The Rest of the Peninsula

On Wednesday, July 11th we drove west towards Sequim.  We stopped at the Sunshine Lavender Farm that we had wanted to visit last year.  Mom picked up three new lavender plants and we both purchased a variety of products at the store, lotions, lip balms, candles, spices and honey.

We drove on to go past the Dungeness Valley Creamery for some cheese to make a picnic lunch for the day and also stopped at a local farm store to get the fixings for sandwiches and some fresh fruit.  Our goal was to get all the way to the ocean.  We had been to Forks last year, so this year we wanted to see LaPush.  On the highway before we got to Port Angeles was a winery I wanted to visit.  The Olympic Winery is owned and operated solely by women and has a "Twilight wine" that I was interested in getting.  After three tries crossing the divided highway we made it there.  I not only got the sparkling Syrah (that is the Twilight wine), I also got a Lemberger (my favorite red!) and a bottle of "Rose the Riveter"(a lovely blush).  Yum!

We continued on past Crescent Lake and I stopped so Mom could get some pictures.  The water is really cerulean and almost turquoise as the water becomes more shallow.  It's such a beautiful lake that maybe we should plan a weekend to just go there some time.

The sun was shining the whole way out to the coast, even after we turned off the main highway.  On the little spur out to LaPush we passed this sign.

I love it when places buy in to the obsessions people have over things like books.  As we got close to heading down to the beach the clouds started looming on the horizon and by the time we got into LaPush the sky was overcast.  We pulled into the parking lot at First Beach and broke out the picnic lunch, since we were starving.  We watched to boats come and go out of the marina and had a great time.  Then we put on our jackets to head down to the beach, quite a difference from that east coast beach with it's bathwater ocean temperature and 80 degree temps!  The puppies were still very happy to go on another beach walk.  There was driftwood all over!

We saw huge trees that had washed up on the beach...

And cute messages carved into some logs...

A fun shelter built out of driftwood...

And wolf tracks!

No, wait, it's just my domesticated wolves instead.

We picked up more agates on our walk and found some mussel shells too.  After everyone was tuckered out we piled back in the car and drove back for dinner at Port Angeles.  I wanted to eat at Bella Italia to complete my Twilight site seeing, so we found the restaurant and hoped for a short wait since I hadn't called for reservations (a recommendation on an number of sites).  It looks like knitters had yarn-bombed Port Angeles too!

Mom and I split an appetizer of bruschetta and then a plate of Bella's mushroom ravioli...which I forgot to take a picture of!  So I took a picture of the advertisement for it on the way out instead...

We got back to Port Ludlow and passed out.  Maybe driving from one end of the Olympic Peninsula to the other and back in a day wasn't the best idea...