Our Great Seattle/Northwest Vacation Comes to an End

What a great vacation! Fueling up the car to return to the car rental in the morning before heading to the airport. It's fitting that Mt. Rainier can still be seen while vacation comes to an end. We put about 1300 miles on the rental 2017 Subaru Crosstrek this trip and no matter where we traveled it seemed as though we could catch a glimpse of that massive and beautiful mountain. Today, it seemed more visible than ever. We had great weather and were fortunate to see as much as we did. I thank God for keeping us safe and for the wonderful time with my family! We will see you all soon!

Granny's Cafe - Ice Cream!

Now we're talking. Stopped by Granny's Cafe for some ice cream on the way back to Port Angeles from Sol Duc. Straight on to Auburn, Wa to spend the night and fly out in the morning.

Sol Duc River - Rumbling River

That near freezing water is rumbling by. I'm glad I'm not in it ;)

Sol Duc River Cascades - Jen and Elli

We stopped by the cascades of Sol Duc River for lunch on our way out of the park.

Limitless Mountain Streams - Elli

You can't go too far without hearing or seeing a stream flowing by. Water is everywhere and all of them are tempting to drink. We didn't, but they were tempting. Crystal clear.

Sol Duc Falls - Family Picture

A gentleman was kind enough to volunteer to take a picture of us.

Sol Duc Falls - Jen and I

Here's an ussie of Jen and I at the Falls.

Sol Duc Falls - Olympic National Park

Haven't reached the Falls yet, but very close. I can tell ;)

Sol Duc Falls - Elli and Ben

Last day of exploring. We made the drive and then a short hike up the trails to view the Sol Duc Falls. Stopped for a short break and took another photo of the kids. 

Ruby Beach - Olympic National Park

Truly a beautiful place

Ruby Beach - Driftwood Art

I call this one "Driftwood" 😉

Ruby Beach - Ben

I call this one "Rock Skipper" 😂

Ruby Beach - Elli

Our lovely daughter

Ruby Beach - Ben and Elli

To put some of these rocks into perspective, here is a shot of Ben and Elli in front of one of several. Ben is camouflaged a bit. See if you can find him 😉

Ruby Beach - Jen and Elli

Another shot of this lovely mother/daughter duo.

Ruby Beach - Elli

It lovely daughter allows me to snap a shot of her standing on one of what are literally hundreds of pieces of drift wood/logs.

Ruby Beach - Wow!

This is a place of spectacular beauty! Again, a beautiful day made for some great picture opportunities.

Lunch - Hoh Rainforest

A quick bite before heading on to Ruby Beach.

Jen - Hall of Mosses

Hall of Mosses - Ben

Here's a shot of Ben walking along a 200 ft. fallen tree.

Hall of Mosses - Hoh Rainforest

Jen and Elli stop for me to take a picture in front of this moss-covered tree.

Hoh Rainforest - Olympic National Park

Beautiful day and beautiful scenery! We have been blessed with great weather for most of the trip, which has allowed from some great picture opportunities.

Crescent Lake

Here's another picture of the crystal clear lake.

Crescent Lake - Jen

On our way to Hoh Rainforest inside Olympic National Park. We stopped quick to take a look at Crescent Lake and I snapped a shot of my lovely wife.

Shirley's Cafe - License Plates

License plates from just about everywhere cover the walls of this little greasy spoon. Nice place to start off the day.

Shirley's Cafe - Port Angeles, Wa

Great atmosphere!

Shirley's Cafe - Port Angeles

Breakfast at Shirley's Cafe

Stopped for breakfast at Shirley's Cafe in Port Angeles before heading at to Hoh Rain Forest and Ruby Beach this morning.

Hurricane Ridge - Landscape

Beautiful view! The drive down (very few guard rails) was a bit nerve wracking, but worth it.

Hurricane Ridge Family Pic

Family pic on Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge - Olympic National Park

Traveled from Cle Elum to Port Angeles today. Then made the drive into Olympic National Park and 5000 feet up to Hurricane Ridge. Wow!

Falls Creek - Mt. Rainier

One more post of Falls Creek that I forgot to post of Ben and Elli.

Goodbye Roslyn!

Last trip through Roslyn tonight before leaving tomorrow morning for Olympic National Park. Very excited about the last leg of the journey and the beautiful sites we will see before heading for home Wednesday. 

Coal Mines Trail

Jen and I took a good walk on the Coal Mines Trail. The villages of Cle Elum, Roslyn and Ronald were big coal mining towns back in the late 1800's. The mines are no longer in operation, but there is a nice walking path that is left where a coal cart railway used to reside.

Village Pizza

Waiting on our pizza at Village Pizza. This is the same Village Pizza building that the moose walks by during the opening credits of Northern Exposure. Great pizza, by the way :) 

Dinner in Roslyn

Great day at Mount Rainier National Park. Back to Roslyn, Washington for dinner.

Mount Rainier

We were lucky. We were able to see the top of Mount Rainier and get some good pictures today.

Mount Rainier National Park - Grove of the Patriarchs

There were some huge Douglas Firs scattered throughout the Grove of the Patriarchs. I didn't realize they could grow to be so massive.

Mount Rainier National Park

This was about a 2 1/2 hour trip from where we have been staying in Cle Elum, but worth the trip down to see a small piece of the park. Beautiful place.

Mount Rainier National Park - Grove of the Patriarchs

We had a nice little hike through the Grove of the Patriarchs today.

Mount Rainier National Park - Falls Creek

Ben got a closer look at Falls Creek than the rest of us.

Roslyn Cafe - Jen and I

Roslyn Theater - Back

Roslyn Theater from the back. That's a portrait of Marlon Brando from the movie, The Wild One.

Roslyn Theater - Inside

Here is inside the Roslyn Theater. One room, one screen. What a great and quirky place.

Roslyn Theater - Outside

Ben and I took in a movie tonight at the Roslyn Theater. This little theater is something to behold. Believe it or not, they also serve popcorn with real butter on it. It was a unique and enjoyable experience.

Old #3 Restaurant

Ate at the Old #3 restaurant in Donald for supper tonight. This was apparently named for the old #3 coal mine that used in be nearby. The entire area, including Roslyn, were most known for their coal.

One for Dad

Here's one for Dad. So many old vehicles around here, but none of them rusted out. A little wear and tear on them, but no major rust issues.

They Even Have a Bike Shop!

Perfect!