Tim, Stephanie and I spent an afternoon venturing into Hurricane Ridge, a park in the Olympic mountains. It was roughly a 90-minute drive that brought us through just about any kind of weather imaginable. We departed an overcast Bainbridge Island, headed north into some patchy clouds and sunshine, passed through some hail which turned into rain, drove through sunny Sequim, WA, which is in a rain shadow created by the Olympics, began our climb into Hurricane ridge with some light flurries and scattered clouds which turned sharply into near blizzard-like conditions as we drove higher.

Beginning our venture into the white out, Tim leads the way through a path of snow-laden trees.

Making our own path through deep snow.

Truly a winter wonderland.

Tim’s new 2012 Toyota Tacoma, being put to the test.

Having never been to Washington state before, I was eager to have the opportunity to explore a new area of the country. Tim and Stephanie, whom I went to school with and are now engaged, live on Bainbridge Island, a ferry’s ride to the west of downtown Seattle. The island, while less than 10 miles from Seattle, embraces a rural, small-town feel in comparison to the sky scrapers that pierce the horizon just across the Puget Sound.

I was able to spend my time venturing into several parts of Bainbridge Island, downtown Seattle, and a part of the Olympics. Here are some photos from my arrival and a quick afternoon dog-walking trip Tim and I took on Friday.

Mt. Rainier from across the aisle.

Broken clouds welcoming us in.

Tim & Brick