Last week, a cousin of mine from Germany was visiting and one of her sightseeing requests was to see the ocean again.  The Pacific, that is.  So, we hopped in the Mini and hit the road and ventured out to the Olympic Peninsula.  Here's a summary of our day with some pics.  We lucked out on the weather, and frankly, the roads on the O.P. suit a Mini just fine. :)

Edmonds Ferry

Breakfast in Kingston at The Oak Table Cafe - Eggs Nicole with potato pancakes - YUM!

CAPE FLATTERY

SOL DUC

Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is one of four lodges on the Olympic Peninsula operated by ARAMARK.  I luckily, through Ron their HR Manager, was able to connect with Duncan, the Sol Duc General Manager, and get a tour from him and Anna, the Office Manager of the relatively small, but lovely property.  The drive into the remote lodge is about 9 miles off Highway 101 and is quite beautiful with the surrounding giant Cedar trees.  When you reach the resort itself, you feel as though you've really gotten away from it all.

Inside the main lodge

The employee housing is actually in the main lodge upstairs.  Duncan said that they've done a lot of work in the last year to brighten up the place and make it comfortable for their employees. The best part of the visit for me was when Danielle, a My CW member, said to me in shock, "It's you!  You're the one on the website.  What are you doing here?!" :)

Lockers for anyone's use

Coin free laundry room

Typical bunk beds

This particular room (guys only) slept five.  The bathrooms for both sexes are down the hall.  Typical guest cabin of which there are 33 on site.

This view reminded me of Yosemite.

All in all, a beautiful location with nice management staff.  If you're looking to get away from it all and be surrounded by hiking trails, big trees and greenery, this is a great place to spend a long summer.  Sol Duc opens in March and closes in November.  You can apply via their profile page.

Lake Crescent

Port Townsend Ferry

A beautiful day, indeed.