Last week, we had a few days off and we decided to take advantage of it! We went over to the Olympic Peninsula where we camped for 3 nights, enjoyed a quiet slower pace, and breathed some fresh air.
We camped at beautiful Lake Crescent at the Fairholme campground. The lake is amazing! It is about 12 miles long of crystal clear, blue green water. We had been there once before when we took our motorcycle on a day trip and fell in love with the area. There is something so peaceful about the forested hills and the lake. We had a campsite tucked back in the trees with glimpses of the lake.
We went one day out to Second Beach at La Push where we watched the waves crash and admired the seastacks off shore. For awhile we were the only ones at the beach (probably because it was raining earlier in the day) and we meandered down the beach dodging waves, and chasing silly birds. The birds were scared of us but because of their webbed feet, they would trip and stumble all the way back to the water. No, we were not torturing birds... just experimenting a bit!
After La Push, we did stop by Forks. To be perfectly clear though, we did not do a Twilight tour, visit the store Dazzled by Twilight or do anything Twilight related. The entire town is like a big advertisement for the movie though. We went into the grocery store to get a few supplies and even saw some Twilight boots... Chet was very tempted to get a pair but I held him back! Oh, and back along the road to La Push, one store had a sign out front that said "No Vampires Beyond this Point" in reference to the movie.
The following day, we headed up to the Sol Duc valley. Our intention on this trip was not to do strenuous hikes but to relax and enjoy spending some time together... so we went on a weaving hike through the forest and sat in some hot springs. The hike was named Lover's Lane, probably because it is a beautiful hike weaving through forest, ferns and along a rushing river. It ends up connecting with Sol Duc Falls which is actually a pretty cool waterfall. A crevasse in the rocks drops about 100-200 feet and the water come shooting out in three places to form the waterfall. After hiking, we enjoyed sitting in the mineral spring pools, alternating between the pools because the water was SO hot! It turned out to be a nice day.
After eating and relaxing all week, we decided to eat at a restaurant on the way home that Pastor Bill recommended that serves huge burgers! I don't think that we needed the calories but the food was amazing and the atmosphere wsa totally unique. The place should totally be on "Drive-ins, Diners, and Dives" on Food Network... it is just that kind of place! The burgers have two patties, three buns, a slice of bacon, and then all the toppings to go with it. They barely would fit in our mouths! Good food made better by interesting surroundings. The folks who run it are quite characters and there are dollar bills and business cards pinned to the ceiling and walls from people who have eaten there! Here are a couple pictures... in case you want to visit it is Fat Smitty's in Discovery Bay on the Peninsula. We recommend it!
The trip was relaxing and a good opportunity to get away from normal life. Neither one of us wanted to come back as we know that, with the start of school this fall, life is bound to get crazy and chaotic again. Yet, to everything there is a season and each season of life has something to offer and enjoy.
