Today was our third morning waking up on the Olympic Peninsula. Our plan was to depart for Canada around lunchtime today, but as you’ll soon learn, that plan quickly derailed.
Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
Dad and I woke up early at our VRBO in Sequim and decided to drive a few minutes north to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, on the northern shore of the Olympic Peninsula. The Dungeness Spit is a sand spit (think sandbar, but connected to land) that juts five miles out into the bay, providing a bay that houses thousands of birds, seals, shellfish, and fish. At the end of the spit, the New Dungeness Lighhouse has been serving ships since 1857. The lighthouse is only accessible via boat, or by walking the five miles out onto the spit.
The path from the parking lot down to the beach winds through a rain forest, and then drops off steeply at the water. The Fish and Wildlife Service manages the area, maintains the trails, and patrols for unauthorized/out of season activities. The local parks and rec department also manages some beach access adjured to the wildlife refuge.
The trail down to the beach is about 0.6mi one-way, but is mostly flat, until you reach the cliffs above the beach. The refuge is home to over 20,000 birds, and was surprisingly peaceful and strikingly quiet, even with all the wildlife activity.
The spit and shoreline were fairly deserted, and surprisingly chilly. We walked around for a while, hoping to spot one of the famous Dungeness crabs, but were unsuccessful.
On our way back to the car, we ran into a couple of black-tailed deer on the path.
After leaving the beach, we ran a couple more errands. Then, around 09:00, we arrived back at our VRBO to pick up everyone else, check out, and head out for the day.
The Oak Table
We checked out of our VRBO and drove back into the heart of Sequim to The Oak Table, a breakfast and lunch cafe that’s been open since 1981. We got a breakfast plate with fruit for Walker; Mom got scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes; Dad got biscuits and sausage gravy with scrambled eggs; and Faith and I split a Swiss and bacon scramble and their signature menu item, an apple pancake.
The apple pancake is “made in the tradition of a soufflé, baked in our oven until at least 3 inches high, filled with fresh apples, and covered with a pure cinnamon glaze”. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had a “new” breakfast item, but this definitely fit the bill. It was amazing – light and fluffy, with a crispy cinnamon crust and tons of fresh apple slices – but not overly sweet at all. It came with an apple syrup that complemented it perfectly. It will forever stand out as one of the best breakfast items I’ve ever had.
The rest of the meal was excellent as well. Dad’s biscuits and gravy were particularly good, and we were very impressed with the fruit, local bacon, and homemade bread. The service was also great, and even though everything was a little expensive for breakfast food, we all thought it was well worth it.
The Oak Table
Sequim, WA
A little pricey, but worth every penny. You have to try the apple pancake! Everything we had was excellent, and the service and atmosphere were both outstanding.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Essence Coffee Roasters
While everyone else loaded up in the car, I walked a few stores down the street to secure us three cups of coffee from Essence Coffee Roasters. This is the shop we’d tried to visit on Day 2, but it wasn’t open; thankfully, it was open today. Faith, Dad, and I all got the same thing: a drip of their current special (they usually only offer a few coffees at a time). It was a very sweet, syrupy Colombian coffee with a nice raspberry-note finish, yet had very minimal acidity. It was a very unique cup, and I’m glad we made an effort to visit the cafe. I might even mail-order some beans from them sometime.
Essence Coffee Roasters
Sequim, WA
A small but well-curated selection of light/medium roast beans, a handful of quality pastries, and an extreme attention to detail make this a worthwhile stop for both black coffee and espresso drinks.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
The Absence of Tire Pressure
Several months ago, I’d booked us a hard-to-secure spot on the Black Ball Ferry Line from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC. Since Victoria is on Vancouver Island, you must cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca (a 1.5hr journey across open water) to reach the city. Around the week of July 4, spots were extremely limited and had sold out quickly.
We were running a little late for the ferry, and hustling down US-101 so we could make the boarding on time. That’s when disaster struck. Within seconds, one of our tires dropped to <5 PSI. Dad acted quickly to get us off the road, and managed to pull into parking lot of a Safeway gas station.
Some Lessons on Rental Cars
Now resigned to the fact that we’d definitely missed our ferry reservation, it was time to address the more pressing problem(s) at hand. I’ll try to make this as short of a saga as possible, since it was a whirlwind of events.
The standard procedure for the Alamo/Enterprise/National rental group is to (1) Uber one person to the nearest Enterprise office to pick up a new car while (2) another Uber or two takes the rest of your party and luggage back to wherever you’re staying for the night. The problem, clearly, was that we were supposed to stay in another country that was a ferry ride away. Also, their system said the closest office was one that was geographically close, but actually required a ferry ride that would have taken hours. The ride back to SEA-TAC (the next closest) was a 6+ hour round trip. The roadside assistance line had been mostly unhelpful, as their system didn’t really let them deviate from standard procedure.
Next, I tried the branch at the local airport, since I knew Port Angeles has a small regional airport with a tiny Enterprise counter. They didn’t have any vehicles large enough to hold the five of us, but nonetheless offered to help in any way they could.
I began to realize that giving up the van wasn’t a good idea, since the common theme was a shortage of large rental vehicles. So, I started looking into repairing/replacing the tire, instead of swapping vehicles. After trying several different phone numbers, I finally contacted a much more helpful woman at the Enterprise counter in Seattle. She told me if we could get it to a tire center or repair shop that Enterprise partnered with, they would authorize a repair.
There was a Pep Boys across the street, which I didn’t expect to be very helpful. They weren’t; they didn’t do anything tire-related. We could see a Les Schwab Tire Center just down the road (maybe 100 yards from the Safeway parking lot), and I was able to call and confirm they could authorize a repair with Enterprise. Only one problem: we couldn’t get the van there, at least not as-is.
We tried pumping up the tire with the rental-company-provided air pump, and with the Safeway gas station’s coin-operated compressor – total failure on both counts. I decided I could just put the spare on, but there was no spare tire or jack in the vehicle; apparently rental companies remove them for some reason.
Finally, I decided I’d just get AAA to tow us, and that I’d just just ask forgiveness of Enterprise rather than permission.
Evergreen Towing
An Evergreen Collision Center tow truck arrived within an hour of me calling AAA, which honestly wasn’t nearly as slow as I expected. It was quite the interesting experience; the driver had difficulty securing the van on the flatbed, and Dad and I really thought it was going to careen off the truck bed.. The two of us rode down to Les Schwab (it took all of 3 minutes) in the cab of the wrecker, which was in horrible shape, complete with an exceptionally greasy coffee cup.
Les Schwab, Our Hero
The folks at Les Schwab Tire Center were very helpful, and offered to work us in as soon as they could. Unfortunately, it would be at least a couple hours before they found us a slot, as the place was exceptionally busy. It had a nice waiting room and bathroom, so at least we had a decent place to wait (it would’ve been nicer to have grocery store snacks though).
While we waited, two men I’m pretty sure were Cheech and Chong came in and sat across from us. Either that, or it were Huckleberry Finn and one of his vagrant friends. It was quite the entertaining experience watching them try to function/speak.
Meanwhile...
While Dad and I waited at the tire center, Mom, Faith, and Walker stayed at the Safeway, sitting in the Starbucks/cafe area, and snacking occasionally. Apparently, their egg roll was excellent.
While at Les Schwab, I spent a good 30 minutes on the phone with the ferry line trying to figure out if we could even make it across. All bookings through the weekend were sold out, so they basically told us to show up and they’d try their best to help us out.
Ferry Line
We finally got back on the road, and started making our way down to the Port Angeles waterfront, heading straight for the ferry. This was probably the most anxious I’d been in a long time, since we had no other options to get to the island, or to our hotel, for that matter. I was already researching starting a case with our travel insurance so we could get a hotel room for the night. We arrived a little after 16:00, and they told us we definitely couldn’t make the 17:15 ferry; it was already overbooked. However, to our great relief, they told us we could make it on the 21:30 ferry, although we’d cut it very close.
Someone had to stay with the vehicle until they had unloaded and then loaded the 17:15 ferry, so we took turns walking to the restrooms in the Port Angeles Wharf, which was right next door. Finally, the 17:15 ferry departed, and the attendants were able to line up the cars for the next boarding.
Downriggers on the Water
After assessing our nearby food options, I got us on the wait list at Downriggers on the Water, which was on the second floor of the Port Angeles Wharf building. We only waited for 30 minutes or so, and then got an excellent table with views of the water. Faith ordered a burger on a pretzel bun, Mom got cod and chips, Dad ordered prawns and chips, and I got a Dungeness crab and shrimp melt with Tillamook cheddar. All the food was very good, probably amplified by the fact that we were all exceptionally hungry, especially Dad and me, who had not had an egg roll earlier.
Downriggers on the Water
Port Angeles, WA
Very good old-school seafood with a great view. Worth a stop if you’re in the area.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Welly's Real Fruit Ice Cream
We had a few more hours to kill before we could board the ferry. I’d intentionally ordered a semi-lite dinner, knowing Welly’s was downstairs in the wharf building. We’d already visited on Day 2, and I hoped there was a chance we’d be back, just not under precarious circumstances. This time, I got regular ice cream instead of their NZ-style fresh fruit blend. I ordered “Hokey Pokey” (sea salt caramel honeycomb) and a scoop of mixed berry. Faith got Hokey Pokey and lavender vanilla, while Mom got their signature mixed berry blend again. It was very tasty, especially the Hokey Pokey.
Welly's Real Fruit Ice Cream
Port Angeles, WA
If you’re looking for truly unique ice cream, this is the place! Both their signature fruit-infused ice cream and their traditional ice cream are delicious.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Shopping/Waiting
We continued to shop around the wharf, which had a few retail stores and an arcade. At 1 of a Kind Art Gallery, I got a pottery tumbler to take back as a souvenir. In the arcade, Walker was able to meet his real life hero, Lowly Worm from the Richard Scarry books.
As the sun began to set, we spent some time walking around the wharf, taking in the golden views of the water and mountains in the distance.
The sun began to drop below the horizon, coating everything with a red-orange glow.
Black Ball Ferry Line
Finally, it came time to board the ferry to Victoria. The Black Ball Ferry company dates back to 1818, and the Coho Black Ball line between Port Angeles and Victoria has been operating since 1959. Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters even have a song about the company (see below).
We boarded the ferry, and sat in a booth on the passenger deck.
As we sailed out of the harbor, we could see the sandy cliffs of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in the distance, bringing our day full circle. The ferry was running about 30 minutes late, but we were simply happy to be on the boat.
It turned out to be one of the most spectacular sunsets I’d ever seen. So, even though the day had definitely not gone as planned, it still had a great ending.
It was smooth sailing, aside from the frigid winds that whipped across the decks.
Land Ho
Soon, we could see the lights of the Victoria Harbour as we approached Vancouver Island.
Customs
Since we were basically the last car to board the ferry, we were also one of the last cars off. It took well over 30 minutes to load up, drive off, and clear customs. I think Mom almost froze to death while she and I were waiting on Dad to pick us up at the dock outside the boat. She was huddled over trying to stay out of the wind, and I told her she looked like a turtle in that position. Canada decided it was acceptable for us to enter, and we finally passed through, when most of the other booth operators had already shut down for the night.
Hotel
Originally, I’d booked an Airbnb for our lodging in Victoria. However, due to a law that BC recently passed regarding short-term rentals, the host was forced to cancel on us rather last-minute. It was a struggle, but we managed to find a hotel in downtown for two nights. We arrived at the hotel a little after 01:00 PST, checked in, and sent Faith, Walker, and Mom up to bed. Dad and I then circled some of Victoria’s many one-way streets to reach the hotel’s self-parking garage. I think we had to make 8 turns to reach a building that was visible across the intersection from the hotel’s front door.
I wound up getting in bed just before 02:00 PST, completely exhausted. Till this point, we’d managed to keep Walker on EST, and had hoped to for the duration of the trip. Those hopes were completely dashed, as he did not really nap all day. Ultimately, we were grateful to be safe, in the correct country, on the correct island, and at our already-paid-for lodging.
Video
Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “sunset while finally being on the ferry”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the apple pancake, the rest of breakfast, and the coffee from Essence”.
Faith
The best thing I saw today was… “the water from the ferry”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the apple pancake”.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “the Dungeness Spit. The worst things I saw were Cheech and Chong and the tow truck we rode in”.
The best thing I ate today was… “biscuits and sausage gravy, but prawns and chips were a close second”.
Amy
The best thing I saw today was… “sunset on the ferry”.
The best thing I ate today was… “Welly’s ice cream”.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! Click here to subscribe to email notifications.
Tomorrow [if we can wake up], we’ll explore Victoria and the Saanich peninsula, and visit some famous botanical gardens.
– Isaac, Faith, Jerry, Amy, and Walker
5 Responses
Thank you for sharing.
Goodness! WHAT A DAY! Glad things worked out for you, even if it did take the entire day! Glad you arrived safe and sound!
Food looked delicious!
Scenery was breathtaking.
Hope your days were better as you traveled on!
Walker must be a really good baby. What a trip!
You know my new car didn’t come with a spare and jack. It just came with a can of tire repair/air and basically a “good luck”. I can’t say I like that new way of doing business.
Loved the pictures and the way you write your stories. Would loved to have seen your and Jerry’s faces as you listened to Cheech and Chong. The sunset was indeed beautiful. Thanks for taking me along.