Sometimes you just step in it. On the way to Port Angeles we encountered signs warning of traffic congestion and delays due to crowds at "the event." About 30 miles east of Port Angeles we could see the event. It was the annual lavender festival in Sequim (pronounced SQUIM). Sequim bills itself as the lavender capital of the US. I don't know of anyplace that could challenge their ranking, but since they have made "lavender capital of the US" a registered trademark no other place could use it whether it's true or not. I haven't heard of any legal challenges to the claim so maybe it's true. The festival is billed as the largest lavender event in North America. It's the only one I've ever heard of so I'll take their word for it. It was big, but it was a collection of tents housing the same crafts, bags of soup and salsa mixes, and all the sorts of doodads you see at any street fair. Added to that were food stands, a music stage, and a whole lot of lavender for sale.
A lot of the foods used lavender as a seasoning. At a coffee shop I got a lavender latte. Unfortunately I never order lattes so I don't know if it made it taste any different or not. I should have gotten the lavender ice cream. I know what ice cream tastes like.
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| Lavender Latte |
We pulled into Port Angeles and spent about 2 hours walking the town. Before we were done we had already ruled the town out as a summer home. Basically the whole commercial district is a dump. There's just no other way to put it. Limited dining and coffee shop options, not much in the way of shopping. Nothing worth visiting. The only redeeming quality is its proximity to Olympic National Park and the ferry to Victoria, BC. You just can't build the whole summer on that, though.
While here we went into the park and hiked nearly 20 miles up to Hurricane Ridge. About 19 of the miles were from behind the steering wheel of the car, but I still count it. Pretty impressive views.
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| Mountain (Old) Goats |
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| "Heidi" Guenther |
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