We considered a few options, ultimately deciding on the Olympic Peninsula – enough distance to give the van a proper trial run, no international border crossings, and close enough to turn back if there were real problems.
We made a plan, got organized, and it was time to hit the road. We’ll update the itinerary below as we post each day:
- Day 1: Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge, and Marymere Falls
- Day 2: Sol Duc Falls and Cape Flattery
- Day 3: The Beaches and Hoh Rain Forest
- Day 4: Kalaloch and Lake Quinault
- Day 5: Hama Hama Oyster Saloon and the trip home
Snag 1: Ferry reservations
We’re not new to the Washington State Ferries, but we have never traveled on a Washington ferry that permits reservations. We’re used to the first-come, first-served approach of most of the routes. Well, our preliminary plans involved the Coupeville to Port Townsend ferry, aiming for the 0715 departure on Sunday morning after spending the night nearby on Whidbey Island. We changed our tentative plans and sought to leave on the Monday morning departure instead. However, upon confirming the ferry schedule, we learned that the next available departure was not until 1430 (2:30pm), unless we were willing to wait on standby.
According to WSDOT, this route releases 80% of the capacity through reservations and retains the remaining 20% for emergency and stand-by vehicles. For giggles, I checked the reservations available for “normal” height vehicles (under 7’2″). These were still available. Shoot, small boat and the over height reservations are booked. This left us with two options:
- Go according to plan and hope that we could make it on an earlier ferry via standby.
- Change up the plan and travel via the Edmonds – Kingston route.
Due to the unpredictability, the small boat size, and the fact that the Coupeville – Port Townsend route has only one boat, we decided the more prudent approach would be to go to Edmonds. Not as scenic, but negligible difference time wise, and far more certainty on being able to make a boat.
Lesson learned: bite the bullet and make reservations or be willing to go with the flow and change things up.
Snag 2: HomePod Mini
Forgot to order the HomePod Mini before we left, but we thought it shouldn’t be an issue because plenty of retailers sell them now. However, we were thwarted in our attempts. A Best Buy that reported having them in stock for same-day pickup did not. The next door Target had two in stock, but the employee working that area was “on lunch,” and no one seemed to understand how to get one for us. We weren’t interested in spending our day trying to get a HomePod, so we decided to forgo it for this trip.
It’s early enough in the season with temperate weather, so the dogs should be just fine without us having the ability to monitor the van temperature as we had hoped.
Ferry success!
After acquiring last minute provisions, we headed to Edmonds and learned that we should arrive at the ferry terminal about 20 minutes prior to departure. Fingers crossed that we would make that boat, and there was no trouble at all. Soon, we were underway, crossing over to the Kitsap Peninsula.
Fortunately, there were no delays, and we arrived on time. Now the question about where we would camp for the night. We had scouted three possible options:
Dispersed camping near the Hood Canal bridge on the Olympic Peninsula: Furthest away from our planned destinations and could be subject to some road noise.
Harvest Host Port Ludlow Community Church: HH listing noted that it was okay to park there any night other than Saturday nights, but they listed their office hours, which precluded using their online calendar for any days the office was not open. Unclear whether you could just show up.
Parking lot of 7 Cedars Casino: Furthest distance for today but great starting point for tomorrow. Interested to see if all the iOverlander reviews were justified.
7 Cedars Casino
Closest positioning for our first full day on the Olympic Peninsula, we discovered this option through iOverlander. With a free player’s card (Totem Rewards) and registration at the casino cashier, you can stay for free in their back parking lot. They also offer power and water hookups at a few of the spots. We didn’t need those so did not check them out.
The lot is large and had plenty of open space – we weren’t near any other vehicles. But it is also at a bit of an incline. We were thankful for our GoTreads and busted them out for the first time. Three inches of leveling on the driver side did the trick! We should also note that there are quiet hours, requiring generators to be turned off, and the lot is patrolled during the evening.
An advantage to staying here was that we didn’t have to figure out dinner because we could just eat at the on-site restaurant, House of Seven Brothers. The fry bread is amazing, and I think we might have to go back just for some more of that! Another advantage was that we could use their restrooms. No showers, but I’ll take the flushing toilet!
We slept well and enjoyed the quiet of the surroundings. Perfectly situated for our full first day!
platoaddict's pursuits 