Rainforest

As if there wasn't enough rain, we headed to the rainforest!  So glad we did.  The Hoh Rain Forest was our destination.

We stopped at First Beach in La Push

and Ruby Beach along the way.  On the next trip, I definitely want to check out Second Beach!

Back to the rainforest...loved the drive and scenery!

We hiked the short Hall of Mosses trail and peaked around at others. It was lovely. Certainly lots of tourists. I could have used a few of the Starving Photographers pointers before we left, but I read his blog afterwords. Check it out! This guys is a radiologist at Becca's work, his work is amazing!

I love my new shoes!

Rain, rain, go away!

And that's a wrap!  Hope you enjoyed our little tour of the peninsula.  In case you are having a hard time visualizing, here's the ground that we covered.

Bellevue to Edmonds to Kingston to Port Angeles to Forks to Rialto Beach to Forks to Neah Bay to Forks to La Push to Hoh Rain Forest to Kalaloch to Aberdeen to Olympia to Home!

Testing 1-2-3

I am test blogging from my phone for the first time. Wanted to share this picture that I took of a flower outside of my office. It is so beautiful!!! If anyone knows what kind it is, please comment or email me!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Out there

Still documenting our Peninsula trip.  So much has happened since then.  Hopefully I catch up this week!

Back to business: remember this trip?! It has been awhile since we have added a new lighthouse to our list!  We were 1 for 2 on this trip.  The goal was to see Cape Flattery and Destruction Island, both offshore lighthouses, but the fog prevented us from seeing Destruction Island on Monday.

On Sunday, we ventured up to the Northwesternmost point of the continental United States: Cape Flattery, outside of Neah Bay, WA.  Cape Flattery Lighthouse can be seen from a really cool trail with many lookout points.

We reached the coolest viewpoint and here's another photo to add to our wall art with lighthouses.

A close-up...

Fun times!  Next trip, we'll hope for more sunshine so that Destruction Island is in plain view!

Rialto Beach

There is something very magical about large bodies of water, in my humble opinion. I dream of living near one someday. We had the opportunity to visit Rialto Beach twice, located just 10 minutes from the resort. The first evening, we went there to experience one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen. While we waited, I took pictures of course.

Behind us was filled with great beauty as well. Pretty much, we were surrounded by beauty and so grateful for a break in the rain!

I also have no shame in taking pictures of other peoples dogs. This guy was so cute and happy!

And now for the beautiful sunset!

Amazing...huh?!

Our second trip to Rialto was not so pleasant. At 7 am, I hopped out of bed and suggested a hike to Hole In The Wall which we hadn't yet had time for. Online pics of this phenomenon are amazing (over time, crashing waves have worn a hole in this big rock)! Turns out the rain made getting to the hole way more difficult than we imagined so we turned around only to be pounded with wind and rain ;(
 
 

 
 

 
 

oh well, another excuse to go back! I am so thankful that Tyler puts up with my "wild hare" moments as he likes to call them.
 
 
 

Lake Crescent

The trip began early Saturday morning.  The weather at the Edmonds Ferry Dock wasn't so promising, but Saturday turned out to be the nicest day weather-wise.

After a quick ferry ride, we headed West of Port Angeles where we hiked the Spruce Railroad and Marymere Falls trails at Lake Crescent.

We encountered a million shades of green and lots of blue on the trip.  Here we are on a little bridge.

and on a big bridge

Loving the beautiful views!

and the crystal clear water!

Here we are at the visitor center near Marymere Falls:

Got a peak at wildlife...

And I even hugged trees!

All in all, a lovely day!

Quillayute River Resort

Tyler and I toured the Olympic Peninsula over Memorial Day weekend.  It was a perfect getaway!

We stayed at Quillayute River Resort, a quaint 5 suite resort near Rialto Beach in Forks, WA.  I was pleasantly surprised at the accomodations.  The pictures on the website do not do it justice in my opinion, so I chose to take some of my own...imagine that!  Here is the view of our patio, the super comfortable chairs, and front door.  (The garages that seperate the suites are used for storage).

Did I mention that I liked the chairs?  They were just perfect for relaxing in the rain...which wouldn't be complete without my blankie and a glass of wine.

We enjoyed all of the comforts of home in a relaxing get-away space. I must admit that I was glad to not have cell reception, but I cheated on my no facebook rule just a bit.

Tyler BBQ'd up a wonderful surf 'n turf meal!

Now on to the grounds...which were beautiful!!!
We walked a trail along the river...

Enjoyed the landscaping...

The river view was so peaceful!

The below picture was taken seated in my favorite chair!

And the hummingbirds loved us (we loved them too!).  These were taken from the living room/kitchen area.

I seriously can't wait to go back!