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Road Trip – Olympic Peninsula

This weekend, we took Maggie out for a (child-free!) road trip, circumnavigating the Olympic Peninsula. The weather was only sort of cooperative – it didn’t rain, but it wasn’t particularly warm and sunny either. It’s a beautiful trip, and the winding road along the coast is a lot of fun to drive – I recommend it!

Maggie at Crescent Beach, just west of Port Angeles
Maggie at Crescent Beach, just west of Port Angeles, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island in the background.

Sekiu, Washington, on the road west
Sekiu, Washington – further along the road west. Again, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island are in the background.

Maggie at Neah Bay, with Cape Flattery in the background.
Maggie at Neah Bay, Washington, with Cape Flattery in the background. Neah Bay is the center of the Makah Indian Reservation and there’s nothing much there but a marina.

Maggie at Kalaloch Beach, just south of the Hoh rain forest.
Highway 101 South hugs the Pacific Ocean for several miles; this is Kalaloch Beach.

Very pregnant deer outside our hotel room in Ocean Shores
We stayed at the Quinault Beach Casino in Ocean Shores, and both dinner and breakfast were good (if slow). The room was quite comfortable, and just beneath the balcony was this very pregnant deer.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 by Jeri and is filed under MINI, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

5 Responses to “Road Trip – Olympic Peninsula”

  1. Shawn Powers Says:
    May 28th, 2008

    I must admit, Maggie is quite a sharp little car. My faux parents (long story) call the lady in their GPS unit “Maggie”, and it’s funny to hear them yell at her, or blame her when they go astray. :)

  2. mary Says:
    May 28th, 2008

    Dear Maggie,

    Yes, you are adorable! I would suggest you take your owner back to Neah Bay. You would have to sit in the parking lot, but your navigator would be able to enter a most wonderful, educational cultural museum at the ‘beginning of the earth.’ Not at the end of the earth, as it appears on the map or can seem from the drive! About 500 years ago an ancient Makah fishing village was buried by a mud slide. Due to tidal action in the 1970s, the village was exposed and excavation began. The Makah Cultural and Research Center tells the story of people who lived a rigorous life hunting whales, seals and fish. There is a replica of a long house at the Center that alone is worth the trip. Many of the artifacts from the excavation are on display.

    And, again you would have to wait in the parking lot, but there is a nice little hike along a boardwalk to the most northwestern tip of 48 states with a killer view of offshore light house and the ocean.

    Your navigator will thank you with a warm wash and vacuum your carpets! And I know you like Highway 112!

  3. Bryan Says:
    May 28th, 2008

    Shawn – we call our GPS “Hermione” because we use the British accented voice – that is, unless the kids change it to the Swedish voice, in which case her name is “Inga”.

  4. Jeri Says:
    May 28th, 2008

    Mary, point taken. :) It was a fun drive, and we likely will be back at some point.

  5. Jim Wright Says:
    May 29th, 2008

    I call my GPS unit “Sir,” and I for one welcome our electronic overlords…

    That’s a great looking car (I love the little checkered rearview mirrors), Jeri, but I think after that drive you’d need the jaws of life to get me out of it.

    And it’s too bad you can’t get that car up here, the weather in Alaska has been perfect since you left least week. Sunny and blue sky. I figure it’ll start raining on Friday and turn miserable – that’s when Beastly is supposed to show up at my place. :)

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