Today is the final day of our trip, and it’s definitely bittersweet to be headed home. We are all pretty exhausted, but it’s been an incredibly fun and scenic trip.
This morning, we woke up around 06:30, loaded the car, and headed southeast of Ashford.
Rivers Coffeehouse & Bistro
About 30 minutes away in Morton, WA, we stopped for breakfast at Rivers Coffeehouse & Bistro. It’s an eclectic joint with fascinating décor, quality food, delectable pastries from Cat and Fiddle bakery in Ashford, and freshly roasted-in-house coffee (albeit dark roast). For some reason, we all were extra hungry, and their prices were very good, so we placed a pretty hefty order.
Dad and I both got a granola parfait with fruit and local granola; Faith got an açaí bowl (whatever that is), Mom got a plum earl grey galette, and we all got a strawberry ricotta cake to split. Dad and I each got a pour over of their house blend, and Faith got their seasonal iced latte (with local honey).
We ate our breakfast in the bistro’s eclectically-decorated dining room. It was all very good, even though it was dark roast coffee. After we ate, we browsed through their retail section and bookstore, and then hit the road again.
Rivers Coffeehouse & Bistro
Morton, WA
Really, this place is worth visiting for the atmosphere rather than the food or drink, although those are pretty good too.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
White Pass Scenic Byway
After driving another hour and a half on the White Pass Scenic Byway and I-5, we finally reached the town of Castle Rock, WA.
WA Parks Interpretive Center
Our first stop was the WA Parks Mount St. Helens Interpretive Center, a repeat from our 2018 trip. However, during our last visit, we hadn’t been able to see the mountain because it was raining and extremely overcast, so we were excited to see more of the mountain and surrounding area.
The visitor center has excellent exhibits (which I highly recommend visiting sometime), but we’d already been through it in 2018, and there’s a pretty steep admission fee, so we decided to move on to other things.
Spirit Lake Highway
Leaving Castle Rock and headed east, we started driving the Spirit Lake Highway towards Mount St. Helens.
The edge of the blast zone is marked by Hoffstadt Creek Bridge. Everything from then on was completely replanted after the eruption in 1980.
Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
The highway was lined with an unbelievable amount of wildflowers, which thrive in the area since the eruption leveled acre upon acre of forest.
Atop a ridge that had a view of the mountain, we stopped at Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center. This is home to the US Forest Service’s Science and Learning Center, which has a variety of exhibits on the buildup, eruption, aftermath, recovery, and monitoring of Mount St. Helens.
We spent well over an hour browsing the exhibits. One exhibit focused on pyroclastic flow, flooding, and river temperature rising. Another talked about the massive elk herds and overpopulation problems. Another had a model of a rover used to navigate the crater and analyze future volcanic activity.
There’s a large observation deck on the backside of the center, where you can see the mountain, Coldwater Lake, and Castle Lake.
Landslide Brings You Down
Normally, the area’s largest visitor center is Johnston Ridge Observatory, named after volcanologist David A. Johnston, who died in the eruption, but managed to warn about many details and help with evacuation plans. However, there was a huge mudslide in 2023 that cut off access to the visitor center and Johnston Ridge.
Twelve people were stranded as a result of the mudslide and had to be evacuated by helicopter; eventually they were reunited with their vehicles two months later. The road is expected to be closed through summer 2026 at the earliest. The Forest Service moved their primary visitor station to Coldwater Ridge instead, and have plans to renovate and improve the center in the coming years.
After spending some time on the observation deck and in the gift shop, we watched a 20 minute short film about the eruption. You can watch it through the US National Archives YouTube below; I’d highly recommend it if you don’t know much about the disaster. The video also includes info on David Johnston, whom I mentioned earlier.
Before leaving Coldwater, we ate some of our snacks from the car, including the last of the Washington apples, and fed Walker his lunch.
Driving
Loading up, we retraced our steps on the Spirit Lake Highway back to Castle Rock, stopped for petrol at the local Shell station, and then began driving north on I-5 towards Olympia.
Traffic was mostly stop-and-go once we got on the interstate, especially in the area around Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Olympia Coffee Roasting
Needing a caffeine boost and a restroom stop, we decided to visit Olympia Coffee Roasting on the south side of Washington’s capital city. Dad and I split two different Ethiopian pour overs, Faith got an iced mocha, and Faith and I split a blackberry kouing amann (a laminated French pastry originating from Brittany – [pronunciation]). Everything was excellent, and I actually ordered some Colombian beans to have shipped back to NC.
Olympia Coffee Roasting
WA - Olympia, Seattle, etc.
Great coffee and pastries! Also a great place to order beans.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Spud's Produce Market
Next door to the coffee shop, there was a small produce market with local fruit, so we decided to stop in to get a snack for everyone, since we’d run out of fruit at lunch. I got a container of marionberries and a container of blueberries, and after setting aside some blueberries for Walker to eat on the flight home, we all split them on the way to our next destination.
Cactus Proctor
Around 17:00, we arrived back in Tacoma, making our PNW trip truly “full circle”. We headed to Cactus Restaurant Proctor on Proctor St., one of a handful of locations of the local “sort-of Tex-Mex” chain Cactus. This turned out to be an incredible dinner. We thought about visiting the week before when we passed through Tacoma, but I decided to save this as a special dinner for our last meal of the trip.
After starting off with some delicious chip and salsa, Faith and I both ordered their famous seafood enchiladas (Pacific snapper, prawns, bay scallops, blue corn tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese, sherry-tomatillo cream sauce, blistered corn salsa, and charred tomato salsa). Mom and Dad both ordered the Cactus Fajitas (cilantro-lime prawns with Spanish rice, cumin black beans, caramelized onions, fresh guacamole, sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, and housemade flour tortillas). We also got Walker a smoked brisket quesadilla.
All the food was truly incredible; we’ll all remember and talk about this meal for a long time. I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favorite, but Walker’s quesadilla might win the prize. They basically gave him a full adult portion, so Dad and I ate the leftovers after the meal so as not to waste it. The brisket was actually incredibly well-done…it’s amazing that a Tex-Mex place in Tacoma would make better brisket than a lot of barbecue joints we’ve visited.
Cactus
WA - Seattle, Tacoma, etc.
Everything about this meal was perfect – spice level, flavors, freshness, portion sizes, atmosphere, service, and more. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Other than boarding our flight, we had but one thing left to do: find a new home for the Pack ‘N Play. I mentioned on Day 1 of this trip that it was cheaper to buy a travel crib for Walker than to pay another checked bag fee, so we just picked one up with our Target mobile order. We’d asked a few younger couples with kids we’d seen waiting at the restaurant if they might need a spare Pack ‘N Play, but everyone said they already had one. Finally, we asked our waiter if he knew of anyone who was expecting a baby, and he said there was a waitress on staff who was expecting her first child soon. The waitress said she and her husband had been looking at buying one soon, and she was thrilled to have it!
Metropolitan Market
To kill a few minutes before heading to the airport, we walked across the street to Metropolitan Market, a famous local grocery store chain. All their locations sell “The Cookie“, a massive warm cookie that they continually bake fresh throughout the day. Faith and I split one; meanwhile we explored the store, and grabbed a few squeeze snacks and a new pack of baby wipes for Walker. I wish we’d allowed more time here; it was exceptionally interesting, and they sold much more than just groceries. Their selection of produce, meats, seafood, and cheeses were astounding for a chain grocery. “The Cookie” also lived up to its hype; we were very glad we got one, even though we were full from dinner.
Metropolitan Market
WA - Seattle, Tacoma, etc.
Come for “The Cookie”, stay for the excellent selection of food, housewares, and other goods.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Airport
Taking a slightly roundabout route to avoid evening traffic, we drove north towards the airport, getting one last look at Mt. Rainier as we drove.
It took a while to drop off the luggage, return the rental car, check the car seat, and make it through security, but we made it to our gate with a moderate amount of time to spare. We were treated with a gorgeous sunset as we boarded and took off over the Puget Sound.
The flight home was fairly miserable, as all red-eyes are, but Walker and Faith slept almost the entire time. We arrived in CLT shortly after 05:00 on Saturday, fetched our car from The Parking Spot and our luggage from the downstairs carousel, and immediately drove to Chick-fil-A in Linconton for breakfast, arriving shortly after they opened. After a quick stop in Granite Falls, Faith and I drove back up the mountain, arriving home around 08:50, and then napping until around 12:00.
Video
Here’s a short video from today’s adventures. Bonus: this also features a video Faith took of our garden when we returned to Boone!
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center”.
The best thing I ate today was… “seafood enchiladas and Walker’s brisket quesadilla”.
Faith
The best thing I saw today was… “the view of Mount St. Helens”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the meal at Cactus“.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “the view from Coldwater Ridge”.
The best thing I ate today was… “shrimp fajitas and the WA Cosmic Crisp apple”.
Amy
The best thing I saw today was… “the views of Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, and the film at the visitor center”.
The best thing I ate today was… “shrimp fajitas”.
Wrapping Up
Well, it’s been an amazing trip! It was a grand way to officially celebrate Dad’s retirement, and was fun to spend time with everyone for nearly two straight weeks. I know it will definitely be hard to go back to work, and especially to not spend so much time with Walker (and everyone else) each day.
Below, I’ve polled everyone about their memories from the trip. It’d be impossible to record (or even remember) all the wonderful things we did, but these are just what came to mind for everyone.
Thanks to those of you who follow along. I really started write my blog to record the memories, but I’m glad that a few other people seem to enjoy it too.
Three Food Highlights
Question: what are three food highlights from this trip? Note: everyone said Granville Island Public Market was a top thing, so I’m excluding that. Also, it’s likely that everyone will share more than three.
Isaac
- Cactus in Tacoma, WA
- Fox & Oak in Squamish, BC
- The Oak Table in Sequim, WA
- Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria, BC
Faith
- Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream
- Breakfast at The Oak Table
- Shrimp dish at Italian restaurant in Mount Vernon
- Cactus
Jerry
- Biscuits and gravy at The Oak Table
- Halibut at Red Fish Blue Fish
- Lee’s Donuts
- Fresh raspberries
Amy
- Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream
- Breakfast at The Oak Table
- Cod at Northern Fish Co.
- My Italian meal in Mount Vernon
Three Activity Highlights
Question: what are three activity highlights from this trip?
Isaac
- Mt. Baker
- Olympic hiking
- Mt. Rainier hiking
Faith
- Sunset ferry ride to Victoria
- Sourdough Ridge hike
- Butchart Gardens, especially riding the carousel with Walker
Jerry
- The morning ferry ride leaving Vancouver Island
- The hike to Sol Doc Falls
- Pushing Walker in his stroller while Isaac and Faith hiked
Amy
- Sunset ferry ride to Vancouver Island
- Mt. Rainer at Paradise, including the old lodge
- Butchart Gardens (delightful!)
Three Disappointments
Question: what are three things that disappointed you this trip? Note: I’m excluding the flat tire escapade and the unexpected heat wave, since both were obviously not great.
Isaac
- Pike Place was not as great this time
- Not enough time at Olympic – could’ve spent a whole week or two there
- Didn’t get to do a longer hike in North Cascades
- The road to Johnston Ridge Observatory was still closed
Faith
- No orcas on either of the ferry rides
- No other disappointments!
Jerry
- No A/C in some of the places we stayed
- The train ride was shorter than expected
- We didn’t see much wildlife
Amy
- We saw very little wildlife
- We didn’t get to try the chowder at Pike Place
- Can’t think of a third thing
Three Surprises
Question: what are three things that surprised you this trip?
Isaac
- The Dungeness Spit
- How much there was to do at Mt. Rainier
- How much snow there was at Mt. Baker
Faith
- Edible wild berries
- Seeing elk
- Walker sleeping really well every night, despite the strange locations
Jerry
- How much I enjoyed Butchart Gardens
- How big Mt. Ranier was, and then finding out we were still 6 miles away from it
- That it only took 3.5 minutes for the eruption at Mount St. Helens to cover such a large area
- The portable A/C unit in our bathroom in Ashford
Amy
- The wild orange salmonberries were delicious
- The beautiful color of the lakes
- I really enjoyed Mount St. Helens and learning more about its history
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! Click here to subscribe to email notifications.
It’s been another great trip, and we’re glad we could share it with you! Stay tuned for another blog series coming very soon.
– Isaac, Faith, Jerry, Amy, and Walker
3 Responses
A wonderful, spectacular trip!
Thank you, Isaac, for all your detailed planning!! We made so many special memories!!! ❤️
I enjoyed your trip!
Look forward to the next one.
It will be fun when your child can tell us what he liked and disliked!!!
Thank you for sharing your trip. I loved following along on your adventures! Your photos were amazing!