So today we headed for the Olympic peninsula. With all the cancellations of ferries, I thought we should get there early - the Washington State Department of Transportation recommended arriving 30-45 minutes prior to boarding - I thought we should get there an hour early at the least. Our reservation was at 11:45 so we should plan to get there at 10:45. We had talked about getting up early and maybe taking a last look around before hitting the road, But when the alarms went off, we kept snoozing them. We did manage to finally rouse ourselves and head out. We stopped at the Donut House for a final donut - we would save them for tomorrow's breakfast.
The drive to the ferry was back over some roads we had traveled on Sunday including Deception Pass - today there was only one side with a view as the other side was covered up for repair. We passed through Oak Harbor - Mairead ran in to get bagels at a place she had found online. Oak Harbor was a cute little town.
We arrived at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal just as the 10:30 ferry was loading - there were long lines of standby vehicles - only a few got on. We were first in line for our ferry. They took a certain amount of the remaining standby vehicles and put them in line behind us. We had a hour or so to kill so we walked over to the "beach"/boat ramp. The beach was stony - no sand - a couple was throwing sticks into the water for their dogs to retrieve. Not sure I would want my dog in that water where the ferries dock and other boats pull in and out. We sat at a picnic table for a while enjoying the sunshine and salt air - a little cool from the ocean breeze.
Below is a link for a video of Coupville.
When we landed in Port Townsend, we headed into the historic town center - this had buildings from the gilded age - 1880+. It was a cute little place - we turned around at the marina and headed west to Port Angeles. We were checking in at 3 pm at the AirBnB - the owner was leaving the door unlocked with the keys inside the door - so this put a little pressure on us to move along. We passed through some lovely places - Squemish in particular.
Below is a link for Port Townsend.
Mairead had found a diner online where we could have lunch. I loved it as soon as I saw it!! It was retro 50s with the old fashioned booths, the stools at the counter, the checked curtains, pictures of Elvis and other legends - it was the real deal. I immediately thought of my brother Johnny and Vicky who would love this place too. They love diners and modern antiques - I know they would have picked this diner if they were here. The food was typical diner food - plain cooking and good quality. They have a deal where you have your card punched each time you come in, and after the 10th meal you get a free meal. The place was busy at 1:30 with a lot of regulars. A woman in a booth near us was having lunch and had a meal to go as well. I had a BLT with a cup of beef barley soup - Mairead went for a breakfast - corned beef hash and eggs. The soup was homemade and delicious. The corned beef was ground on site. It was a fun place and a great first stop on the Olympic peninsula.
Below is a link for a video of the inside of the diner.
We were in great spirits when we left the diner - looking forward to new adventures. We found our AirBnB - what did we ever do without WAZE or Google maps? It is up a hill - there is a beautiful view of the ocean between the trees. We were on the second floor with 2 bedrooms - I got the ensuite one. There was a wrap-around deck. I sat outside for a while until the homeowner started working below me with a drill.
Mairead wanted to take a drive to Rialto Beach - I was a little hesitant because we would be backtracking the same route tomorrow - but we had a long day planned for tomorrow so we headed out. It was well worth it when we got there. We could hear the waves crashing and feel the ocean mist before we could see anything. There were huge old trees or logs all along the coast that had been tossed up by the sea - I don't know where they came from - people were sitting on them watching the sea. It was an almost overpowering experience. We could see and hear huge waves building up and then pounding down on top of themselves - the brown sand mixed up into each wave. We could smell the sea air as well as the rotting seaweed left on shore by the waves - the seaweed was huge - it looked like long tangled tentacles. We could feel the mist from the ocean along with the sea breeze - I could taste salt when I licked my lips. People were standing at water's edge when suddenly a huge wave crashed down and the tide covered their shoes and pants. One fellow was having a great time skipping stones. The stones were all sizes - mostly oblong and so smooth they glided along the surface of the water. It was quite an experience just sitting and watching the power, the force and the energy of the ocean - never to be tamed. It was very humbling. I could have sat there for hours but we decided to head back at 7 pm - it was over an hour's drive and I didn't want to be driving narrow twisting roads for too long in the dark.
Below is a link to a Rosario beach video.
Below is a link to a video of waves crashing on Rosario beach.
We made a quick stop at Walmart in Port Angeles - Mairead picked up some grapes, clementines, and water for the drive tomorrow - the area is pretty remote so we made sure we had the essentials.
We headed back to the AirBnB and threw in a wash - Mairead retired to her room while I had tea on the comfortable sofa - I started typing this. I went to bed about 11. A text from Mike woke me at 12:13 am - his flight home was just canceled - they had been sitting on the plane since 9:30 - something wrong in the cockpit. He was waiting to see what was up.
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