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Writer's picturestephaniemilligan4

Exploring the Pacific Northwest: A Scenic Adventure from Seattle to Portland

We arrived at Issaquah Village RV Park in Issaquah, WA on July 27th for a 5-night stay. I chose this park because of its proximity to Seattle, WA. Since I had never visited Seattle before, I wanted to spend a good amount of time to explore the "Emerald City". I decided the best way to check out the sights and attractions was to buy a Seattle City Pass. The pass includes a visit to 5 Seattle attractions. We decided on the Space Needle (our ticket included a day and night visit), Seattle Aquarium, Harbor Cruise, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), and the Chihuly Garden & Glass. Over the course of our time here, we enjoyed visiting these attractions.


Space Needle day and night.


Aquarium, harbor cruise, MoPop, famous gum wall (yuck), extremely crowded Public Market, and the truly amazing Chihuly Garden and Glass.


 

On August 1, we arrived at Birch Bay RV Campground in Blaine, WA, for a 2-week stay. The campground is situated a few miles south of the Canadian border. Vancouver, British Columbia is about an hour away from our location.


We've always wanted to visit Vancouver, BC, and it did not disappoint. Our daughter, Alyssa, decided to join us during our stay. She had been to Vancouver before, but enjoyed it so much, she wanted to go again. We had a great time touring the city, including Stanley Park. The highlight was a visit to Capilano Suspension Bridge. Imagine a sturdy, swaying bridge suspended high above a roaring river, surrounded by towering trees and breathtaking scenery. That's the Capilano Suspension Bridge experience in a nutshell. The bridge itself stretches 137 meters (450 feet) across the Capilano River and hangs 70 meters (230 feet) above the canyon floor. We were so happy this was a dog-friendly attraction. Surprisingly, Myah did great walking on the moving bridge and wasn't afraid at all!


Visit to Vancouver, BC and Capilano Suspension Bridge.


We spent a nice day exploring nearby Whatcom Falls Park. It was an absolutely perfect day to relish the beauty of nature and time spent together.


Whatcom Falls Park


We savored every moment of our time in the Blaine/Bellingham area enjoying walks near the water, watching the harbor seals basking in the sun, and admiring the breathtaking sunsets.


Fun in Blaine, WA


Unfortunately, the time came to bid goodbye to Alyssa and head to our next destination on our Pacific NW adventure.


 

We pulled into our new site at Elwha Dam RV Park & Campground in Port Angeles, WA on August 15th for a 5-night stay. The RV park is located on the Olympic Peninsula and has easy access to the ferry that goes to Vancouver Island.


We took the ferry over to Vancouver Island and decided to spend the night in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Victoria is a charming and picturesque city located on the Southern tip of Vancouver Island. The city's architecture reflects its rich history, blending British colonial influences with modern designs. The iconic Empress Hotel, a grand landmark since 1908, highlights the architecture of the period. Victoria is often referred to as the "City of Gardens", home to over 900 species of plants and floral displays. The Butchart Gardens, located just outside the city, is a world-renowned attraction featuring meticulously landscaped gardens, including rose, Japanese, and Mediterranean gardens. We spent several hours strolling through these amazing and colorful gardens. They were the prettiest gardens we had ever visited! Myah had fun, too.


Butchart Gardens, the city of Victoria and Beacon Hill Park


We took advantage of the awesome trails close to the RV park and loved walking around the town of Port Angeles. We had the best ice cream (non-dairy for us) at Welly's Real Fruit Ice Cream in downtown Port Angeles. They are known for their New Zealand-style ice-cream. It was so good, we got it a couple of times while visiting the area. Myah loved it, too!