2006 Pacific Northwest Trip

In late May of 2006 we took a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Initially we intended to spend some time in Olympic National Park and perhaps North Cascades National Park, swinging to Canada along the way. However, this trip was stymied by weather -- we ended up not visiting North Cascades National Park, then changing our itinerary to swing south to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, and eventually cutting short the trip by one day and returning home early.

It was a pity that weather did not cooperate. Rain is, after all, part of what makes the Pacific Northwest what it is -- it nourishes the rainforests and replenishes the cascades. And we did manage to visit a few wonderful places. Moreover, several years later, we managed to take a longer road trip to revist the region (although, ironically, that trip was also somewhat affected by weather as well).

(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)

We arrived in Seattle, then drove on to Port Angeles. On the following day, we took the ferry to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This was one of the few times we actually saw blue sky on this trip. The following are pictures of the Legislative (Parliament) Building of British Columbia.

Legislative Building of British Columbia

Inside, there are murals commemorating the history of British Columbia.

Mural

The stained glasses are especially beautiful.

Stained Glass

We took a bus to the Butchart Gardens, a well-known destination in Victoria. Though I am not a big fan of manicured gardens, nevertheless the gardens are serene and of good taste.

Butchart Gardens

At departure, the sky was already gloomy, but the last rays of the setting sun shone on the stately Empress Hotel at Victoria Harbor.

Empress Hotel

Our major stop on this trip was Olympic National Park. As the NPS site boasted, it is "three parks in one" ("breathtaking mountain vistas with meadows of wildflowers to colorful ocean tidepools"). Our first stop was the Hurricane Ridge section. We saw a Black-tailed Deer (a subspecies of the Mule Deer) browsing precariously on a mountain slope, and later, several others in a parking lot for safer feeding.

Black-tailed Deer

This section of the national park is known for its temperate rainforests. What I learned about rainforests on this trip is that they consist of forests in the rain -- we spent our time there mostly in drizzles.

Rainforest

With the seemingly never-ending rains, waterfalls, such as Marymere Falls, ran at high volume.

Marymere Falls

At Lake Crescent, a Rufous Hummingbird, has staked the feeder.

Rufous Hummingbird

We later moved on to Ruby Beach and rented a cabin there. The weather was still bad, but we took nature as it was. The gray sky did not make good photo opportunities, the following is one of the only acceptable pictures.

Ruby Beach

But turning our attention to the tidepools, we saw many interesting creatures such as Sea Anemones.

Tide Pool

There were many Barn Swallows nesting on the cabins, they make good company.

Barn Swallow

One of the few moments that we saw the sun on Ruby Beach and it came at sunset, that's good photo opportunity there!

Ruby Beach Sunset

The rain became heavier, so we decided to alter our course and head south to Portland. The rain went with us. Still, we managed to drive along the Columbia River Gorge and see some of the waterfalls there. Several years later we took another tip and revisited some of them (again in the rain).

Latourell Falls

Wahkeena Falls

Finally, a picture of Multnomah Falls. Curiously, I actually think that the log at the bottom of the waterfall was the same 7 years later, albeit in a different stage of decomposition. Compare the picture below with the one I took 7 years later and judge for yourself.

Multnomah Falls

Thanks again for visiting my website, please sign my guestbook.