Adventure Travel Photography Blog
After our 3.5 weeks in Washington, Annie and I met some friends for the weekend in Mendocino at their vacation cabin. Annie and I took a leisurely two-day drive, mostly along the coast to get there. Aside from some long construction delays, it was uneventful.
I drove Highway 1 ten years ago while on my road trip across the USA, and it was weird to see all the RV’s and homeless camps! I remembered it being much quieter, though I wasn’t there on a summer weekend either.
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I didn’t have any trouble finding the state sign in Washington. As soon as I crossed the border between Lewiston and Clarkston on Hwy 12 over the Snake River, there it was. I did, however, have trouble finding a costume at first.
I wanted to be a cherry pie and have Annie be a cherry, but each time I tried ordering the costume it either took too long to arrive at a place where I would be stationary, or they wanted to charge me $56 for shipping, four times the amount of the costume. Seriously?!?
As a result, I had to come up with something handmade. This is when I really wished my nephew Michael was around. He is an incredible artist. Check out the shoes he does on Instagram @kick_me_art.
TAKE THE CHALLENGE!
My final stop on my three-and-a-half-week road trip around the State of Washington, was at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. I didn’t have any intention of visiting the monument when I first arrived in Washington, but when I realized it was sort of on the way to Mendocino, my next destination to see friends, I jumped on the chance to see it.
Mount St. Helens erupted in May of 1980. I was seven years old. My mom’s hairdresser, Bill Cotton, went to see it and collected ashes. I don’t know if he went right after the eruption or much later. All I can say is I envisioned him walking on the mountain collecting them and thought it was so cool! For all I know, he bought the ashes, but at the time, it made a big impression on me when he gave me a tiny vile of them.
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Fairhaven is a federally designated historic district in the southern section of Bellingham. It is known for its Victorian era architecture and features many restaurants, pubs and galleries. It was definitely the hip place to be when I visited on a Thursday night.
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After my time on the Olympic Peninsula, I made my way slowly to Lummi Island to visit friends. On the way, I spent a day on Whidbey Island.
In order to reach Whidbey Island from the Olympic Peninsula, I took the Port Townsend-Coupeville Ferry. Having only ridden the Washington ferry system one time ten years ago, I popped online for a refresher.
Fortunately, I did. Apparently, this is an extremely popular ferry route and reservations are recommended. I had to get the 6:30am ferry because the others were sold out! It costs around $15 for a car and person which is paid at the toll booth.
The ferry was enormous! Somehow, I lucked out and got to park on the very front next to a semi-truck. I enjoyed a lovely view on calm seas as we spent 30 minutes crossing the Puget Sound.
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With the Olympic National Park encompassing much of the Olympic Peninsula, one may be inclined to think there are not many dog friendly hikes in the area. Fortunately, there are many state parks on the Olympic Peninsula as well as National Forest where dogs are allowed to roam.
In order to let Annie off-leash and to have more solitude, Tina and I leaned toward hiking in the Olympic National Forest. Lucky for us, several trailheads lined the Hamma Hamma Road where we camped.
Below is a list of dog-friendly trails we hiked on the Olympic Peninsula.
BRING FIDO!
The City of Dayton was founded in the 1860’s by Elizabeth and Jesse Day. Today it is the County Seat of Columbia County and has the oldest train depot and continuously operating courthouse in the State of Washington, both dating back to the late 1880’s.
The population remains at about 2,500, though in previous years there were more seasonal migrant workers that cut asparagus for Green Gian,t and who built the Little Goose Lock and Dam northeast of Starbuck.
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McCall is a ski resort town two hours north of Boise. The town of 3,000 is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake in the Payette National Forest. Previously a logging town, McCall now quietly caters to tourists providing ample outdoor activities.
When I visited McCall on my road trip, I camped in VANgo. While there are many campgrounds and RV Parks, dispersed camping is a little more difficult to find. There is only one spot on Payette Lake on Eastside Drive. It is next to a waterfall and a short trail out to a view, so sightseers might join you.
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Dom, Sue and I took the “scenic” drive through Ponderosa State Park one evening while visiting McCall, Idaho. I put “scenic” in quotes because while the park is located on a peninsula in Payette Lake, all we could see were trees. There was nothing scenic about it except the plethora of deer.
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While in McCall, on two different occasions, the locals mentioned that they hiked to Boulder Lake this week. They were excited to report there was minimal snow at this juncture, Memorial Day Weekend. They seemed so enthusiastic, that I added Boulder Lake, located in the Payette National Forest to my hiking list.
Happy Hiking!