Port Angeles & Sequim Bed and Breakfast
Oceanfront Lodging on Washington's Olympic Peninsula

For you football fans, at breakfast we couldn’t help but notice two shiny Superbowl rings on our guest’s hands.  Back in the day, Dan Bunz played for the 49′ers and basked in two Superbowl victories.  In Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24, 1982, he made the most famous goal-line tackle in Super Bowl history–”The Stop.” He and his awesome wife Liz (gardener extraordinaire) kept us mesmerized with their inspiring stories!

We told them we just might change the name of their room to “The Bunz Room.”    ~Bonnie

Liz & Dan Bunz: "The Stop" at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast

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Yesterday was a beautiful spring day to be working in the flower gardens at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast.  The bees were buzzing happily about the heather, the tulips are just beginning to open, and the fragrance from the hyacinth smells like sweet summer.

Our Washington State B&B sits on a bluff high above the waterway that meanders from the Pacific Ocean to Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, and finally the Puget Sound.    ~Bonnie

Heather in Bloom at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast

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Last summer we planted this Flowering Weeping Cherry at the bed and breakfast.  Found her at a great nursery between Sequim and Port Angeles called Vision Landscape and Nursery.

So happy she made it through the winter.  Seeing her pink blossoms for the first time made me want to break out in song.  Didn’t want to scare the guests away though so I just hummed.   ~Bonnie

Flowering Weeping Cherry at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast

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Ride the Hurricane!

On August 5, 2012, Olympic National Park will close the Hurricane Ridge Road for its annual bicycling event.  This is the only day of the year when cyclists own this spectactular stretch of winding mountain road.  All 17 miles of it!  For the first time, there will be no pilot cars for the downhill descent, so cyclists can ride (or fly) at their own pace. At the 5,200 foot summit, you’ll be treated to snacks and beverages at the Visitors Center.  Cost is $35, and you can register at http://www.portangeles.org/ride-the-hurricane.html

After the ride, you’ll need to soak in a Jacuzzi or hot tub, of course, and I know the perfect Port Angeles Bed and Breakfast:  Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast!

Road to Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles, Washington

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From the dining room window, we admired this bald eagle in the back yard of the bed and breakfast. (Port Angeles and Sequim, where we are, along with the rest of the Olympic Peninsula, enjoy daily sightings of these awesome birds of prey.)  Then this little brown bird, not much bigger than a chicken nugget, swoops in and lands next to the eagle.  That’s some pluck.  For several minutes they sat silently, until the eagle finally spread his six-foot wings and flew off.  The nugget promptly hopped onto the eagle’s perch.  I could almost hear her say, “king of the mountain!”

Bald Eagle and Buddy at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed and Breakfast

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Hurricane Ridge and the Olympic Mountains

Thanks to Tom Roorda for capturing this amazing view of our Olympic Mountains from his small plane a couple of days ago. Wow!

You can’t see her in this picture, but one of our guests, Vanessa, was visiting Hurricane Ridge at the time. She came back gushing about the spectacular views. On the ground or in the air, the Olympics are an unforgettable sight. ~Bonnie

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The bald eagles are putting on quite a show, flirting and courting again. These juveniles were practicing courtship rituals–getting ready for their heads to turn white, which happens when bald eagles are mature, at about four years old. All over the Olympic Peninsula, especially near the beaches at this time of year, you can see playful, courting bald eagles.

Juvenile Bald Eagles Practicing Courtship Rituals at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast

Thanks to our guest, David, who snapped this photo from the window of his guestroom.  It’s way better than any of the pictures I’ve taken this month! ~Bonnie

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At the upper Elwha River dam, Photographer John Gussman took this amazing photo of the first chunk smashed from the dam. Can’t wait to see the new face of the Elwha river when the dam is gone.

It’s exciting to think about the salmon returning.  Yesterday scientists released 10 big, healthy radio-tagged Chinook salmon into Lake Mills, which sits above the dam. The Chinooks haven’t returned to swim in those waters since the construction of the dam in 1910. 

It’s also exciting that this is the largest dam removal in the history of the U.S!

Elwha Dam - History in the Making!

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Today I strolled along the part of the Olympic Discovery Trail that hugs the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Port Angeles.  I began my jaunt at the City Pier, where there is plenty of free parking.  The wheelchair-accessible waterfront trail is lined with benches that face the water to take in the view of Canada and the passing ships.

About a mile along the path, I climbed a staircase to see the newly unveiled 9/11 memorial.  A rusty steel I-beam had been salvaged from the wreckage of the Twin Towers, and it was donated to our county.  I had to put my hand on the huge scrap of metal and close my eyes for a bit.  I was glad no one else was around. 

Although the paved, level trail paled in comparison to the Lake Crescent waterfront trails, it was well worth the short trip and was quite memorable in its own way.  ~Bonnie

Olympic Discovery Waterfront Trail in Port Angeles

September 11 Memorial in Port Angeles

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Yesterday I took a respite from bed & breakfast chores and hiked the Spruce Railroad trail, which skirts Lake Crescent.  What a beautiful September day! 

The trail, which is about 17 miles west of Port Angeles, meanders around the lake about 4 miles each way.  So I hiked half of it for a pleasant 4-mile round trip.  The trail is well maintained.  The path rises and falls in gentle slopes and valleys, almost always with the sparkling glacier-fed lake within view. 

Lake Crescent from the Spruce Railroad Trail

Spruce Railroad is the  trail less traveled, and I had the whole trail to myself.  It was a most peaceful and beautiful way to recharge the spirit.  ~Bonnie

Bridge over Devil's Punchbowl on Spruce Railroad Trail, Lake Crescent

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