West Coast here we come!

In Dec 2016 I went with my mom to St. Augustine, Florida for my cousins wedding and reconnected with her side of the family. It had been way too long and we spent the weekend hanging out, visiting, eating and celebrating. In particular it was really awesome to reconnect with my cousins. Eric and Christina got married and we had an amazing time. They had an epic send-off ending with Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire, a true classic from my childhood.

Shortly after the wedding my other cousin, Andy and his awesome girlfriend, Arie, were planning a trip to Seattle/cruise to Alaska in June and in true traveler fashion we jumped on the opportunity to meet them in Seattle for a few days over 4th of July!

Our plan was to arrive in Seattle and immediately head out to Olympic National Park for 3 nights, then head to Mount Rainier for 2 nights and end in Seattle meeting up the family for 2 nights and explore the city.

Distance from Austin to Seattle

Where we stayed: AirBnB

What we did in Olympic NP: Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc Falls, Salt Creek Recreation Area, Lake Crescent, Forks & Rialto Beach (by La Push), and the Hoh Rain Forest.

After we arrived in Seattle we had to go to Pikes Market. I had this idea in my head from Sleepless in Seattle that it would be so quaint and easy to get in & out of quickly, picking up fresh fruit and veggies for the trip, maybe see the throwing fish and grab a snack and be on our way. Well… If you’ve been you know, thats just not how it is. It’s a mad house, IT’S PACKED and crazy. I was instantly overwhelmed and had no idea what was what. We grabbed a sandwich quick and some fresh breads and then made a plan to escape town.

Since we were already down by the harbor the easiest way to get back out of town was to take a ferry across to Bainbridge Island and then hop on the highway and head to Olympic National Park. The ferry was the best decision, the view looking back on Seattle was incredible, the whole skyline in view and we were able to enjoy the cool fresh air from the boat deck.

We rented the most adorable AirBnB in Sequin, just outside the park. The owners were so kind and had fresh strawberries from their garden and croissants waiting for us. There was also a huge barn on their property, an original structure from the 1800’s that they have updated and had their daughters wedding in. We spent 3 nights there and were able to visit everything we had planned: Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc Falls, Salt Creek Recreation Area, Lake Crescent, Forks& Rialto Beach(by La Push), and the Hoh Rain Forest.

If you’re looking for a great grocery store in Sequin check out Sunny Farms Country Store. The had the best fresh golden raspberries, something I had never seen before!