Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park

We go hiking for a few days in the northern part of the Olympic National Park in Washington State.  The park covers nearly a million acres (404,685 hectares) of vast wilderness and numerous distinct ecosystems including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles (113 km) of wild Pacific coastline.  We start with a hike on the Hurricane Hill trail, near Port Angeles on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with expansive views of the mountains making up the Bailey Range, a subrange of the Olympic Mountains with one of the finest alpine routes in the Olympics.

We drive up to the Hurricane Ridge parking lot, located at an elevation of 5,242 feet (1,598 meters) and offering panoramic views.

Parking lot

Views from the parking lot

The road at the end of the parking to the Hurricane Hill trailhead is [still] closed due to snow and we start with a short hike up the hill next to the parking lot.

Short trail up

Views from the top

The trail soon turns into a snowy, slushy path and we  return to the parking lot and walk up the closed road to Hurricane Hill.

Snow trail

This path is also closed

Road to Hurricane Hill

Views along the road

We reach the end of the road at the small (and empty) Hurricane Hill parking lot, find the beginning of the trail relatively snow free, and start up the 3.2 mile (5.1 km) round-trip trail.

Hurricane Hill trail at Hurricane Ridge

Along the trail

About three quarters of the way to Hurricane Hill, the trail turns a corner away from the sun and is covered with snow the rest of the way.  The people behind us have brought crampons in their packs and are clearly better prepared for this eventuality that we are.  We turn around and return to the trailhead.

Shady side of the mountain

The trail back (sunny side)

The  signs at the trailhead warn of mountain lions, cougars, and bears, none of which we meet today.

Warnings at the trailhead

With our eyes now open for wildlife, we walk back up Hurricane Hill road to the parking lot and return to Port Angeles for the evening.

Views from Port Angeles (back at sea level)

Dinners on Mo'orea

We have two great dinners on Mo'orea, both at our hotel, the Manava Beach Resort and Spa Hotel Moorea.  We consider wandering down the street to try some of the other restaurants, but our first night's dinner is so good that we return the next night also.  

We begin our evening with martinis in the bar, listening to  the local band.

Band

View of  the bungalows

In the dining room, we start with shrimp bisque soup and spring rolls, followed by octopus and shrimp skewers.

Soup, spring rolls

Octopus

Shrimp skewers

The second night, we start again with the band in the bar, then dine on shrimp ravioli and spring rolls, followed by octopus, mahi mahi in banana leaf, and shrimp skewers (some repetition of dishes we really enjoyed the previous night).

Walk from our room to the restaurant

Looking over at the pool and restaurant

The band

Starters

Octopus

Shrimp

Mahi mahi

We truly enjoy the meals and wish we could stay longer and dine more!

Another Day on Mo'orea

We wake up at our hotel in Mo'orea and decide to take advantage of the water sports, borrowing paddleboards to explore the area.

Paddleboarding

In the beautiful waters

Paddling around the hotel makes us hungry and we walk next door to the Moorea Maitai for lunch:  grilled mahi mahi and frites, tuna fish bruschetta, and vegetable bruschetta. 

Lunch spot

Mahi Mahi

Bruschetta

After lunch, we drive to Belvedere Lookout, overlooking the Opunohu Valley and both Cook's and Opunohu Bays.  At about 3,000 feet (914 meters) above sea level, the lookout directly faces the water and Mount Rotui, a towering volcanic peak that separates the two bays.  It starts to rain hard as we get to the top of the lookout, we take a few pictures and head back down.

Views from Belvedere Lookout

Hikes from the lookout

We spot the Star Breeze cruising by on its next trip

Returning to the hotel, we do a little snorkeling, enjoying the beautiful, colorful fish by our bungalow.

Fish by our room

As the day comes to a close, another spectacular sunset delights us as we think about dinner.

Sunset

The next day, it is time to return home and we drive over to Vaiare to catch the ferry back to Papeete, Tahiti for our flight to the US.

Ferry terminal

Our [fast] ferry

It's been a spectacular two weeks, with the cruise around the archipelagos and the hotel stays in Papeete and on Mo'orea.  Wow!