Lake House and ONP

Due to work commitments Bonnie had to leave us tomorrow so Bonnie and Sam wasted no time utilising the kayaks and paddle board that came with the Lake property whilst Russell and enjoyed the local wildlife.

Lake Sutherland

Squirrel Lake Sutherland

Woodpeckers Lake Sutherland

Enjoying ALL the benefits of the lake rental

Dinner on the deck was just perfect, another water view albeit very different from La Push beach.

Lake Sutherland, Bonnie’s last night

The lake property was ideally situated for day trips into the almost  adjacent Olympic National Park, the hardest part choosing which to visit in our relatively limited time. The weather continued to be kind to us and Hurricane Ridge which promised ‘stunning vistas for miles’ seemed to be a good choice.

Distance wise it wasn’t far away but winding our way up the mountain range took some time (more of the ubiquitous road works as well) but on reaching the top the view was jaw dropping. To the north, Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria (British Columbia’s capital) lay on the other side of the Juan de Fuca strait and the Olympic Mountain Range filled almost every other aspect of our view.

Hurricane Ridge, Vancouver Island (Canada) in the distance

Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge

There were some short, relatively easy hikes around the ridge with good wildlife and wildflower spotting!

Marmots, Hurricane Ridge

The following day Russell and I caught the ferry over the strait to re visit Victoria for a day trip – we were last there in 2007 – unfortunately Sam had left his passport in Seattle so he couldn’t join us and spent the day hiking again 😉

Victoria Harbour, our ferry in the background

Victoria, the Empress Hotel

At 3pm, somewhat footsore, we boarded the ferry back to Port Angeles where Sam picked us up and we headed home to grill satay chicken on the barbie after a quick swim and hot tub 😉

On our last day here we drove back along 101 a short distance to visit a couple of other popular Olympic National Park waterfalls. The first was Marymere Falls which did not disappoint, less than a mile walk through more shady forests and then this…

Marymere Falls ONP

Further along 101 we turned off  to Sol Duc Hot Springs where the resort provided a rather forgettable lunch but fuelled us for the one mile hike into the spectacular Sol Duc falls. The photos really do not do them justice. We also just missed a bear here, a couple of hikers came running down the trail informing us there was a bear ‘just around the corner’ but alas we didn’t see him.

Sol Duc Falls

Sol Duc Falls

Returning to the lake in still balmy temperatures Sam and I convinced a Russell to hit the water with us for one last hurrah, capitalising on this beautiful location and another spot we all thought could be a future holiday.

Lake Sutherland

Lake Sutherland

We failed to convince Russell on the merits of the hot tub, one step at a time 😉

Sam had one last swim the next morning and the end of our holiday is now looming as we make our way to Seattle….

Last morning, Lake Sutherland

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