North Cascades

We camped at Newhalem Campground and were glad to be in the park and not have to drive in.

Many believe the Easy Pass and Fisher Basin area to be one of the most superb places in the North Cascades. Extensive meadows are crowned by glacial peaks. The short, steep trail to the pass is anything but "easy." The views, however, are your reward: panoramic vistas of Fisher Basin and Mounts Logan, Fisher, and Arriva

Leaving Bremerton to kayak Anacortes

We always enjoy getting on the Washington State Ferry to go somewhere. It is sad to leave the Kitsap Peninsula. But more to be seen

Deception Pass State Park is a 4,134-acre marine and camping park with 77,000-feet of saltwater shoreline, and 33,900-feet of freshwater shoreline on three lakes. Rugged cliffs drop to meet the turbulent waters of Deception Pass. The park features breath-taking views, old-growth forests, abundant wildlife, and sand dunes. The park is well-loved for its spectacular views of shoreline, mountains, islands, and sunsets. It was a foggy day that we were there but the campground looks great.

Anacortes is homeport to the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. Located on Fidalgo Island, it is conveniently situated halfway between Seattle and Vancouver BC and is the destination point for the San Juans and International ferry runs for Washington State.

We took the full day kayak trip out to Burrows Island to see the lighthouse and caught the tide on the wrong way on the way back. 2 hours would have been good. We were tired puppies when we got back to our little WA state campground on the edge of town.

Mt Baker peeking out in the background.

Olympic Discovery Adventure Trail & Salt Creek

The Adventure portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail runs from the west side of the Elwha River (west of Port Angeles) to the east end of Lake Crescent, where it connects with the Spruce Railroad Trail, and then continues west toward Forks and La Push.

This trail is primarily for Mountain biking and horses. We only saw a couple of other bikers the day we were here.

It is a pretty good climb out of the trailhead but rolls once you reach the top. What a great day.

Salt Creek Recreation Area County Park has national park aesthetics, with County Park amenities. The 196-acre Park includes upland forests, rocky bluffs, rocky tide pools, sand beach, Salt Creek access, campsites, and panoramic views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Crescent Bay, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Sequim, WA

Sequim is a great place to spend the weekend since it’s the driest spot in western Washington, getting just 18” of rain each year. (You can thank the Olympic Rain Shadow for the dry weather.) We would walk Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to more than 250 species of endangered birds, fish, and mammals.

There is a great campground just above the spit without hookups but a great place to watch the ships pass by.

We happened to be here for the Lavender Festival and enjoyed a bike ride along the water and found a great farmer's market with lots to take back with us.

We could return here and spend much more time. When we rode our bikes along the Discovery Trail and ended up In town with a flat tire, so many people would stop and visit with us. We met several couple at a downtown coffee shop that had moved from Colorado.