Welcome to Seattle Washington
Meg and I took a trip to “sunny” Seattle, Washington for a work conference followed by mini-vacation. Ironically enough, it was sunny every day allowing for beautiful pictures such as the skyline shown below.
Seattle Washington City Skyline
Our hotel was located in the Hotel District in the heart of the city. I arrived on a Sunday just in time to explore the city as I walked along the gay pride parade taking in the unusual sights and sounds. Seattle has nice park squares with tables and chairs available for people to sit and chat and eat. They also have structures like this glass igloo or dome; I am not really sure what to call it.
Glass Igloo structure in the Hotel District
One of the downsides of Seattle is that nothing opens early except Starbucks, and we didn’t fly 2,700 miles to order from a chain we have at home. Most coffee shops in the area didn’t open until 7am. Being awake around 5am, Meg and I decided to explore the town. We visited Pike Place Market when only the shop workers are there setting up for the day. We walked along the water’s edge and found the sailing cruises location where we were going to take a ride in the afternoon.
On the walk back, we unfortunatly passed through the homeless and drug user district. For the first time in my life, I saw people actually smoking crack pipes along the open sidewalks as if it was nothing. It was a bit scary, but no one approached us as we walked quickly trying to follow the bus stopping intermittently along this street.
 Pike Place Market in the early morning |  Pike Place Market in the afternoon |
We got back to our hotel in time to walk to a nearby coffee shop opening at 7am. The coffee and vegan oatmeal bar were excellent as expected.
In the afternoon, we walked back to the dock for our 2-hour sail in Elliot Bay. The wind was a light 4-8 knots with sun giving a slow smooth ride to take pictures of the city and mountains. The sail was our last planned event in Seattle as we headed for Olympic National Park the next morning.
Seattle Washington City Skyline with cool clouds
Our second destination was La Push which is a rocky beach on the upper northwest side of Washington about 3.5 hours drive from Seattle. The smooth rocks are a pleasant change from the sandy beaches. There was a cool offshore breeze bringing in the relatively dry cool air experienced on the west coast. Below is a picture of the rocky islands just off the coast.
La Push in Olympic National Park
Near La Push is trail called the Hall of Mosses. This trail had gorgeous enormous trees; not as big as redwoods or sequoia, but much bigger than you find on the east coast. Many of the branches are covered in mosses due to the fact that this forest is actually a rain forest due to the amount of annual rain. We hiked 2 trails in the location totaling about 2 miles of forests and rivers and streams.
 Wide-view of a mossy forest |  Close-up of a mossy branch |
That night, we stayed in a sketchy motel in a town called Fork which apparently the Twilight series takes place. You get a feel for a place when they need a sign that reads “Please no washing your animals or motorcycles with our towels $250 fine.” Good thing we left our dirty animals and motorcycles back at home. The closest thing to vegan food was a Chinese place that did have tofu on the menu, but I bet they don’t make that dish often.
The following morning we started our way back to Seattle passing by two more trails. The first trail was amazing and a must-see if the weather and timing permit. Sol Duc Falls has rambling streams over smooth stones and a large waterfall. We got there early in the morning (go figure) before most other hikers. The black squirrels announced our arrival with peculiar sounds that we initially thought was a bird. We were able to hike to the large waterfall before seeing another hiker. The sun through the forest gave the perfect light. In the early morning, was able to capture some of the flowing water. On the way back to the car, Meg spotted a fawn and a doe nearby that came over the lick the fawn a few times.
 Small stream in Sol Duc Falls |  Large waterfall in Sol Duc Falls |
 Sun Beams through the mist in Sol Duc Falls |  Matt by waterfall in Sol Duc Falls |
One more stop on the way back was to Marymere Falls. Being late morning, the parking lot was full and there were hikers everywhere. This hike was a bit long and involved some elevation to get to the waterfall lookout. After the beauty and serenity of Sol Duc Falls, this tall but lower volume waterfall was interesting at best. Our tired legs and body were ready for a respite. Meg found a nice old tree to get a picture under.
Meg under a large beautiful tree at Marymere Falls
Since the beginning of our trip, Meg found one restaurant along the way that looked promising for us to get vegan food. In a town of 20,000 people called Port Angeles, this small carry-out food place was an oasis. The woman working the window (I can only assume it to be the owner) told us all the recipes were her own and it is all good. Meg got the Banh Mi on fresh greens and quinoa while I got the falafel on ciabatta. We split their special which was nacho potatoes with coconut cheese sauce. The food was amazing and lasted us for both lunch and dinner. The owner also included a special brownie dessert. If there was a place like this in my hometown, I would be there every other day.
Rabbit Food: Best Vegan Food in Town
The Space Needle is cool. The trails are beautiful and fun. But have you tried the vegan food at Rabbit Food?