Dads Delta Sky Club Breakfast

Dad gets first class upgrade- offers to Jen

Jen discovers this journal app and falls in love

All Ryan’s luggage put to good use!

Waited in a long line to get to rental facility. Suburban has 3-D navigation- crazyyyy

Fancy 3-D Navigation

Here we come Seattle!

Checked in to Homewood Suites Seattle Downtown- went to Stella’s Deli - super close- local, small convenience store- but took awhile but sandwiches were good.

Then Kate got concerned that Her and Dad got the wrong sandwich cuz Kates had pesto and sure enough! Dad started eating the Pesto one! He is still alive though.

First Official Tourist Stop of the Day! Seattle Aquarium

Aquarium is very cool and lots to see- great indoor/outdoor space and views of Elliotts Bay which feeds in to the Pacific Ocean.

Stop in an antique store along the waterfront across from aquarium. Some good laughs and cool finds.

THE famous Pike Street Market

Just a quick drive by as it was the end of the day/market closing. Will come again to linger more tomorrow- Sunday.

Space Needle!

Was built to be the center of the worlds fair- nobody died while building it and it’s estimated to have \24074,000 volts.

Finally get back to hotel to get ready for dinner- room is 79 degrees!!! A/C not working but we eventually learn it’s because you can’t go below 69 on the thermostat.

Dinner Night 1- at Japonnessa

Yumm yummm sushi and other goodness!

Head to check out Four Seasons hotel across street after- Julia, Lauren and Jennifer get yelled at by hotel bellman when attempting to check out space above lobby- told that “there are private events happening- you can’t be up here” whatever.

We crawl our way back to our “One Season” hotel. BTW- we called Uber from Four Season and it was $40…..went across the street to an Irish bar and it dropped to $22!!!!

Chihuly’s draft sketches for his sculptures- they are works of art in themselves.

Sundiata Festival at The Seattle Center

Sea Moss Gel - Tea Moss beverage

AL’s gourmet sausage

Snacking a bit throughout the day at Seattle center then Pikes Market so we can experience all of it !

Yummmy brat and hot dog

Monorail ride from Seattle Center to Pike’s Market

Emmets Oysters- in he alley off Pike st- great and quiet and unassuming

Emmett’s Oysters

Seattle Dumplings- daaahhhhlecious

Fresh beautiful gorgeous flowers for cheeep- we got two bunches

Place Pigalle- champagne and quiet water view break

Girls do Great Wheel on the waterfront

Dad and Jen do Harbor Cruise

Dinner at Sal Y Limon - Mexican- sooo good.We walked there.

Because…..Why not?

The Great Wheel!

I think they’re headed to Wally World

It’s approximately a 2 hour ride to get to Lake Quinault. Lauren and Jen attempt to play car games- word games but are failing miserably while Dad and Kate laugh at them.

Eat lunch at Lake Quinault Lodge- beautiful big lake with the mountains surrounding it.

Lunch at Lake Q Lodge

Gorgeous hydrangeas outside \240 \240 \240 \240Lake Q lodge

Saw Sasquatch footprints

Went to check out the worlds biggest Sitka Spruce- crazy big.

Sitka Spruce- dad thinks he’s funny but he’s not using the finger gesture appropriately

Stopped at local cemetery

Rain Forest Nature Trail

Arrived at Kalaloch Cabins - free popcorn in the lobby

Dinner at cabins- Creekside Inn- Surprisingly not bad but still over-priced.

Met our neighbors in the cabin next to us

Julia saw stars overnite and did not wake any of us up

Took some games and a small lantern

From the main lodge to borrow- they are available for guest use but L & K start to freak out because they were supposed to “check them out” at the desk, so now they think they are thieves and they stole them.

Stolen games from main lodge

It’s taking FOREVER to get to our first stop-Lake Quinalt Lodge cuz the speed limit is like 25.

Ruby Beach

Rialto Beach- Lots of driftwood but there is lots all over this part of the park - love it.

Super windy all over today!!

Saw a seal just before we left !

Rialto Beach 1

Rialto Beach 2

Rialto Beach 3

Rialto Beach 4

Bonus feature! Turns out Forks, Washington has some claim to fame with the Twilight Series! Town has some cutouts and other items for pic opps which L takes advantage of.

Dinner at Pacifica Pizza- pretty good and have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch- sweeet!

Stop at grocery on town for a few things then head back to cabin.

Back to the cabin after dinner- L & Jen said they would not wash their hair all week…..see Exhibit A - Lauren got busted but she pronounced to all of us that she did not cheat….because she only CONDITONED. The girls continued to argue and disagree.

Exhibit A- Lauren cheated and conditioned her hair.

News Alert- We almost started the cabin on fire. Dad made a nice cozy fire in the wood stove which we were enjoying…see Exhibit B

Exhibit B- Cozy fire in cabin

Since we are so far north- even though it is mid-July- the temps are brisk and it was windy all day. We are in fact on the Pacific Ocean….anywho…all of a sudden..the book of matches on top of the stove STARTS on fire!!! Thank god we were in the room, John grabbed them and threw them in the sink- see Exhibit C below.

Exhibit C- Burnt matchbook

Watch a second sunset- great views at this cabin for it.

Additional Notes- Potential ghost occurrences? Between book of matches and hotel door opening on its own

Small waterfall on Hoh Rainforest Trail

Talk about pit toilet here and creeper and add photos of toilet and then our photos of the three of us at end.

Head back to hotel but first stop at a couple of souvenir shops to browse. Dad, Jen and Julia find stuff.

Lauren says her and Kate keep us so young when they make us try Celsius and John likes it. They know all the hip drinks.

Dinner at Salmon House - bit far but delightful

Cut-outs for photo opps- \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 Where’s Lauren?

Also stop at Sasquatch the Legend store!

Forks is also famous for Sasquatch I guess.

Lots of Timber log trucks everywhere

Next stop- Sol Duc Resort Lodge for hot springs- not what we expected but a nice break - we thought it was going to bring hot springs “in the wild” in their natural habitat but it was three circle pools with a regular pool that were FED by the springs. Nice mountain pine surrounding though

Head to log cabin resort - eat dinner there

Side note- Olympic seems to need funding.we tried to leave $5 in a lockbox at the request of the park at a trailhead- yet the box was not locked and falling apart.

We were on a trail that also had missing planks from bridges.

Also people do t seem as friendly here. No one seems to want to say hello the way they normally would at other parks.

Combining arm circle exercises \240 \240 \240 with our hike

Awesome water- Lake Crescent

Head back to cabin to regroup. Decide that Dad, Jen and Julia will do the Moment in Time trail- an easy loop through the forest along the lake - trailhead at Lake Crescent Lodge. Kate and Lauren stay at lobby of the lodge to do homework and stuff.

Dad and Jen continue to Marymere Falls trail and Julia meets up with K and L.

Falls trail is short but a bit steep at times to get to the near top of the falls.

Saw a snake on the trail

Cocktails and relax at Lake Crescent Lodge before dinner

View from our cabin up on the hillside

Today we leave around 12 noon- first will stop in Port Angeles for lunch. Did not stop here after all- kind of a weird town - mix of desolate run down properties and lots of car dealerships for some reason.

Stop in Sequim for quick souvenir stop and subway lunch. Cute town! With a lavender fest weekend happening- they have 18 local lavender farms!!!!