Day 53 (6 June 2025): Astoria, OR to Port Angeles, WA

Today we continued our journey on US 101 first crossing the Columbia River from Astoria into Washington State. US 101 played peek a boo with the Pacific Ocean while meandering north, west and east. We passed by one of our favorite spots on the Olympic Peninsula – Kalaloch Campground and Lodge. The campsites are nestled amongst tall pine trees, and the campsites are a short walk to the beach with fabulous sunset views. Although we have enjoyed camping here in the past, camping here is not part of this year’s plan. We did stop for lunch at the lodge. We had a lovely lunch at an indoor table looking out at the beach. Since it was overcast and chilly, we did not walk along the beach. We did take the time to get some pictures of a rhododendron bush in full glorious bloom. Since we left home on this latest adventure before the rhododendrons were in bloom, we are thoroughly enjoying them here in the Pacific Northwest.

Along much of the way, the road was lined with scotch broom that was in full bloom. The color was so vibrant that it was very distracting, but it is beautiful. In some places it covered entire hillsides. I remember the scotch broom from my childhood, growing up in the Seattle area. Unfortunately, it is an invasive species in Washington and is number 1 on the state’s invasive species hit list.

We continued further up the road past another of our favorite spots – Lake Crescent. The water is so crystal clear, I could see the bottom of the lake. Perhaps, on one of our trips here, we’ll plan far enough ahead to be able to get reservations at the Lake Crescent Lodge. After soaking up more of the scenery and taking some pictures, we continued on our way. We left US 101 in Port Angeles, but the road continued east across the top of Olympic National Park before turning south along the eastern edge of the Peninsula.

When we checked into our motel and made reservations for tomorrow morning’s ferry to Victoria. Since the noon ferry was already filled, we opted for the 8:20 ferry which means we need to be at the ferry terminal at 7:20 a.m. for the 8:20 a.m. departure. Before signing off to get some sleep before our 6 a.m. call, I want to mention the truly fabulous sunset we saw at 9:30 tonight! We also saw 2 deer grazing in the grass outside of our motel window. Unfortunately, the photos don’t do the sunset justice.