Washington

After floating the Grande Ronde for several days, I found a motel in the Richland/Kennewick area of SE Washington. I awoke the next morning and headed east through the Cascades. The road took me through the wineries and cherry farms of the Yakima Valley, but I was drawn by the huge, volcanic peaks farther west. Eventually, I made it to Mt. Rainier NP, where I ate lunch and hiked around: 

From there, I descended towards Tacoma and Seattle. I drove to Tacoma and crashed for a night at Tyler and Nina's place. Tyler is in OK for the month, but Nina was very kind and showed me around the Tacoma area that evening. We ate dinner and drank beers on the bay, and afterwards we drove through a city park where we saw a fox, several deer, and 6-10 raccoons, all of which approached the car. The raccoons even stood on their hind legs as they begged for food. We also saw a bald eagle atop a tree. 

The following morning, I drove north to the Pike Place Market in Seattle. I bought some cherries and oysters, and I watched them throw fish (and even a giant octopus). 

I also visited the original Starbucks across from the market. 

I then took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, from which I could drive to the Olympics. View from the ferry: 

As soon as I crossed to the Olympic Peninsula, I hopped on the 101 heading north, which seemed strange. I actually took the 101 around the northern coast of the peninsula and past Crescent Lake: 

Eventually, I made my way around to to the Hoh Rain Forest on the western side of the Olympics. There, I found a free campsite in the lush forest just outside the national park: 

I drank some microbrews and grilled the oysters from Seattle, which were delicious: 

I enjoyed listening to a great-horned owl in the trees above the campground. After my drunk neighbors hooted at the bird, I caught a glimpse of the owl flying away. 

I awoke to elk bugling - for the fourth time this month, I think - I drove and hiked through the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic NP. The forest was lush; moss hung everywhere, and little sunlight made its way to the forest floor. This boggy pond let some light pass through: 

I then followed the 101 to the Pacific Coast, where I ate lunch on Ruby Beach: 

From there, the 101 traveled through forests, fruits, and flowers along the coast to Oregon.