6 Years Down and Going Strong

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This year for our anniversary we galavanted to places that were filled with the wonderment of creation, awe-inspiring moments, and uplifting interactions with others.

Despite the fact that Rachel and I both grew up in the Pacific Northwest, this was the first time we explored the Olympic Peninsula. We had planned to stay local because originally Rachel was going to be in Poland for WYD during our actual anniversary. It was a bonus not having too many expectations because it truly set the stage for a blessed experience. Don’t be surprised when you see a post that says, “the Yabuts are Moving to Sequim.” JK. Too soon?

After a couple hours of driving, we arrived at Ruby Beach.

From the moment we parked and stepped onto the beach, people speckled the area with their children, pets, and native languages. Seriously, we encountered individuals and families from Canada, Netherlands, Korea, China, France, Ukraine, and Italy, just to name a few.
SECONDBEACH2
RUBYBEACH

It was crazy to think that this is the same Pacific Ocean that surrounds Hawaii. Oh, how we miss Hawaii.

Straight from Ruby beach we went to the Hoh National Rainforest.
HOH RAINFOREST
Near the end of our walk through the Hall of Mosses, there was a little boy who was super excited that we all saw a great horned owl perched on a tree. He wanted to tell everyone, so for the next a couple minutes back to the Visitor Center we heard, “There’s an owl up there,” at 10 second intervals to each person he passed.
HOH 2
Feeling accomplished and pooped from all the driving we called it a day and made our way to the Pastoral Mountain View Retreat Suite. We honestly arrived as customers but at the end of our stay, left as friends.
To start the next day we stopped at Sunny Market buy sandwiches for lunch. Then headed West toward Lake Crescent to the Spruce Railroad Trail.
FISHBOWL2 FISHBOWL
CAVE
 After that, we headed to the other side of the Lake Crescent to see Marymere Falls.
MARYMERE FALLS MARYMERE FALLS2
We even braved Mt. Storm King. A must-hike to add on anyone’s hiking list.
Tough, elevation gain, leg work out, and it was switch back galore.
MTSTORMKING2 MT STORM KING
In the foreground is Lake Crescent and in the background is the Strait of Juan de Fuca and BC Canada.
One more of the beautiful Lake Crescent on the dock near the trailhead for both Marymere Falls and Mt. Storm King.
DOCK
After the intense hike, we relaxed our muscles  at the Sol Doc Hot Springs. Then we splurged on a dinner at Lake Crescent Lodge.
COBBLER
We were blessed to attended daily Mass at Queen of Angels.
QUEENOFANGELS3
QUEENOFANGELS
Breakfast at New Day Cafe and Dessert at Cock-a-doodle Donuts. Both recommended to us from dear friends.
DOUGHNUTS
Visited another international spot in the Olympic Peninsula- Hurricane Ridge.
HURRICANER
HURRICANEH
It’s kind of hard to see but the background is the Strait of Juan de Fuca, BC Canada and the San Juan Islands, Wa – where we spent our anniversary last year.
BACKPACKS
There was not way we were going to miss out on getting some Lavender. We were in Sequim- capital of the Lavender Festival.
 LAV

The conclusion to this trip began with daily Mass at St. Joseph

STJOSEPH
On our way home we stopped by Port Townsend to eat at Waterfront Pizza and had a little dessert at Elevated Ice Cream.
ELEVATED
It was a great trip and blessed way to celebrate our anniversary.
Thank you for reading some of our highlights from our trip. Let us know if you plan on taking a trip that way or if you have been there, what were your favorite spots! The Olympic Peninsula is an area we plan on making a trip to again!
Carpe Diem,
Rex

4 Replies to “6 Years Down and Going Strong”

  1. Katrina Lewis

    Happy Anniversary!! What a gorgeous trip! It’s been so long since I’ve been to Ruby Beach, the Hoh Rainforest, Hurricane Ridge and such but your post has made me want to get back there ASAP!! <3 You guys always pick the perfect places! I don't know if they still do it, but we used to sled at Hurricane Ridge during the winter!

    Reply ↓
    1. Rachel

      Thanks, Katrina! Hope you’re able to go back and visit soon! 🙂 Sledding sounds fun, although, I’m not not a huge fan of the snow.

      Reply ↓
  2. Sarah Rasmussen

    What a glorious way to celebrate your married life! I hate to admit that we have been in the Pacific NW a “little” longer than you guys and Eric and I have never really explored the Olympic Peninsula. We have stopped and walked along the road while we were driving, but have never seen any of the beauty that you show here! We will have to move that to the top of our list now.

    Reply ↓
    1. R&R

      Aww, so glad we’ve inspired you to explore the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula. When you plan your trip, we’d be happy to give other suggestions that we heard good things about but weren’t able to do on that trip. 🙂 Hope all is well!

      Reply ↓

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