Road Trip | Crab And Seafood Festival To Sol Duc Hot Springs | WA| USA

As we enter mid-autumn here in Washington, we want to put on a road trip to see the changing color of the scenery.  As we ponder where to go, my partner in crime noticed the Port Angeles Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival is happening right about this time.  It so happens that we have always wanted to check out the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, and these two are not that far apart, so it makes sense to put them on one trip.

Not wasting any time, we check for vacancies at the hot spring, lo and behold, they have one!!!  I can’t believe it, because they are usually fully booked!! Although the vacancy is on a Sunday, but we will take it, we will not miss this chance!!

So it is set, the road trip is one night in Port Angeles for the crab festival and one night in the Olympic National Park for the hot spring.  Let’s drive!

As you can see from the map, it’s not a long drive, it’s only two hours from Tacoma, and one more hour from Port Angeles to the hot spring, in mostly beautiful fall scenery.  The one thing you need to know about me is, I love driving, I love road trips, it’s one of the things that is in my blood. Driving is a way for me to feel free, to be free.  So maybe some of you may think a two-hour drive is long, to me, that really is a very short drive, I see it no different from driving to a neighborhood store to get some milk. Wink~

We try to make it a point to start driving earlier this time, and we did. As A result, we arrived in Port Angeles just a bit after noon.  It was a miracle!

Port Angeles was already crowded at that time, even the beach park was lined with people, we are not that early.  Hey, for one of the biggest fair in Washington, you have got to be early right? And for those sweet sweet Dungeness crab, what won’t you do?

Without these volunteers, the festival will not be possible, and these two are in high spirit! We all know that positive energy is contagious, they get me in good mood and I am ready to eat some crab! And I am very sure all the crabs prepared by them will taste heavenly!

I have never seen so many people in a Washington state small town before, they are from all over the country and all over the world, all congregating here for our famous and delicious Dungeness crab. I guess the Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival did not make the hundred list of the most attended festival in the United States for nothing.

Sitting beside me was an older couple coming from the other side of the strait, Victoria Island, Canada.  The came here by boat, how fun is that? It’s good to see our brothers and sisters from the north came here to share the sweetness of the Dungeness crab with us.

The absolute main focus of the festival, the crab meal. This is the sole reason people are here, and this one is mind.  Nobody touches it, I will defend it with my life. You have been warned.

According to the people who serve me the crab, this is the biggest one they have seen all day, so I got lucky, I got a monster, look at it, the claw is almost as big as my face!

The crab itself did not disappoint, it was fresh, it was well cooked, it was absolutely delicious! I have a blast eating them.  And because this crab is so big, it took me almost an hour to finish eating it. Or you can say, clean it. All meat was eaten, meat at the joints, at all the conspicuous corner, all ate up, nothing left behind, only empty shell remains.  The crab was so good it worth the wait.

Talking about the wait, we were lucky, we did not wait too long, we came in at the right time.  But just after we had our crab, the wait got crazy, there was a line forming all the way through outside the tent and into the streets.  A family that we are meeting here has to stay in line for a good 45 minutes to get their crab lunch… wow…

After lunch, we walk around, enjoy the various things the festival has to offer, rest up a bit at the hotel, and we went for a walk at the waterfront trail in Port Angeles.

It’s a beautiful and serene trail, the ocean is the Salish Sea on the Strait of Juan De Fuca, the other side of the strait is Canada, the Victoria island.  The trail is long, we did not finish it, we walk for about two miles back and forward. 

We are ready for some more food after the walk. Dinner time!!!

I was thinking about going back for another set of Dungeness crab dinner, but then I have decided not to. I mean, as good as the crab was, there were still so many seafoods at the fair I have yet to try!! So I got my self some halibut fish and chips, a very unique crab cake, a half dozen of Shigoku oyster on the half shell, and for dessert, pumpkin pie, in accordance to the season.

The highlight here is the Shigoku oyster, they were so fresh, and the salinity in it is just perfect, add some lemon drops and a little bit of their in-house horseradish, oh my god, heaven.

After an awesome bright and sunny day, it was raining the next day. In fact, it was raining for the rest of the trip. Not that I mind, here in the Pacific Northwest, we are used to rain, rain is our friend, and just like any other friend, sometimes they are annoying, but you can’t live without them.

Rainy day means good business, although, at La Belle Creperie, they are always busy, that’s what you get for being a local favorite and one of the best breakfast places in town, especially so when a major festival is ongoing.  

I had coffee here before, and their coffee is good, I just didn’t know their crepe is good too. I usually do not like sweet for breakfast, but I like this strawberry crepe, very refreshing and not too heavy, exactly to my liking, and it pairs up perfectly with the coffee, just a touch of creme and no
sugar. Perfect. Oh, what a wonderful start to the morning.

The crab festival is all about food, so what do we do after breakfast? We eat, we eat more food.

Most food at the festival is seafood, come to think of it, I didn’t I have seen any food other than seafood.  I could be wrong, maybe I see only what I wanted to see, but I have had my eye on this paella since day one, I just don’t have the room in my tummy for it. Not today, I will have you today, all resistant is pointless, muahahaha … sorry, I got carried away … 

But these paellas sure is excellent, they have the longest line outside of the crab meal.  They use the freshest seafood, the muscle and clams were so good, I love it so much, so full of flavor, so aromatic, each mouthful is just music in the air, I can eat this whole day.

They were so popular that they were sold out before the festival ends, and their Dungeness crab paella sold out on the first day! I didn’t even have the chance to try it. Better early next year!

Close up of the excellent Seafood Paella, they got muscle and clams and peas, and, you won’t guess it, they got some meat in it too. The meat is chorizo, the Spanish sausage. I am a meat eater, but in this case, I can do without the chorizo, just shellfish would be good enough in my opinion.

After some more food, we are on our way to Sol Duc Hot Springs. This is the scenery on highway 101 by Lake Crescent on a very wet and rainy day. Even so, the scenery is still amazingly scenic and pretty, the fog and mist only added to its beauty and mystery. Washington is lush even late in the year.

The entrance of the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort.  Before you even arrive, you can already see the steam from the hot spring pools from very far away, the hot springs are behind the main building, which is also where the lobby is.

We didn’t waste any time.  We check in, we change, we shower, and we are in the pool.  It’s raining, it’s cold, but it won’t matter, because we are soaking in the hot water, and rain and cold and snow are just perfect elements that go amazingly well with hot spring. Ah, how fun it is to see and feel the rain yet you are so comfortably laying and relaxing in the hot water.

There was a crowd in the pool because they close one down for maintenance, something about the water temperature is not right.  The got 3 hot spring pools in the resort, not counting the big swimming pool, two for the adult with one higher and one lower in temperature, and one for kids.

It’s alright, we got cozy and get to know each other better.

I swear you get hungry faster when you are relaxing, because I was hungry after the soak, maybe it’s the hot spring, but all the why is not important, the only important thing is, I am hungry, and I want food.

As far as dining option goes, you got one and only one.  There’s only one restaurant in the whole resort.  If you want anything else, you will have to drive far.  And you still won’t have much option other than a few local joints.  Welcome to the woods.

The food at the restaurant is not bad really, and the menu is quite sufficient, and hey, they have elk burger, that’s uncommon and that’s what I will have. It was good, but I can’t tell it apart from beef burger though …

The next day, it is still raining, it is still wet, but it didn’t stop the maples from displaying their gorgeous fall color in red and gold. I went for a walk and takes in all the beauty of the season.

What do you do while you are in a hot spring resort? You go for a dip in the hot springs, even before coffee and breakfast. That’s rare for someone like me, I usually don’t do anything until I eat something, or at least after I have some coffee. I even went for a swim on empty stomach, wow, that is so not me …

The swimming pool is just a regular swimming pool, temperature regulated at around 75F, cold compared to the hot springs, but warm compare to air temperature, so it’s a pretty comfortable swim.  It’s supposed to be good for the health when you alternate between cold and hot water.

The swimming pool has no sulfuric elements in it, but they might be heavier in mineral for being where they are, we might still get some benefit for swimming in it, who knows right?

After the soak, we say goodbye to the hot springs and we are on our way back. But our trip back was delayed by construction on the road.  We were stuck on the road with the rain hitting non-stop.  Actually, except day 1, it has been raining the whole trip.  Not that I am complaining, we are in the wet wet Washington state after all.  And Washington is always charming and romantic when it rain, makes being stuck on the road a lot more bearable.  Just close my eyes, listen to the rain hitting the car and the ground, and just be, at peace.

Someone in my family did not want this trip to end too fast, so we stop by Poulsbo, a charming small town on Liberty Bay.  We didn’t do much, just walk around, have some snacks from here and there, enjoying this small town in the autumn rain.

I spent sometimes walking alone trying to find some good scene to photograph and walk by this waterfront restaurant by the marinas.

This is a good restaurant to visit just for the view alone, grab an IPA, grab a seat by the windows, and let your mind sink into the deep fog of Liberty Bay, let yourself be lost in tranquility.

One thing I love to do on a cold rainy day?  Ice cream.  I love eating ice cream on cold days, the colder the better, even better on snowy days, that’s my weirdness shining through here, lol.  Mora, a local ice cream shop made in Bainbridge Island, has a branch here and is perfect for the occasion. 

Guess what I found right before we go back?  Full bloom sunflowers.  No sun? Raining? Gloomy day? Not a problem as long as you got these sunflowers that is as big as my head.  In the absence of sun, they are the sun, they are summer, they are the sauce of energy and happiness, they will brighten whatever darkness we got in our heart.

With that, the journey ended, and the next road awaits, until next time.

-Lumaca