Birthplace of the Crescent Roll...and Vampires

Our next day was to a different part of the park where we weren't so high up in the mountains. The first stop was at Crescent Lake where in 1912 at the lodge there, the crescent roll was invented (this may not be accurate, but is there truly any way of really knowing?). The traffic getting there was bad due to construction most likely related to tourists getting rolls (again, may not be accurate - well, the traffic was in fact bad).

The lake itself was really nice and there were a lot of people playing by the dock, out on boats and just swimming. I went down to the water expecting it to be really cold but it was actually just a little cooler than the air temperature. The lodge there was pretty nice inside too. We ended up getting out and stretching for a while and enjoying the scenery before moving on.

Sol Duc Falls was a little further down the road and required about a 2 mile round-trip hike to see it. Since it was around noon and we knew we wouldn't be close to anywhere to eat, we had picked up sandwiches and snacks earlier in the day so we could picnic when we got there. Again, it was pretty busy with the parking lot almost full but only one of the several picnic tables was being used. Unfortunately, it was the only one in the shade and since it was pretty hot and sunny at that point, we used their handy Aprimo blanket to sit on the ground before moving to the table when the other people left. It was pretty nice to just relax and eat lunch out in a park and give Sadie some time to move around.

The hike actually had some elevation changes and while we were mostly shaded from the sun by the large trees, the mosquitoes started to become a problem about halfway there. I'll give Laurel credit - she did all of that with a baby in front of her while getting bit up by the bugs. The hike through the different trees was nice and the falls themselves were cool - literally, as the spray from them was welcome after sweating on the hike up there.

After getting to the house yesterday kind of late, we got to today's place before dinnertime so we didn't have to rush getting everything out of the car. This house had a lock box for the key and we never met the owners and it was a little more relaxing to have a small, old house to ourselves. We stayed in Forks, famous for being the location of the Twilight books. Thankfully it wasn't a full moon so the werewolves stayed away and it was too sunny for the vampires to come out. The town goes all out for Twilight with a bunch of signs and stores that cater to that crowd, even years after the books and movies. It seems like the restaurants all have themed meals too for those diehards that stop by.

After dinner at a pizza place that I really enjoyed, we headed back to the house and spent a relaxing evening sitting around, drinking a few beers and chatting. We ended up staying up way later than we planned so I'm sure we'll pay the price tomorrow. Thankfully Sadie slept great the entire time - after we all went to bed, we never heard her fuss once (though I'm sure Mark and Laurel could hear every little noise as she was in the same room as them). This room was nicer and more comfortable because the bed was better and there was a fan, though the door popping open shortly after we went to bed was a bit disconcerting.

As they say in Forks, "The Edward Sauce contains no garlic." Note: I'm sure some there's some restaurant there that actually says this.