Washington: Day 15
After a leisurely breakfast, I took a last drive through the Sol Duc rainforest and headed out to Port Angeles and the Hurricane Ridge. Every single guide book I’d read had recommended visiting the ridge, so it seemed like a good place to stop on my way to Seattle.
The car climbed. And it climbed. And climbed. Around me, the mountains opened up, going misty blue, and then attaining gorgeous white caps. When I finally turned the corner and entered the parking lot for the Hurricane Ridge, I was surrounded by steep white peaks that made me think I was in Switzerland! Wow! No wonder the guide books raved! Raven was there, croaking and hopping beside a snow bank. Black-tailed deer browsed the still-brown grass that had just been revealed under the melting snow. A small lodge clung picturesquely to the hillside beside the parking lot. I pulled out my camera and started shooting!!
Coming down from the Hurricane Ridge was like a sharp return to real life, as I entered busy Port Angeles for some lunch. Then I drove down to Bainbridge Island and took the ferry to Seattle. That was another vista I won’t forget, though this time the height came from the Space Needle, tall buildings, and loading cranes for the massive ships in dock. And of course, from Mt. Rainier, just visible through the haze. I drove through southern Seattle and located my hotel amidst a splendid sunset. Tomorrow, I would do the city justice!
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