Last December my family and I traveled to Washington, flying in to Seattle. The first few days were spent exploring the city, becoming more familiar with its urban culture, as well as checking off the many listed tourist attractions from yelp (I’ll have another post about what we did in Seattle). Then one morning we packed our stuff, heading out on a drive to Olympic National Park, as we were going to be there for two days (the first day we stopped along many various destinations on the way, and then the second day was spent in the park itself).

I think this may have been the most beautiful drive that I had ever been on. I remember specifically a left turn on Railroad Avenue that led into a gorgeous sloped highway with mountains surrounding the road. The low fog was such that every time the road curved downhill, we were seemingly traveling through the dense mist, and then uphill we rose above it all. The weather had been so chilling, as air came through the car, and I recall there was a brief few minutes when we opened all the windows of our SUV, and the silence pervaded through, sending shivers down my body. I was truly enchanted. I think it’s an important thing to note that no pictures were taken on that drive, probably for the better. While I absolutely love when you can remember moments through photography, there is also something magical about reliving the details of something that unforgettable solely from your own memories.

We went to Snoqualmie Falls on the way as well, and since we had not been used to the cold, I remember running out of the car and trying to take it in as slow as my numb feet would allow. I had been admiring the speed of which the water rushed down the falls, and how it was completely engulfed by the many forest trees. The air was so clean and crisp, the kind that really needs to be appreciated. Unlike Tahoe which had been extremely drying for my skin, the moistness of the atmosphere felt so good to stand around in. I only wish it had been 50 degrees rather 35, so I could’ve stood longer at the handrails, looking down into the dark path the water was flowing into.

After finishing the falls, we continued the drive to the Olympic Lodge, as sunset was very early and we wanted to get there before the sky became pitch black. The next morning my brother woke me up to see the sunrise at the top of one of the hills in the golf course. Our room, as it was on the first floor, had a back way entrance into the golf course (so we thought). But unlike a straight forward path, this one involved crossing a stream before passing into the green fields. It was harder than it looked for sure, because the entire ground had some thick mud mocking me, as I could slip getting dirt on my jeans at any moment. In my head I had totally animated the twigs on the floor, and the little tree bugs, into that little voice in my head telling me not to try crossing the creek. Also if it wasn’t clear my brother obviously went over without any difficulty, and had started the ascend to the top of the field. That added envy, and also the termination of the animated beings in my mind, propelled me to just throw my body over the massive creek. To my disbelief, it worked (moments like these that I realize I need to start believing in God, as he clearly just saved my ass).

Reuniting with my brother up the green hill, was also met with the beauty of pinks, oranges, and blues that filled the sky. I was living a watercolor painting, and it was breathtaking. A barely visible half moon was also still above the snow filled mountains. And although I was freezing, even with my many layers (actually looked like a marshmallow), this was another very defined point in the trip that I’ll always remember.

After eating a quick breakfast, my family and I headed to Olympic National Park. Despite the many views it had to offer, and all the pictures we had seen on pinterest and insta, since we decided to go during the winter time the entire drive inside was covered with snow. This definitely limited the hikes we could do, and how far in we could venture.  And of course the snow was an added beauty no doubt, but it also kept us from the many well-known spots that were popular within the park. Along the drive inside there were many scenic road shots as it winded inwards, and massive trees with leafy branches surrounded the entire drive. In addition, there were fields of animals (as in the cover photo), and up close and personal too. (It was so out of nowhere seeing cows and other farm livestock, and then my dad opened his window trying to have a conversation with them. I was lucky we were the only car around, this would’ve been so embarrassing.)

While driving through, stopping often and going in as far as possible without snow chains, there was an emerging turn coming up that led into a beach. Even someone like me, who’s not a huge fanatic about them, appreciated this one. The sand had been black all over, and fog lay low clouding some areas.

These pictures don’t nearly suffice in terms of the beauty of the beach, and I think it was pretty incredible that something like this was still within the park, and only a thirty minute detour.

During the rest of the way through Olympic we had the same patterns of stop and go, and the sites were phenomenal. This was one park that truly had everything in it, from beaches to mountains, and dense forests to whimsical lakes. I plan to return someday, a little bit earlier in the year or sometime in summer, so I can go further in and explore even more of what the park has to offer.