Thursday, August 21, 2014

Wrapping Up Our Month in Sunny Sequim, WA

We've had a great month in Sequim; the weather has been amazing, warmer than we ever expected to experience on the Olympic Peninsula. Several days reaching into the 80's, making us glad there are trails in the forest or along the water to keep us cool.

If you read this blog regularly you know we like to hike almost every day. We've hiked an amazing variety of trails during our stay in Sequim, but quite a few of them have entailed a drive of 20 miles or more, one way. Some days we just didn't feel like driving much so here's a summary of the local trails we hiked (or biked) around Sequim (some have been described in detail in my previous three Sequim posts).

Sequim Area Local Trails

Dungeness Recreation Area. A few miles of bluff and forest trails plus miles of beach hiking. Lighthouse nuts (Suzanne and Paul & Nina qualify) can hike all the way to New Dungeness Lighthouse via the 5 mile long Dungeness Spit trail...or go part way if you just want a lovely beach walk. Check the tides first though or it could be rough going.

Robin Hill Farm County Park. 3.5 miles of trails in the forest at the West end of Sequim.

Olympic Discovery Trail. Many miles of paved multi-use trail that passes through Sequim. Much of the trail that passes through Sequim is along highway 101 or through the busy middle of town, so not really conducive to a peaceful walk or bike ride. The portion of trail West of town is the best for a pleasant walk/run/ride in rural countryside. The ODT is accessible via a short walk from our RV park, the John Wayne Waterfront Resort, where we could make a nice loop of 4 - 5 miles by including W. Sequim Bay Rd. as part of the loop.

Marlyn Nelson County Park, aka Port Williams Beach. Located at the end of Port Williams Rd, this lovely little park is a lesser known place to access the beach, especially at low tide. You can walk North to view the Strait or South to see where a spit from Miller Peninsula creates the small opening to Sequim Bay.

We watched a young boy feed this adorable little goat along the Olympic Discovery Trail West of town.

Moving on to how we spent our final days in this beautiful area...

We actually got out on the water during our stay. Our RV park is across the street from Sequim Bay and the John Wayne Marina. Right on the docks is a small vendor renting kayaks and stand up paddle boards, so on our final day with Angela and Debbie we rented kayaks for a couple of peaceful hours of paddling on the Bay.

Admiring the boats in the marina as we head for the Bay.

Happy Hans!

Another day I took our neighbors inflatable kayak out and came across two harbor seals who were as curious about me as I was about them.

I managed to catch one checking me out!

One day we drove West about 30 miles to Salt Creek Recreation Area. This lovely county park offers some very nice camping, with both dry sites in the woods, and water/electric sites on the bluff. There are a couple miles of trails, a world war II bunker, plus tidepools and beach walking along Crescent Bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

When we first arrived the tide was low and the fog was fairly thick.

Beach walkers were ghostly...



Heading up on the bluff we found the abandoned bunker which you can drive through.



And got another view of the sea stack as the fog faded away.




Our last really big hike in this area was a doozy: Grand Valley Loop in Olympic National Park. Recommended to us by our Washington friends, Bill and Christine, this was a gorgeous, strenuous lung buster of a hike that took us through lush green valleys sprinkled with summer flowers, across numerous tiny streams and big, rushing, tumbling creeks, past two sub alpine lakes, and up some extremely steep mountainsides that offered spectacular views.

The road to the trail head offers amazing views of the Olympic Mountains.

Not far from the trail head the trail drops steeply into Badger Valley.

Badger Valley is laced with flowers and streamlets and we weave in and out of lush forest as we continue our descent.

Crossing Badger Creek.

Grand Lake really was Grand!



Moose Lake was equally beautiful.

Then it was time to climb out of the valley...

This trail goes up, seriously UP!

The top is finally in sight!


A look back into the valley we climbed out of, now in shadow.
At this elevation the mountain ranges have multiplied with spiky peaks in the distance.

Big smiles atop Lillian Ridge, along with some August snow remnants!

Sequim turned out to be a lovely place to spend a month. We've had plenty to do with a variety of terrains (beach, prairie, forest, mountains), good shopping options (Sunny Farms is an awesome grocery store, there's a Costco too), and we enjoyed several fun meetups as well. It's easy to see why Sequim is a popular retirement destination, with its prime location in the Olympic Rainshadow.

Next up, we head to the West side of Olympic National Park and spend a week in Forks, WA...more forest and beach time coming up!

Last, but not least, I want to give a shout out on a new product made by a friend of ours: Chili Hellion, a smoked habanero powder. If you like spicy and smokey give it a try...we tried it on steak and loved it and the spicy Bloody Mary described on the website sounds delicious! I also made a charred fresh corn and feta salad dressed with a combo of blood orange olive oil and a dash of this spice that was very good. Check it out: www.chilihellion.com


Driftwood masquerading as a sea star along the Dungeness Spit.







20 comments:

  1. Great pictures! We hiked to Grand Lake last week and you're right...it's a lung buster (and thigh burner). We went down the Grand Lake trail and then back up Badger Valley to make it a loop. Got back to the parking lot at 9:08 pm...almost dark! But it was beautiful and offered such a sense of accomplishment. We enjoyed the Hoh Rainforest area, Forks and Beach 3. Now in Cosmopolis and headed south to Sisters. Hope to come back soon and explore even more.

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    1. Too bad we're just missing each other! It would have been fun to hike together. This area is just fabulous and worth a return visit...heck anywhere in the PNW is worth a return visit in my opinion!

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  2. A wonderful month! Wonderful smiles. This is a keeper for our future visits there but I have to be ready for that Grand Valley Loop, your beautiful pictures are telling me so.
    That was a good catch on the driftwood.

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    1. Compared to last summer in CO, we are kind of slacking off this summer...so this Grand Valley hike was really hard...but worth the effort...just take it slow! :-)

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  3. Wow what a time you had and what fabulous pictures. Love the fog pictures, the sea stack, Badger valley, the waterfalls and, and, and, and that last one, so creative. I am so envious that you got to kayak with harbor seals. We hike nearly every day too and I really appreciate it when I don't have to drive toooo far to do it. Thanks for the list of local hikes.

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    1. It's hard to find a long term spot (a week or more) where you have miles and miles of trails within say 10 - 15 miles isn't it? At least when we stay a month we can try to work in days where don't have to drive at all to balance it all out.

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  4. Glad you are enjoying your stay in the PNW. I like and hike in Portland. I love Olympic National Park, and am planning a trip up there in mid-Sept. Enjoyed your PNW trip recaps.

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    1. Thank you for reading our blog...and I am so glad your comment helped me discover your blog! We intend to visit Portland often so I am definitely keeping tabs on your great blog.

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  5. What contrast between beach hiking in dismal fog and walking those high, sunny ridge lines on the Grand Valley Loop. I suppose you can guess which one I prefer :) You sure are making good use of your time in the Pacific Northwest.

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    1. The fog has it's own eerie beauty but we can only take so many days of that in row. I have a feeling we are done with the high alpine hikes for this summer....I'll just have to get my fix from your blog!

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  6. Great summary of the hikes! That is one blissful goat :-). Seeing where your hikes take you - views and places you can't see any other way - is a huge motivator for us to "get moving"! That last "buns of steel" hike into and out of the canyon was incredible. Driftwood offers such a variety of visuals along the water :-).

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    1. The nice thing is that you can work yourself up to bigger hikes over time...slow and steady increases are the key!

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  7. Sounds like an excellent spot to spend the month! We traveled through that area very quickly a few years ago, and I would love to go back and spend more time. And that smoked habanero powder sounds amazing! I think I see a jar in my future. Looks like you can find it at a few stores in Austin, TX where we'll be spending some time this fall. I'll definitely be seeking it out.

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    1. Yes, Austin is where our friend lives. We'll be in that area in the late winter, early spring.

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  8. It sure is beautiful in the PNW. When I first saw your seal photo, I thought it was a dog. They are such curious creatures. I also like the photo of you and Hans together on the ridge-happy smiles! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for reading the blog! Animal sightings are always so fun, seriously one of my favorite things about getting outdoors!

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  9. You definitely had a great month. Spending that much time really allows you to get to know an area well. I love the last hike! It resembled our last climb but your mountains had way more snow:)

    Love the sound of the spice. Something I would use. Glad you shared.

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  10. Thanks for this great wrap-up! We plan to visit Sequim next summer and you have helped us to set our itinerary. Lovely photos!

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  11. I love the thought of spending a month in one place. We've lived here all our lives but really haven't gotten to 'know' a place. Thank you for your gorgeous photos, campground reviews, and trail recommendations! Happy Trails!

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  12. Hmmm….I don't know how I missed this post, because I always look forward to your blogs. Anyway, thanks for the superb write up of hikes in the Sequim area. I'm with you -- a couple of days of fog can be interesting, but then I need some serious sunshine.

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