A weekend in the clouds

It's been too long since our last trip. So we decided to head to the mountains, our happy place... where we both feel at home. Olympic national park is a magnificent place. It is not possible to cover it entirely in one visit and you should not try to. This was our third trip to the park and this trip was everything I had hoped for and more.

Day 0: We got a late start on Friday and did not reach Port angeles until evening. We stayed near town and saw the 4th July fireworks at the harbor.

Day 1

We drove to Deer Park Campground in the Olympic National Park. Simply put, this is the best car campground in the country. It is a 16 mi drive from Hwy101, 8mi of which are on a dirt road but our Honda Accord did fine. The campground is at an elevation of 5,400' and has some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen.

Campsite with a million-dollar view

Very few people in the campground. However, there were plenty of deer. They visited us often.

Visitors at the campsite.

On second thought, better to pitch near the trees :)

View to the other side of campsite

Did I mention how incredible the view was?

Could not get enough of this view

In the afternoon we hiked the Deer Park trail. This trail is 7.5 mi and goes till Obstruction Point and can make a good overnighter.  We hiked in 4mi uptil Maiden Peak and turned around for a nice 8mi dayhike. As we started I could not believe this was our first hike of the year. Life just has this nasty habit of getting in the way. But better late than never :). The trail is beautiful and we saw plenty of wildflowers

Plenty of Indian Paint Brush

And Lupine meadows on the trail

Avalanche Lilies everywhere

Path to the Mountains - The trail above treeline

Panoramic Views all around

As we hiked back, the sun peaked out and we saw this incredible rainbow over the mountains.

This happens only on a cloudy day

I can see for miles  - all the way to Canada across the Strait of San Juan De Fuca

After the hike, we came back to camp. We setup a campfire as a fog rolled in. The weather up there was so amazing and fast-changing. We experienced complete fog, overcast skies, mountains emerging from misty skies, sunny skies, and rainbows, all in a matter of 2 days. It was truly magical and heavenly.

Day 2

The next day, we woke up to fairly sunny skies. It was a gorgeous morning and I decided to paint.  

An Artist's dream

Another curious visitor

After a few hours of painting, we drove upto Blue Mountain. It is 5 minute drive from the campground and has a short 0.5 mi RainShadow trail. By the time we reached here, a fog had rolled in. We caught glimpses of the mountains through the clouds. It was a refreshing walk/jog.

A Refreshing jog

After that, we drove back to Port Angeles. We were sad to leave this heavenly place. We were happy among the clouds, in the mountains and did not want to come back to reality. We decided that we must visit again. We felt better when we reached Port Angeles. It is a beautiful city. It has the strait of san juan de fuca with Canada across it on one side and Olympic range on the other side. We enjoyed the sunshine and dined in a lovely creperie with views of the harbor.

Beautiful Port Angeles

Boats in Port Angeles Harbor

Picturesque cafe serving delicious crepes

After spending a few hours in Port Angeles, we drove to Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park. It is a beautiful lake around half hour away. We stopped by the Lake Crescent Lodge and walked along the Moments in time trail. There were many beautiful flowers along the lake shore and views were very inspiring. I got my paintbox out again as Reagan waded along the water. 

Lake crescent boaters

It was finally time to head home. We decided to drive along the coast for a change in scenery and make few quick stops to catch a foggy evening along the  coast.

A quick stop at foggy Ruby beach along the way

View from trail down to Ruby beach.

The drive back was beautiful. The entire roadway on 101S was lined with fireweed meadows. I was reminded of our trip to Alaska. Just as the sun was about to set, there was a break in the clouds and we were treated to this heavenly view. A picture perfect way to end a wonderful trip with wonderful memories.

Heavenly light on the way back. Fireweed meadows all along the roadway.

Plan your next vacation to Mexico!

Cancun is the top destination for the folks seeking to get away from the cold winter in North America. After all.. Sun N Surf is the best cure for those winter blues.

Top 3 ways to enjoy Mexico

Turquoise Blue Waters

1. For the comfort-seeker: Pamper yourself at an All-Inclusive resort. Spend a day lazing on the beach, enjoying the beach-side service provided by the resort, the package includes beach chairs, showers, fresh towels, drinks with service on the beach, and food. Spend some time playing in the breathtaking turquoise waters of the ocean. Play beach volleyball, take a dip in the pool, read a book while sun-bathing or play pool volleyball. Watch a sunset from the comfort of the Jacuzzi, take a night-time stroll along the beach , watch a breathtaking moon rise over the ocean, listen to the waves crashing on the shore and count the stars on a clear still night. Try a different restaurant every day in your resort, watch a show in the evening and enjoy live music. Sound like a perfect way to unwind? The Hotel zone is the jewel of Cancun situated on a strip of land between the lagoon and the ocean. It boasts of plenty of all-inclusive hotels and resorts. Book in advance to get a good rate.

2. For the adventure-seeker:  Cancun has an array of water-sports to offer for all kinds of thrill-seekers.

View from Condo

Jet-ski, para-sailing, wave-runner are just a few examples. The Jungle tour offers a unique experience to ride your own motorboat to the middle of the ocean and experience the amazing and colorful under-water world by snorkeling.

View of the Lagoon at sunrise

The tour is offered by Aquaworld in the hotel zone. Other thrill seekers may want to spend a day in Xcaret adventure park. There are many more adventure activities such as swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, etc but they all cost money. It is tempting to do them all but be picky and do a combination tour for discounts if interested in more than one. Make your adventure cheaper by staying at a condo right on the beach in the Hotel zone.

Chichen-Itza

3. For the culture-seeker: Mexico is home to the Mayan civilization and is a treasure trove of culture and history. Visiting the Mayan ruins and learning about their history is an enriching experience. Of course Chichen-Itza is the top pick being one of the new wonders of the world. Tulum is known for its awe inspiring setting among the turquoise ocean and beautiful restored gardens. Visit Coba to experience climbing up the

Tulum Ruins

pyramid. Palenque and Uxmal are few more ruins worth visiting if you have the time. Another part of Cancun culture is it's rocking nightlife. Coco-Bongo is a unique club featuring 22 live shows and amazing lighting effects with flying acrobats, smoke machine, balloons and confetti streamers.

B's tip: Buy coco-bongo tickets for $45 on the street. You may have to haggle for this price. The price at the door is $65(M,T,W) and $75(Th,F,S,S).

Want to experience it all? Here is a sample 6 day itinerary along the lines of our trip this December

GR Caribe Resort

Day 1 - Check into an all-inclusive resort such as GR Caribe. Take a stroll on the beach. Watch the sunset and moon-rise.

Day 2 - Laze on the beach, play in the ocean. Swim in the pool. Play pool-volleyball.

Sunset

Day 3 - Laze on the beach. Take the jungle tour in the afternoon. Watch a Latino-night show at the resort. Dance to live music.

Day 4 - Laze on the beach. Play beach volleyball all afternoon. Watch Masquerade night show. Check-out of resort. Check-in to beach-front condo Girasol in Hotel zone. Goto Coco-Bongo which is 2-min walk from the condo.

View from the bed

Day 5 - Watch sunrise from comfort of the bed.Take bus to Tulum and Coba. Walk along the beautiful ruins and learn about the Mayans.Take the 'collectivo' (shared stuttle) back to Cancun.

sunrise view from condo

Day 6 - Watch another beautiful sunrise. Take a full day bus tour to Chichen-Itza. Swim in a cenote (a natural sink-hole), marvel at the architectural splendor of the ruins and learn how the Mayans lived thousands of years ago.

Day 7 - Watch yet another sunrise from the room. Checkout and fly back.

Tulum Ruins

B's tip: Rent a car for days 5 & 6. Public transportation is available but language is a major problem if you do not know Spanish. 

B's tip: Completely avoid the touts at the airport and hotel convincing you to attend sales presentation for discounts in tours. It is a big waste of time. Instead get discounts by bargaining while signing up for tours.