitting down, Josh's drink is empty and mine is still pretty much full.
Day 9- Seattle, WA to Plummer, ID
The next day, we packed up and headed EAST! We are technically back on the way home now and we are tired. The drive through eastern Washington was not as scenic as the past few days so I think that made it tough as well. We headed to Heyburn state park which is actual the oldest park in the Pacific Northwest created in 1908.
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| Our campsite for night 9 |
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| Chatcolet Lake |
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| Gorgeous sunset colors |
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| Our campfire for the night |
Day 10- Plummer, ID to Big Sky, MT
This day was also just driving to get closer to home. We stopped in Missoula for lunch and drove around to the the University of Montana campus.
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| University of Montana |
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| Big Sky resort |
Then we headed to our Airbnb in Big Sky for an early night.
Day 11- Big Sky, MT to Denver, CO
We knew this was going to be a long day of driving but when I saw that we could drive through Yellowstone on our way home, I didn't want to miss that opportunity!!
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| Yellowstone geyser |
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| It was so cool to see this in person!! |
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| Geysers galore! |
We had to wait for a short time but we were able to see Old Faithful erupt! It was worth the wait- the water sprayed around 120 feet into the air!
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| Watching Old Faithful |
After driving through Yellowstone, we quickly drove through Grand Teton National Park as well! I definitely want to come back to spend more time here- it was all so beautiful!!
And we made in back to Denver in time to pick Huey up from daycare. He sure was excited to see us!! We didn't calculate exact mileage but it was around 3700 miles. Here's a map of our route below. It was such a fun road trip and I can't wait to plan our next one!!
