Movie 11: Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City 2 was pretty cute--I think I liked the first movie better, but the two and a half hours were enjoyable. This isn't one you necessarily have to see on the big screen, but it's worth a look.

Movie 10: Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After was so cute! I wasn't surprised of course, all of the Shrek movies have been worth the effort. I particularly enjoyed a plump Puss in Boots—he's been one of my favorites all along!

I would definitely recommend this one, whether you have little ones or not!

Movie 9: Iron Man 2

I absolutely loved Iron Man 2! Of course Robert Downey Jr. was amazing—he always is. Mickey Rourke was also wonderful—he played that role really well.

I would definitely recommend seeing this one in the theater—it may also be a good one to add to the collection.

Movie 8: Why Did I Get Married Too?

Not a horrible movie, but nothing to rave about. These days it seems like if you've seen one Tyler Perry movie, you've seen them all. I don't really even have anything interesting to write—just had to post so that this would count toward my 30 movies before 30 :)

Washington: Day Five

This morning we woke up early again—determined not to miss our last sunrise on the peninsula. We hoped to rent kayaks, but were informed that the staff didn’t arrive until between 8:00 and 8:30. We got in the car and headed north within the park, and discovered a beautiful roadside waterfall. We stopped and climbed around the rocks taking pictures. We continued on the road, hoping to reach Graves Creek, an area we’d heard was about 12 miles away. We spotted several Elk along the way—and keeping our distance and access to the car—stopped to take some pictures. We continued to drive, pulling over here and there to enjoy the beginning of the day. At one stop we spotted another bald eagle soaring across the valley just ahead of us.

The road turned to gravel and became increasingly difficult to navigate in our Kia Rio rental, and we decided that we were too far away from civilization to be hiking in the area, so we turned around and headed back to the lodge. The boat rental staff still hadn’t arrived, and we felt a bit pressed for time, so we packed up and hit the road to Seattle.

The drive took about three hours, and we ended up in Seattle at about noon. We went straight to Pike’s Market where Breena got to experience the throwing of the fish for the first time. We had a lot of fun talking to the fishermen before she broke down and bought some fish to take home. We had limited parking time, so we went back to the car and drove through Seattle a bit before ending up down at the waterfront. We parked again and took some time to wander. Breena was still craving some Greek food she’d seen while we were at Pike’s, so we walked back to the market (which was much closer than we expected) and we had delicious chicken gyros. After lunch, we made our way back to the car, organized our things, and headed back to the car rental drop off. The shuttle took us back to the airport, and we were off to Phoenix.

Washington: Day Four

It was our first night away from the water, so we didn’t bother getting up for the sunrise. We slept until about 7:00 before beginning our self-guided tour of Forks. The tours (that charge $40!) cover a lot of unnecessary ground, so I was happy to pick out a few stops and do them on our own. We began at the Forks Visitor Center—the location of the infamous “Welcome to Forks” sign shown in the first Twilight movie. The sign drew such attention that they moved it from the roadside and into a parking lot for fans to take photos with. We wandered back into town and made a quick stop at Forks High School—I was sure to get a photo there, too. While we were in town, we stopped at the Dazzled by Twilight store (and tour company)—it was intense. The entire place was decorated with a forest theme (including turf to look like grass)—with New Moon playing throughout. We looked and looked for cute Twilight souvenirs, but found nothing—it was pretty disappointing. We wandered the gift shops across the street, determined to find something Twilight—but were unsuccessful. We did, however, pick up matching La Push t-shirts.

We decided that we were hungry enough for breakfast, and to make it our “big” meal of the day, so we stopped at a local diner. We had a true lumberjack breakfast (in the logging capital) and headed on our way. We found the last item on the Twilight tour list (Bella’s truck) and took a few photos as we headed out of town and south to the Hoh Rainforest.

As we made our way back into the National Park, we spotted several “Aggressive Elk” warnings, reminding us to keep our distance at all times. As we began the first trail (The Hall of Mossses) a ranger reminded us: “bobcat—stand still; bear—stand still; elk—run like hell.” We made a mental note and took off up the trail. Again, it was incredible. The trees were massive, some growing out of the stumps and roots of others. Moss was growing on any and everything. We made it up and around the first trail, and decided to try another. The Spruce Trail was even more beautiful. About half way through we heard a low growling/snort—we froze and looked at each other with wide eyes before taking off down the trail. We decided to arm ourselves, since the forest was too dense to give us much warning if something was near. We grabbed two big sticks and kept moving at a slightly faster pace.

Shortly after, we came across a river. It was just a short jump down to the rocky riverbed, so we decided to explore it and get out of the woods for a few minutes. We sat along the fast-moving river enjoying the mountains and blue skies above.

Eventually, we got back on the trail, sticks in hand. As we approached the end of the trail we came across three deer grazing in the forest next to us. There weren’t nearly as socialized as the deer at hurricane Ridge, but they stood their ground—allowing for some great photos.

We reached the end of the trail and after a long day of hiking, decided to head to our next destination: Ruby Beach. Ruby Beach was just as impressive as the beaches we’d seen the day before. Although a little disappointed that the “ruby” part of ruby beach was exaggerated, the sea stacks, tide pools, and caves made this beach well worth the effort. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the shoreline.

After Ruby Beach, we decided to make our way back east to Lake Quinault, where we had reservations for that night. The Lake Quinault Lodge turned out to be a bit more posh than the previous few nights, but we really enjoyed it. The lodge itself is beautiful, and it’s set right on the shore of Lake Quinault, surrounded by mountains. We got checked in, and headed down to the Roosevelt Room—named after President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who frequented the lodge in the 1930’s and 40’s. The restaurant was nice, and we had a relaxing dinner while enjoying a bottle of Lake Quinault Riesling. Our table overlooked the lakeside sunset, but we were anxious to get out to the lush lawn filled with Adirondack chairs and explore the dock as the sky changed. Our waitress invited us to step outside (with the wine!) and enjoy the sunset. We came back in after dark and had our dessert before heading in for the night.

Washington: Day Three

We’d scoped out the enormous porch overlooking the Juan de Fuca Straight and Vancouver the night before, so we’d already planned to wake up at 5:00 again for the sunrise. However, at 5:00, it was overcast and rainy. The plan for the day involved a lot of walking and hiking, so we voted to skip the sunrise and save our energy and willingness to get soaked until the afternoon. We woke up again at 7:00 to the smell of bacon and breakfast preparations in the kitchen. We showered and got ready only to find Sandy in the kitchen cooking eggs, bacon, hash browns, homemade cinnamon buns, and a fresh fruit salad. She stayed with us for breakfast and we had a great time talking to her about the area, her B&B, and all of the different guests she encounters. We spent some time out on the porch, and took a couple of pictures before walking over to the beach that we’d seen from the porch.

After a bit of wandering, we headed further west to Neah Bay. Since it was less impressive than expected, we just drove through and continued on to the Cape Flattery Trail. Cape Flattery is the most northwestern point in the lower United States, and boasts great views of the ocean and Tatoosh Island. We began the hike and quickly agreed that this trail was our favorite. The Makah Tribe has spent the last several years renovating the muddy, dangerous walking trail into one that is beautiful, unique, and safe. The trail seemed endless, as we discovered that there are five separate viewing areas—each with a unique view. At the end of the trail, we ran into Connie and Chuck, a couple that we’d seen in Port Angeles the previous day. They are avid hikers and wildlife enthusiasts—and were willing to share their knowledge with us. We spent some time learning about various wildlife and birds, even looking through their binoculars to identify species we’d never seen. From one of the lower viewing areas we could hear the sea lions barking deep within the caves, but non came close enough to see. Just as we’d planned to walk back, the clouds cleared and the sun made the dark water a beautiful green, so we stayed a while longer enjoying the new perspective and taking a second round of pictures.

After a long walk back to the car, we decided to return to Neah Bay and visit the Makah Museum. The exhibit includes artifacts uncovered from a pre-contact Makah village partially buried by a mudslide nearly 500 years ago. We wandered the museum and saw a full-size replica of a long house, cedar dug-out canoes, whaling, sealing, and fishing gear, basketry, and other man made tools. The collection and its condition were impressive. We wandered around until about noon and decided that we should head south to Forks. We still had a lot of walking ahead of us.

The drive to Forks seemed to pass pretty quickly and it wasn’t long before we were checking in to our hotel and planning the afternoon. Forks looked unimpressive, so we decided to head straight to La Push. It was a nice drive, and I enjoyed thinking about the Twilight stories as I road along the only road between the two places. We entered the reservation and made our way straight to the end—First Beach. The beach was covered in driftwood, so we did some climbing around and enjoying the view before deciding to move along to Second Beach. For this, the guide books could not be more wrong. In every book I read (and believe me, there were a lot), the recommendation is First Beach, leaving Second and Third Beach as sort of afterthoughts. This is FALSE. Second Beach was one of the most incredible places I’ve even been. There are truly no words to describe it. And to make it all better? We were the only ones there. I’ll admit, it’s not the most convenient—we walked about ¾ miles through the woods and on a steep incline to reach it—but that should be no excuse! We spent several hours walking up and down the beach taking photos as the clouds shifted and the sun began to set. The low tide created incredible tide pools with bright orange and purple starfish, hot pink and neon green sea anemones, and everything else you can image. We’d already made plans to watch the sunset from another nearby beach (with vehicle access) so we made our way back through the woods before it got too dark. As we walked back, we stopped to enjoy the silence. For the first time in my life I understand where the phrase “silence is deafening” came from. It’s the most unusual feeling to stand in complete and total silence. No people. No cars. No planes. No bugs. Nothing. The denseness of the forest silenced the sound of the waves. As we stood enjoying the perfect stillness, we heard a low humming sound—it was a hummingbird. We couldn’t believe that it was so quiet that we could hear such a small sound from a distance.

As the sunset began, we were torn as to whether to go straight to Rialto Beach to watch it, or to find dinner. The few restaurants that are available in the area stop serving at 8:00pm, and it was already just after 7:00. We went further into the reservation and found a diner right on the water. We were the only patrons, so we grabbed a seat next to the large windows overlooking the water. While we waited for our dinner we watched the seagulls in a frenzy as a fishing boat returned, a seal in the harbor fighting with more gulls for fish, and as we sat, a bald eagle landed on a post about 15 feet from our table. We were thrilled! I’d never seen one so close, and didn’t realize how large they were. As we stared at the bird in awe, another flew up and landed beside it. Dinner and a show!

We finished up our dinner and made our way to Rialto Beach to watch the sunset. Along the way we stopped at a gas station which happened to be the Forks/La Push Treaty Line, so having just re-read Eclipse, you know I had to stop for a photo!

Rialto Beach was i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e. The sunset went from yellows and teals, to deep oranges, amazing blues, and hot pinks. We sat along the driftwood in amazement, staying until well after dark.

After a long day, we went back to Forks and unloaded the car. Our hotel was Twilight-themed! We flipped on the light and squealed (well, I did, at least). The walls were red and black, with trendy red and black comforters, Twilight embroidered towels, red lampshades, movie posters, and last but not least—a flatscreen with DVD player in order to watch Twilight with! And yes—we watched it again. We’d picked up some champagne earlier in the trip, so we popped the bottle and relaxed after a long day of walking and exploring.

Washington: Day Two

We got off to a great start on the first full day of our trip to the Olympic Peninsula—we woke up at 5:00, just before the sun rose over the pier in Port Angeles. We decided to head down to the water for a better view and spent about an hour and a half wandering around and taking pictures. We returned to the hotel and enjoyed a bit of breakfast before showering and getting ready for the day.

We packed the car and made a quick stop at a grocery store for some fruit, pretzels, and water before heading up the mountain to Hurricane Ridge. The drive up to the top of the mountain was beautiful. We stopped a couple times on the way up to photograph the lush landscapes and random wildlife. We even encountered a socialized deer that rushed toward us (hoping we had food to give) when we stopped to take a picture. The weather has been unusually cold, and Hurricane Ridge was covered in snow. So much so that the hiking trails were covered and off-limits for us. We spent some time wandering around the top of the mountain and playing in the snow before heading to Lake Crescent.

The road to Lake Crescent was beautiful. The lake itself is emerald green, and contrasts beautifully with the surrounding area. We drove around the perimeter of the lake and made our way to the Lake Crescent Lodge. We strolled around the edge of the water and spend a few minutes relaxing on the dock—looking out at the beautiful water. We considered renting Kayaks at the Lodge, but the clouds were beginning to look gloomy, and we still had a couple hikes on our itinerary, so we passed and made our way to the Marymere Falls hiking trail.

The ¾ mile trail to Marymere Falls was beautiful and definitely worth the effort. The waterfall is relatively small, but the hike and the surroundings make it a must-see.

After hiking back to the car, we made our way a little further west to the Sol Duc Hot Springs. Again, we went to the Lodge (which, in this area, is usually the only sign of civilization). We were SO disappointed that this natural wonder had been converted into a pavement-filled tourist attraction. The hot springs themselves have been channeled into man-made pools that look like any other hotel swimming pool. The best part of the resort was the small stream of water running alongside the parking lot. The smell of sulfur and the steam rising in the cool air was pretty interesting.

We decided to head further into the Sol Duc area and look for the Sol Duc Falls. We made a few stops along the way to explore a beautiful emerald stream running alongside the road. Breena and I both braved the hill and climbed down to get a closer look and some photos.

A few minutes later we arrived at the Sol Duc Falls hiking trail. Again, the path itself was beautiful and we enjoyed the journey at least as much as the destination. The Sol Duc Falls were much larger than the Marymere falls, and we spent quite a bit of time wandering in the immediate area.

After a long day of driving and hiking, we decided to head to Clallam Bay, where we planned to stay in a B&B before our drive to the scarcely-populated Neah Bay and Cape Flattery area. We arrived around 7:00 and after a brief tour of the B&B we made our way to Sekiu—a small fishing town about a mile away, and ate at the only restaurant in town.

After dinner we returned to the B&B, and since we were the only guests for the night, we commandeered the living room and watched Twilight until bedtime.

Washington: Day One

Day one is off to a great start! We arrived in Seattle around 1:30 today and found ourselves on a detour almost immediately. Our rental car company suggested a visit to Alki Beach in Seattle—boasting great views of the city and a nice, beach-side restaurant. We went straight there for lunch and a beer before heading back downtown to find the Ferry Terminal.

We took the Ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island (pictured above)—it was amazing! The views were absolutely gorgeous. After arriving in Bainbridge, we continued to head west toward the Peninsula, crossing the Hood Canal Bridge along the way. We arrived in Port Angeles around 8:00 tonight, checked into our hotel (overlooking the harbor) and went to dinner at Bella Italia (the restaurant that Edward takes Bella to in Twilight!). I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us! It's about 10:30 here, but feels like 1:30 to me—time for bed!

Off to Washington

The day has finally come...I'm within 24 hours of my trip to the Olympic Peninsula! I've spent the last couple of nights finalizing reservations, organizing paperwork, charging camera batteries, updating my iPod, and planning my packing list.

Since we'll be all over the place over the next few days I pulled the weather report for the Olympic National Park itself—our weather will vary a bit each day, but it's looking pretty nice!

I think we'll have wireless in most of the places we're staying, so I'll try my best to keep updating, but worst case scenario, I'll update when I get to Phoenix.