2006-07-02 The Journey 2006-07-03 Orcas Island 2006-07-04 Orcas Island to Victoria 2006-07-05 Victoria to Olympic NP 2006-07-06 Olympic NP 2006-07-07 Olympic NP to Seattle 2006-07-08 Seattle CVS

Day 6 - Friday, July 7, 2006

Friday would be our last day on the road but, in many ways, the scenic highlight of the whole trip.  Our first stop, after the traditional packing of lunches, loading of luggage, breakfast, yada yada yada, was Hurricane Hill.  Hurricane Hill is a 5800-foot peak that juts out from a ridgeline halfway between the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north and the Olympic Range to the south, offering a nearly perfect panoramic view of both.  Owing to the latitude, Hurricane Ridge is above the treeline and, on this day at least, it was above the snow line as well.  The sun was out, however, so it was not nearly as cold as Deer Lake was the day before.

We hiked 1.5 miles and ascended 500 feet on the short trail to the summit of Hurricane Hill, the highest point along the ridge.  At the summit, we ate lunch and soaked in all of the amazing scenery.  I would rate this view among the top 5 mountain scenes I've ever experienced (the #1 spot still being reserved for Burstall Pass in K Country, Alberta.)  I spent most of the time setting up a series of multi-panel panoramic photos and trying to keep the snowcaps from overexposing the shots.

We returned to the van, drove down the road to the visitor's center, and had a brief look around while the guides re-attached the trailer.  We would be making our longest drive of the week today, following the 101 east out of Port A before turning roughly south, crossing the Hood Canal, then motoring through the bedroom communities along the eastern edge of Puget Sound and onto Bainbridge Island (featured in such cinematic masterpieces as "Disclosure" and "Double Jeopardy.")  It was fitting that we end the trip with a ferry ride, and this one was arguably the best one of the week.  The Bainbridge Island ferry offers scenic views of both Mount Rainier and the Seattle skyline, which looms ever larger as the boat approaches the city.

Disembarking from the ferry, the van wound its way through downtown and to the Hotel Monaco, the drop-off point for the tour.  We said our sad goodbyes to new friends, and I hoofed it the half mile to my hotel (the Monaco wanted $300/night -- too rich for my blood!)  There was an organic grocery store two blocks from my hotel, so I curled up with a two-star movie and had dinner in.  No halibut!