With the “Big Adventure” to Canada and Alaska nothing but a memory, we crossed into Washington after a thorough inspection of the Beast at the border (because who knows what fruits and veggies we may have been smuggling in), and our first campground was an indication of the beautiful scenery we would encounter.
We met up with our wonderful friends and adventure buddies, Wayne and Suzy (and that intrepid traveler, little Diego) in Hoodsport, WA, and had 10 days of good food, drinks and laughter. We started with a tour of the town, then a jaunt up the Hoodsport Canal to see what we could see.
Later in the trip, we ventured into Olympic National Park and walked through lush forests to inspiring waterfalls, beside gorgeous mountain lakes and finally drove to the summit of Hurricane Ridge for some of the most spectacular views in the park, including Mt. Olympia.
A typical evening in the forests of Washington:
Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes as Wayne and Suzy headed back to Denver and we continued on down into Oregon for some family time. We met up with my nephew and his beautiful wife, who wined us and dined us like a king and queen!
Then off the to Oregon coast as we headed for the Redwoods in northern California. We stopped at Ona Beach State Park for lunch, a small roadside park that lead down to our first beach visit on the coast. Then we cruised on down Highway 101 until we hit Bandon Beach, a stunning place with rock formations with names like the Witch’s Hat, Cat and Kittens, even “Face Rock.”
Then we hit our RV park near Jed Smith Redwoods State Park in California and visited the National Park as well. One word: WOW. The Coastal Redwoods are of the genus “sequoia”, cousin to the Giant Sequoias further south (a future destination for us) but the taller of the two species.
Take a look at this video of this gorgeous stretch of America’s West Coast and the California Coastal Redwoods:
This whole part of our 2019 road trip was a real highlight, though trying to determine a favorite place would be damn near impossible. But stay tuned as we keep trying to top our previous destinations, as Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia National Park are on deck!
And in case you missed it, here are a few videos of our adventures this summer:
Kayaking Awesomeness, Summer of 2019
The Ancient Forest, British Columbia
See y’all down the road!