7th Anniversary Weekend: Part 1

As I mentioned before, we took ourselves on a mini-vacation to Port Angeles for our 7th wedding anniversary. We have never really gone on any kind of vacation together, before; in the past, when we traveled, it was always to do something extended-family related, so even though it was only for about 36 hours, this was a special occasion!

Yesterday, we got up about 30 minutes later than planned. I had gotten things semi-packed (you know, the obligatory extra change of clothes for each of the adults, four extra outfits for the munchkin) the night before, but we still had a few things to get ready like E's milk, drinks for the road, and her pack and play. We were getting things shoved into the car when I made the realization that we only had 6 diapers total... Quick trip to the commissary, then quick trip back to double check a few things, and we were off a full hour and a half later than planned.

Rather than take the "regular" route that would take us up through Seattle, we took the 101 scenic byway--down to Olympia, and then back up the Olympic Peninsula, skirting Puget Sound as we went. It was a gorgeous drive, and I definitely recommend it to anyone--it was worth the extra 25 minutes of travel time. There were a ton of motorcyclists cruising the curves, and it was nothing but view after view and view. We drove through a small corner of the Olympic National Park and along the shoeline of various bays and rives. Absolutley gorgeous. I wish I had some pictures to share of the road, but unforunately, I didn't think of that until just now. Oops.

So, we arrived in Port Angeles at about noon. Our hotel, the Olympic Lodge, was right on the edge of town, so we stopped in first, checked in, unpacked a few things, and changed a very wet diaper/outfit (down to 3 extra outfits in 3 hours. Uh oh).

Our room was wonderful, and I would stay in the hotel again in a heartbeat. It wasn't on the water, but our room did open onto a patio with a view of a golf course and the Olympic Forest. We couldn't see much of the forest on Saturday due to cloud coverage, but this morning it was breathtaking.

We had a king room. Inside that "wardrobe" was a mini fridge and microwave. E was very excited about both of those things. Ignore our large piles of crap.

Nice little sitting area. Perfect size for small people to climb all over.

I don't know why I took a picture of the toilet. But there ye go. Also: granite countertops! Better than my house!

Bath and Body Works shampoo, conditioner, cleaser, and make-up remover. I didn't use them because I had all my own stuff, but did swipe them for my mom ;-)

Someone was obsessed with the sliding doors on the closet. She kept demanding we hide in the closet with her. Fun for hours.

Little private sitting area on the patio.

 After our quick stop-off, we headed into the downtown area in search of lunch. It looked nothing like Twilight, folks. Or maybe it did, I honestly don't remember. I am seriously considering watching the first movie tomorrow, just so I can see if it really does contain any ofthe real Port Angeles. We ended up having an "ok" lunch, and then decided to go exploring.

We discovered that we were only 3 or so miles away from the Olympic National Park... which was so exciting, because I thought it was much further away! This actually turned out to be the best kind of surprise, as we had chosen Port Angeles for all of the great beach-combing beaches that were supposed to be nearby... Turns out, not so much. The beach we had gone for turns out to be something like 75 miles away (even though it is listed as a Port Angeles attraction). I'm still a little annoyed, but the Park was so amazing, I honestly don't care anymore...

(To be continued...)