Places to Visit in Washington
Vacation Ideas

Our accommodations were a three-bedroom condominium right on the beach with a hot tub on the balcony. During our stay, we did a lot of beach combing, looking for shells, wading into the ocean, and a lot of relaxing.

We also spent a day trip traveling back to Seattle to visit Pike's market, where there was an overwhelming assortment of vendors hawking their wares--everything from clothing to cheeses to comic books to fresh flowers could be had at the market. The weather was atypical for Seattle.

We arrived during the middle of a sunny and hot spell. Most days were in the 90's when we visited, and the sun shone brightly every day.

In the eight days of our visit, we didn't see a single drop of rain. There were a lot of other things to do around Blaine. We visited a museum of radio and television, which had real working models of some of the first original television sets and radios.

The museum also gave wonderful demonstrations of how radios work, both in the past and current radios. We also attended a Scottish Highlands Festival in the city of Ferndale.

Scottish dancers, as well as other large clans in the areas were featured. Bagpipes and Scottish music, as well as Highland games including a caber toss were performed. Over all, it was a wonderful time. My family got to experience a lot of different things we don't usually see here in the middle of Colorado. I will definitely go back as soon as I get the chance!

But I decided to take one for the team and try it out with them. After an 8 hour long car ride we had finally arrived on the top of this mountain and pulled in front of this huge log-cabin cookhouse. I jumped out of the car and my brother and I were immediately greeted by a herd of real working cattle-dogs. We instantly loved the place.

The cabins we were to stay in were not only charming but outfitted with fully functioning bathrooms. The rules of the ranch? No rules. Just to have fun. If we wanted to sit and read a book all day, that was all we had to do.

That weekend however, we ended up driving cattle up a mountain side on horseback, shooting clay pigeons, playing horse-shoe, taking a horseback ride to an actual hippie commune where they made organic wine, and fishing with real, genuine cowboys. So much for reading a book! And I loved every second of it, too. Bull Hill Ranch - best places to visit in Washington.

The trails are the best; the long curving trails included a bridge, and several stair ways leading to breathtaking views and rest spots with benches. Strangely an owl in the middle of the afternoon was hooting in a hollow tree on the ground. It was so serial, and absolutely calming.

At the entrance of the park the surface is flat and then goes into a gentle and steep trail along the hill side that is covered in huge hemlocks and giant pine trees. There is a variety of wildlife at the bottom of the trails too, as it leads to a beach on an inlet in the Kitsap Peninsula in Bremerton, Washington.

There is also a long dock that is great for fishing or spotting seals sunbathing on a man-made float in the water. And when the tide is out the beach trails lead back into the forest.

There are also several cliffs with amazing beach views and at the entrance of the park there is a huge recreational area that is very nice and open with a playground for children and covered areas for eating. So the next time you want to go camping or you just happen to find yourself visiting Washington make sure to take in the amazing natural sites, and get a breath of fresh evergreen air at Illahee Washington State Park. The overnight park is also a safe and clean area too. The campers are very nice and friendly as well as the park ranger.

After flying into Seattle and visiting the sites there we drove north to the ferry in Anacortes, WA. The ferry stops at many of the San Juan Islands but we chose Orcas Island based on pictures we had seen and we were not disappointed. The waterfront views were spectacular, the dining choices plentiful and activities abounded.

We ate breakfast while eagle watching, searched out Orca whales on a boating expedition, hiked through the state park, skipped rocks on the beach and watched the nightly explosion of stars.

Boutiques offered unique shopping and the ferry presented the chance to explore other islands or even a trip into Victoria, British Columbia as well. Our favorite programs and chilled rooms waited for us at home but with the refreshing ocean breezes and stunning vistas of Orcas Island we could hardly say we missed them. Orcas Island is one of the best places to visit in Washington.

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