Olympic Peninsula part 2 - Second Beach [in fog]

For the second part of our Olympic Peninsula trip we met up with some friends and stayed at in a cabin on the beach at the Quileute Oceanside Resort, located on La Push Beach in the Quilete Reservation on the west coast of the peninsula. La Push beach is pretty great, but a couple of miles down the road is a place even better: "Second Beach," a victim of some utilitarian naming scheme that completely fails to pay homage to its otherworldly beauty.

You have to hike down through one mile of temperate rain forest to reach Second Beach. The beach is very flat so water creeps up slowly toward you for dozens of feet with every breaking wave. Our first visit to Second Beach was shrouded in fog, which made it all the more glorious.

Second Beach will always be First Beach in our hearts. <3

Olympic Peninsula part 1 - Colette's Bed and Breakfast, Salt Creek Recreactional Area, and Lake Crescent

After our wedding we headed to the Olympic Peninsula to spend some time exploring the various beaches and forests in this gorgeous area. We spent the first two nights at Colette's Bed and Breakfast which is on the northern end of the peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Colette's was really gorgeous - each room has a private patio and private ocean view area on teh grounds of the huge garden surrounding the building.

While in the area we visited the Salt Creek Recreation Area (a former military camp) and climbed around its rocky beaches. We also drove over to Lake Crescent, the second deepest lake in Washington. Lake Crescent is also exceptionally clear due to a lack of nitrogen which inhibits algae growth. We had surprisingly good coffee from the lodge by the lake and enjoyed some scenic beauty for a while before getting dinner at a local gastropub in Port Angeles.