We didn’t have any big plans for the day, but unfortunately we’d have to check out from Lake Crescent Lodge and move on to a more economically friendly hotel for the next couple of nights.  We started packing up the room so we were mostly ready to check out, and made our way from our cottage to the Marymere Falls trail, which we took on our visit with family in 2012.  It starts out right by the lodge, goes under Highway 101, and goes through old growth forest, past the Storm King trail (which is a strenuous hike up a small mountain with awesome views of the lake, which we’ll tackle when the girls are older), and alongside Barnes Creek.  The trail is flat until near the end.  After crossing a footbridge, there are man-made wooden stairs that ascent along cliff walls, and up to a couple of viewing points for the waterfall.  That portion is a bit strenuous, but short.  Unfortunately none of the girls were in great moods, and were still getting over colds of their own, so there was a lot of fussing and carrying involved on the 2 mile roundtrip trail.

Once back at the lodge, we packed up the van and headed over to the lobby to check out.  We also got the National Park Passport stamped with a Lake Crescent stamp, and got some pictures in front of the huge fireplace that we love, and in the sunroom off the lobby.  While this was our fourth stay, we’d never ascended the steps in the lobby to check out the small amount of guest rooms on the 2^nd floor.  We explored a few, and found about a dozen guest rooms, along with separate men’s and women’s bathrooms and showers.  We figured we may end up using these on our trips when we retire.  Lastly, we headed back out to the dock to say “goodbye” to the lake, which is always difficult, because we love it so much.  We also got in one last visit with our duck friends before heading out.

We drove east back toward Port Angeles, and Laura spotted a large eagle flying overhead, which at second glance, we determined to be of the bald variety.  It was her first time seeing one in person, so that was really cool.  Unfortunately the girls didn’t get a good look from the back seat of the car.    Everyone was hungry for lunch, and because it’s often easiest just to get the girls food quickly, we stopped at McD’s for them, before parking in downtown PA and having barbecue at a place appropriately called “Barbecue.”  She had a pulled pork sandwich while I had a sausage sandwich with baked beans.  It was all good, but I’d take the beans over the sandwich, as they were delicious!

From there, we decided to check out the Salt Creek Recreation Area, which contains Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary, about a 25 minute drive from Port Angeles. Once arriving, we drove through the park, though didn’t see the tide pools that we’d heard about.  The girls saw a playground on the way in, so while disappointed in not finding the tide pools, we took them there to play on the equipment and swing.  The playground was adjacent to a campground, and the campground was on a slope going down toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so that all campsites had a nice view.  While the girls played, I walked down toward the water, and found some steps down to an area where we could climb around on some rocks by the ocean.  I went back up to get the girls, had them check it out, and decided to play a few more minutes before searching again for the tide pools.  We found we’d missed the turn to the area of the campground where there was access to several areas of tide pools.  Once finding them, we had a blast climbing around on the rocks, and searching the tide pools for signs of life, of which there were just a few.  We all decided that it was one of our favorite parts of the trip, and that we’d return for sure.

Everyone was a bit sleepy, so we made the drive back into Port Angeles, and checked into our hotel, the Red Lion.  We’d stayed there for several nights on our last trip and enjoyed it.  It’s right by the water and the ferry terminal, which houses US Customs and a port of entry from Canada for ferries that cross over to Victoria, British Columbia.  I’d splurged a few extra dollars to stay on the ground floor of the side of the building that faced the water, as last trip we were in a room that faced the parking lot.   It was nice to have the view, and a place to sit and enjoy the weather and the sights and sounds of the water and the boats passing through.

After lying around for about an hour, we decided to try to get one last adventure in for the day, and much like our last trip, raced up into the mountains to Hurricane Ridge to try to catch the sunset.  It’s about 20 miles, though about a 40 minute drive, as the second half contains a continuous series of tight curves and switchbacks.  Unfortunately, by the time we got up, half the kids were asleep, it was overcast, foggy, and windy, and fairly close to being dark.  Linley was awake and wanted to get out of the car for a few, so I took her up a path a little ways to see what we could see, though went back to the car quickly as it was bitterly windy and chilly.  We were disappointed by our attempt, and made the long, slow drive back down to the hotel.

The girls were all requesting hot dogs for dinner, and I remembered that there was a craft beer bar a couple blocks away that sold basic bar food.  The girls stayed in the room while I made the trek over to the bar.  There was one bartender working, who also served as the cook for the small “kitchen” at the end of the bar, so I had time to sneak in a couple IPAs and conversation with a guy at the bar while I waited, a favorite past time of mine.  With hot dogs for the girls, a quesadilla for me, and nachos for Laura in tow, I trekked back to the room to have dinner.  After a couple beers in the room, and finishing off everyone’s food they didn’t want, I was ready for bed.