Two years ago I asked for advice on what to do during a short stay in the Seattle area.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/916223-short-vacation-seattle-area.html As a result of that advise we had one of the best vacations in our family's history. We were taking a cruise out of Seattle and had a couple of days before the cruise and four days after. We ended up staying in downtown Seattle the days before the cruise and spent it by having dinner at the Space Needle, walking the downtown area, exploring Pike's Market, and exploring all of the downtown areas accesable on foot. We left the cruise the last night at Victoria, BC and stayed the night. We walked everywhere within easy reach of the waterfront and took the ferry to Port Angeles. We spent the rest of our time touring every inch of Olympic National Park, from Hurricane Ridge to Ruby Beach and Rialto Beach, and Hoh Rain Forest. It was seriously one of the best vacation we ever had and we want to thank all the PP Posters who helped us along the way. And now . . .
We want to go back.
This time just the Wifey and I are going, and we would like to build on our experience. The combination of ocean and mountain and urban adventures available in Seattle are unparalleled. We are planning to leave August 31 and come back September 8. That's basically Labor Day weekend and the week after. We continue to have the impression that we can either go west towards Olympic National Park or the San Juan Islands or go east toward Mt. Rainier, but not both in a single, week-long vacation. Since we've already done Olympic National Park, I'm focusing on the San Juans. We will fly into Seattle that Friday, August, 31, and spend a day or two reliving our urban Seattle/Pike's Market experience, before starting our real vacation. Can we spend a full week in the San Juans without getting bored? Can we spend a couple of days on the Islands and then go east toward Mt. Rainier and spend the rest of the week in the mountains? Or should we just head toward Mt. Rainier, conqueror it by car and hiking, and then head deeper into the wilderness?
I personally love the ferries in the Pacific Northwest region. We've been to Victoria and we've spent a fair amount of time in Vancouver, BC. Still, we're interested in a ferry adventure.
Does anyone have the Seattle area? any recommendations on how to maximize a 7-10 day adventure in the Seattle/PNW area?