“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
— John Muir
Looking out at the Olympic Mountains from Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park
My niece is visiting from Israel, and her top sightseeing priorities are some of the American national parks. So we took a two-day, 500-mile road trip circumnavigating Olympic National Park in Washington State. You can get to different parts of the park from inroads along Hwy 101, and our destinations offered extraordinary natural diversity, from mountains, to rain forests, to ocean beaches.
Our first stop was Hurricane Ridge high in the Olympic Mountains. But first we crossed the Sound in a ferry, and then drove through some pretty amazing scenery just to get to the winding road that would take us from sea level to nearly a mile in elevation at Hurricane Ridge.
Field of daisies near Sequim, WA
“I see the wild flowers, in their/summer morn/Of beauty, feeding on joy’s/luscious hours.” — John Clare, from “Summer Images”
Old ruin along Hwy 101 near Sequim
The winding road to Hurricane Ridge
The view from Hurricane Ridge is awesome, with majestic, snow-capped peaks as far as the eye could see. We ate a picnic breakfast amidst some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere, joined by a curious (and smart, crumb-seeking) bird. The meadows at the top were beginning to emerge from snowfields, and they were covered with tiny yellow flowers.
Parking lot at Hurricane Ridge
Mountain view
Picnic breakfast
Avian friend
Snow-capped peaks
Melting snow
Scavenging raven (lovely feathers)
Motorcycle riders (I rarely go to a national park without seeing motorcyclists)
My next post will be a continuation of our road trip. . . stay tuned!
Exploring the Mount Baker Scenic Byway
September 27, 2012
Early morning fog along the Mount Baker Highway near Bellingham
I do love a road trip. Sometimes it still surprises me how I’ve yet to see many parts of Washington State, even after living here for more than thirty years. This week I took a day trip along Highway 542, the Mount Baker Highway, and realized that this was unexplored territory for me. I never knew what I was missing!
The Mount Baker Highway is designated as a Washington State Scenic Byway. It starts in Bellingham (90 miles north of Seattle), and it’s just 58 miles to its end at Artist Point overlooking snow-capped Mount Baker. The outdoor adventure company, GORP, names this road one of the “Top Ten Scenic Mountain Drives” in North America.
I’ll devote several more posts to some of the spectacular spots I discovered along the way. But today’s post will share the experience of the drive itself — a virtual road trip. Enjoy the ride!
Fog along Hwy 542
A flock of Canada geese
Heading east toward the Cascade Mountains, blue in the distance
Towering trees in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Little bits of fall color amidst the evergreen
The road ascends
Surrounded by high peaks
Curving Mount Baker Highway near Artist Point at 5,100 feet of elevation
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