Pacific NW: day 4
This post is part 4 of the "pacific_nw_2008" series:
We woke up just before 5AM to overcast skies, and continued driving east on US-101 all the way through Port Angeles, the turn off for Hurricane Ridge. This 17 mile drive goes fairly deep into the park to a ridge overlooking the interior glacier topped mountains. About 1/3 of the way up, we drove up through the fog layer to clear skies in every direction. Even though we were nearly 5000ft up, it was oddly warm at 7AM (60F). However, the temperature was unimportant, as the views from the top were nothing short of amazing. Even on the ridge itself, there were tons of wild flowers everywhere. We spent close to 45 minutes at the top, before making the same drive back down, below the fog into the dreary overcast valley floor.
The remainder of the day was spent driving south to Portland, Oregon, where we had both motel & dinner reservations for that night. Almost by accident, Denise discovered this restaurant in Portland called The Veritable Quandry. The food was excellent, although the service was a bit uneven at times. If we're ever in Portland again, I'd definitely consider going back.
This post is part 4 of the "pacific_nw_2008" series: