I had one day off after USAF SERE School before my flight home. While most rested after what was the hardest month of training we've had in a long time, I decided to put over 1,000 miles on a rental car and head to the Pacific Coast! With Glacier and Mt. Rainier National Parks requiring tire chains, the next closest park was Olympic National park which was an absolute bucket list park for me anyways! I headed off from Spokane in 20 degree dense fog with ice accumulating on the road (super nervous for the infamous Snoqualmie Pass). However, once I hit the pass, the sky opened up and got to drive through the Cascades to a beautiful sunrise, over the Puget Sound, and into the Olympia region. I attempted to head into the mountains at first, but the line into the park was so long that I didn't have time to wait in it (got a shot of the road leading in at least). So, I headed to the coast! I made it to La Push for the "Hole in the Wall" hike, where I basically hiked as fast as I could and still wasn't able to make it to the feature due to high tide... On top of that, none of my shots really came out great there. On the way back I saw a Twilight sign and called my wife to ask her why I was seeing more and more of them. When she said Twilight was filmed in Forks and I informed her I was informed her that I was currently in Forks, she was extremely jealous haha. After this call, things took a great turn for the better! I went to Ruby Beach for sunset and it did not disappoint! Unfortunately I was not the only person there... I was annoyed at first, but I kept taking pictures and in many, I think they added a great effect! So, I thank anyone who happened to walk into any of the shots below! Next, I drove the rental to the Hoh Rain Forest and slept in the back seat for the night. I woke up just prior to sunset and hit the Hoh River Out & Back Trail! I got super lucky with great conditions and was able to grab some insane shots of sunrise and golden hour before having to head out for my 8 hour drive back to Spokane! Super stoked on the trip and my wife and I will be back soon to explore more of the park and Twilight highlights!
