Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are the Romies. We are married To each other. Right? We are a touring musical duo.

Speaker 2: 0:11

And our music has taken us to all kinds of places all around the world and keeps us always on the go.

Speaker 1: 0:16

So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while running around working to keep all your plates spinning.

Speaker 2: 0:22

And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle and feed your inner travel bug.

Speaker 1: 0:30

Hello, all Our month with you exploring the Olympic Peninsula is fueled by Larissa's Kitchen LK, and we couldn't be more excited.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Even me as a vegetarian. I'm excited to share this brand with you because they make clean, portable meat snacks with zero sugar. They are certified top nine allergen free and they focus on real ingredients you can actually pronounce and recognize.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Yeah, like meat, real meat.

Speaker 2: 0:59

If you're going to eat meat, it needs to be a clean, good meat, and I approve of this one.

Speaker 1: 1:05

From our road trips to trail days. Larissa's Kitchen helps keep up my energy without all the junk. Things like grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, paleo-friendly, gluten-free you know all the good stuff. That's what they got.

Speaker 2: 1:17

Yep, and we have even more good stuff for you today as we continue our episode series on the Olympic Peninsula and beyond, as we highlight the cities of Sequim, a cross-border detour to the stunning Bouchard Gardens and a little jaunt to the coastal vibes of Port Townsend. So stay tuned for some bright gardens, salty breezes and a little surprise or two along the way.

Speaker 1: 1:41

Let's start in Sequim. Let's do AKA, the lavender capital of North America, which is due to the unique climate and high concentration of lavender farms in the area. They have a lavender festival, which is a must-see if you're visiting in July, but even off-season which is when we visited Squim has a wonderful vibe slow, calm and easy to fall in love with.

Speaker 2: 2:04

And I think Squim turned out to be such a great home base for our whole trip because it gave us easy access to all the day trips that we wanted to take around the Olympic Peninsula, so everything felt within reach and it made planning so much smoother. One of the biggest things that I remember about Squim was driving through the different lavender fields. We kept passing signs for blueberry fields too, like this organic blueberry farm, and so that combination just stuck with me and inspired me to create a tea flavor called Squim, and it's a blueberry lavender blend.

Speaker 2: 2:33

I love it so much, and so I just felt like that was the perfect way to capture the essence of the area. And then I also visited a very cool lavender shop called Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm and they had everything lavender you could ever think of. So they had like seasonings for your food, pillows, kitchen items, candles, lotions, like, if you can think of it, they did it in lavender and it was a fun shop to visit. I ended up getting like sea salt herb de Provence blend, which I thought would be yummy.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Turns out we actually didn't like it too much. But hey, maybe someone who stays at our Airbnb can try it and see what they think.

Speaker 2: 3:08

Yeah, I'm still going to cook with it again and like experiment a little bit, because it sounds so fun and we we may have just used too much and I think maybe that's part of it, but anyway, that's what I ended up buying and bringing home and then I bought like a gift for my mom as well and then, like the store also lets you walk around the grounds and explore the farm and gardens, which is lovely. Now, one thing we didn't do in Sequim, which I wish we had, was visit the wildlife park. It seems so cool. We drove by it like every single day, but we had all of these other things on our agenda and I wish we had made time to drive through. It's like this little safari wildlife thing.

Speaker 1: 3:43

Yeah, the Olympic Game Farm. It's a drive-through safari where you can see animals like yaks, bison, brown bears and llamas from the comfort of your own or llamas, yeah, llama, llamas, as we say from the comfort of your own vehicle. It's been delighting visitors for over 50 years with Self-Guided Tours, offering a fun and educational day out for families and tourists such as ourselves.

Speaker 2: 4:08

Yes, and next time when we go. So we also had a fun hike and swim.

Speaker 1: 4:13

It was at the end of a day trip, so we didn't have a whole lot of daylight, unfortunately.

Speaker 2: 4:17

But I wanted to spend the whole day just walking around that cool trail. And then on another day we went to Dungeness and we walked there too, and I wanted to go all the way to the ending point, but Rory said we could only go to the middle.

Speaker 1: 4:28

Yeah, it's a long ways out. The Dungeness Trail is so cool because you can walk out. It's like a little peninsula and you can have water on both sides, like La Push Beach. There were quite a few rocks and tree limbs that gathered in the middle of this Dungeness Trail. I mean so much you would have to climb to get from one side to the other. It's called the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. The trail continues down a steep hill to the spit and becomes a rugged five-mile beach walk to the lighthouse. See what I'm saying. The total distance from the parking area to the lighthouse is approximately 11 miles round trip, which we did not make.

Speaker 2: 5:03

I wanted to go all the way at least to the wildlife refuge there, which is different from the wildlife park that we were talking about just a minute ago, but ideally. And then I also want to go to the lighthouse at the very end, but Rory said it was going to be dark so I didn't get to see the wildlife and I missed out there as well. But it's going to be a priority next time. Just plan on a big long old walk. So anyway, squim had such a great vibe. It felt like such a nice community and town and a place you'd want to belong to. On another day I also went to John Wayne's Waterfront at Pitch Ship Point and I really enjoyed seeing the view of Squim Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca there.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Plus it's called John Wayne's Waterfront, so that's just great Right?

Speaker 2: 5:43

I just yeah, I had a cool name, so I had to go. Now, another place I visited was Port Townsend. It's a historic seaport with serious character, so think like Victorian-era buildings, quirky bookshops, maritime history and artists everywhere, and you can wander down to the waterfront, stop into a gallery or just sit at a coffee shop and people watch. So it's the kind of place that makes you want to write a novel or at least a few postcards.

Speaker 1: 6:07

On this Olympic Peninsula trip, I wanted some time to focus on writing and I wanted it to be a relaxing trip where we could have fun together, see all the twilight stops and just enjoy the area. I also really wanted some time away and a beautiful place to work on my book and honestly, that turned out to be kind of our rhythm for this trip. Most days we tried to carve out time for me to stay home at the Airbnb and squim and write while she took off on little day trips and solo adventures.

Speaker 2: 6:35

Yeah, one of those days I went to the Ho Rainforest outside of Forks which we talk about in the first episode of our Olympic Peninsula series. So check that out if you haven't yet. But on another morning I had heard about a cute restaurant that might possibly be interested in carrying my tea to serve to their customers. So I thought, hey, that's a good excuse for a little outing. So I headed out to check out what all of that was and I haven't followed up with that restaurant yet, but it was still worth the stop and the restaurant was adorable. So the restaurant was in Port Townsend, so that gave me a specific destination to kind of like kick things off, and I'm super glad I went. So, like on the way to the restaurant I found this really cool co-op health food grocery store and I spent a good bit of time there because they had a ton of tea options from local and national brands and it was just super fun to browse their huge tea selection and see what kind of things they had.

Speaker 1: 7:24

Not that you're into tea or anything, no.

Speaker 2: 7:26

And then I also grabbed a few groceries for us while I was there, but honestly, I just love visiting grocery stores when I travel because it gives me a real glimpse into the daily life of a community or new place, and if it's a health food store, well then I'm in triple heaven. So that was definitely like a highlight for me. But another fun surprise was the shipyard. So the restaurant that I visited was like right there at the shipyard, and there were these massive ships being worked on. Like a whole section of Port Townsend was just filled with these giant ships up on the land being repaired and restored or maybe just waiting for their next adventure. But it was really cool to see, and so it was super windy that day, though, so I wasn't in the mood to spend too much time outdoors.

Speaker 2: 8:08

I didn't take like additional ferries Cause, like I had briefly considered taking the Washington State ferry to Whidbey Island, but because of the wind I was like, so I started to head back towards Squim instead, and that's when I stumbled upon the Fort Worden State Park, which is like so cool and this is again still in Port Townsend so it's like this preserved historic army base where you can really get a feel for how the soldiers and their families lived. Rory would have been so jealous if I'd shown him the pictures right then, and he'll get to see them later on the social post this week.

Speaker 2: 8:42

I didn't want to depress him, so I didn't show him, to him no thanks, I appreciate that, but it was definitely worth the stop and I was able to explore a good amount in a short time and still head back to spend the afternoon with Rory, so we could do some exploring together.

Speaker 1: 8:59

Now, one really neat thing about Port Townsend is that it's actually the starting point of the Olympic Discovery Trail. It begins at the waterfront boatyard just south of town and stretches for about 27 miles from Puget Sound to the community of Blinn at the southern tip of Squim Bay. If you listened to our nature episode from Mineral Wells, you might remember us talking about the whole rails to trails concept. Well, this is another one of those. The Olympic Discovery Trail is being built on an old railroad corridor Cool and the idea for it came about in the mid 1980s after the last train left the Olympic Peninsula. Yeah, so while that was said, they had a vision to turn the old railroad route into a multi-use trail that spans the entire peninsula, from historic Port Townsend all the way out to La Push. How cool is that.

Speaker 2: 9:49

Super cool.

Speaker 1: 9:49

There are four main sections, each with gorgeous scenic views, and a lot of it's already completed, especially around Port Townsend and Sequim. The whole thing's just such an exciting, beautiful project and it's still expanding. Currently, the Olympic Discovery Trail extends from Port Townsend to the beach in La Push, covering over roughly 90 miles, while the entire 130-mile route is planned of the trails now using a combination of existing roadways and designated non-motorized paths, and you can check it all out at olympicdiscoverytrailorg. Olympicdiscoverytrailorg, it's a world-class multi-use pathway that connects the communities across the North Olympic Peninsula. It offers recreation, active transportation and it even boosts the local economy so cool.

Speaker 2: 10:38

Yeah, now, another unexpected solo trip that I took, which wasn't supposed to be a solo trip, was to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, canada. So let's back up and start from the beginning.

Speaker 1: 10:50

Without me.

Speaker 2: 10:52

If you've listened to our Port Angeles story then you already know a little part of this about how we were minded by our Airbnb host the night before about having our passports. And that's when Rory decided to switch to a lighter day pack and he didn't realize he left his passport in the other backpack.

Speaker 1: 11:10

Yeah, it was so lame. We had planned this whole trip knowing that while we were in the Olympic Peninsula we'd take one day and pop over to Canada. It was really important to you know her Like. From day one. Before we even left home, we knew we were bringing our passports and planning that day trip to Canada. So that morning we were literally talking to our Airbnb host and she brings up the passports and how strict they are at the border because we were going to Canada.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1: 11:35

I hear that, and then, on the drive halfway between Sequim and Port Angeles, I suddenly realize uh, my passport's in my other backpack.

Speaker 2: 11:45

And y'all. This was the only day we had left to our entire trip. We were flying out the next day, so this was our very last chance to go, and there was only one ferry that could get us there and back in the same day, so that was like the only option.

Speaker 1: 12:00

We thought maybe I could get by with my real ID, so we didn't turn back. If we had, we both would have missed the ferry anyway. So we tried. We went and they would not let me on. We were very sad, we said our goodbyes and Alexa went on ahead and got on the ferry to Canada without me. She was determined to go and at least one of us got to experience Canada. The ferry from Port Angeles takes you to Victoria, british Columbia, and it actually turned out to be this serendipitous thing I ended up having the chance to really dive into Port Angeles, which ended up being so cool for our podcast.

Speaker 1: 12:38

We were able to do a whole episode on Port Angeles up being so cool for our podcast, we were able to do a whole episode on Port Angeles. We'll put a link to that in the show notes for you. Plus, it's part of the Twilight Saga.

Speaker 2: 12:54

So it was nice to have more time there. So while he's exploring Port Angeles, I go on the ferry and then, once I get to Victoria, I had been told I wouldn't need a car, and that turned out to be totally true. I wouldn't need a car, and that turned out to be totally true. I ended up catching a bus that drove me around Victoria and I had seen this brochure about Boot Shark Gardens, which sounded like perfect because I love botanical gardens, and I decided that's where I'd spend most of my day, and since I had to get back in time to catch the ferry, that's all I had time for. Basically, boot Shark Gardens and then seeing a bit of Victoria coming and going there. Now y'all, boot Shark Gardens is totally worth it.

Speaker 2: 13:23

You can actually walk around the port area in Victoria on foot and there's so much to see right there. It's like super charming. It's a vibrant little city, little cool and interesting things to take in just steps from the ferry. But then I hopped on the bus to the gardens and they were very memorable and spectacular. So one of the best parts was the sunken garden. It had this winding staircase and a path that takes you down through all of these flowering trees and shrubs that grow way down at the base of these tall rock walls and like this huge rock mound, and from above you can overlook the garden and even see Corey Lake. And at the far end is like this beautiful fountain.

Speaker 2: 14:06

Now they also have like a rose garden, a Japanese garden and this thing called the Star Pond. It's literally a star-shaped pond, originally designed for Mr Bouchard's ornamental ducks. For Mr Bouchard's ornamental ducks, each point of the star had a duck, like space, and it's surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubs that outline the shape of the star, and in the middle of it there's this cute frog fountain and it's all surrounded by colorful annuals and it was just cheerful and fun. And then there was the Italian garden, which sits between two arch entrances. And then there was the Italian Garden, which sits between two arch entrances, and inside there's this big bronze statue and all of these plants and flowers. Before 1926, that area was actually the Bouchard's concrete tennis court.

Speaker 1: 14:49

Wow.

Speaker 2: 14:50

And the narrow building on the left side used to house a two-lane bowling alley.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Oh sweet.

Speaker 2: 14:56

Now it's just covered in gorgeous plants Maybe ivy or strawberries, I couldn't quite tell but it's beautiful. Then there's also a piazza with more statues and a restaurant and a greenhouse, and even they have like this Mediterranean garden, and their gift shop was super cool, like actually full of things you'd actually want to buy, not just touristy stuff, that was like tacky, it was like nice, fun stuff. And so, of course, course, I found some tea that I really liked and brought home as a fun souvenir, and I want to create my own version someday for my tea line. It really inspired me and it's super yummy, so I hope I can create a good one just like that.

Speaker 2: 15:34

So here's a fun bit of history. The Bouchard Gardens actually started way back in 1904 when Jenny Bouchard took what used to be an old, abandoned limestone quarry and turned it into this incredible garden. So now it's known as the Sunken Garden, which I mentioned, and it's part of this early 20th century beautification movement and honestly, it's still stunning today and the whole place is laid out like an Edwardian estate, with these beautiful separate areas is laid out like an Edwardian estate with these beautiful separate areas, like I said, the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Italian Garden and, of course, the Star Pond.

Speaker 2: 16:05

So each section has its own vibe and you can tell how much thought went into the design of each. What's cooler is that it's still run by the Bouchard family and they've kept the original Victorian-style flower displays and there's this amazing sense of continuity. The whole span sites over five hectares and even includes the old Bouchard residence, which was redesigned by architect Samuel McClure. It's wild to think that it started as a private estate and now it's this internationally renowned destination. All in all, it was a really, really great experience Without me. I would have been better with him, of course, but it was this lovely solo adventure and, even though it didn't go how we originally planned, I'm really glad I went.

Speaker 1: 16:52

As we wind down our stories about the Olympic Peninsula. Whether you're a Twilight fan or a fan of wandering through rows of lavender, or wandering garden pads across the border over Canada or old streets by the sea, this corner of the Pacific Northwest has a way of grounding you.

Speaker 2: 17:10

So if you're looking for a getaway that's equal parts floral, coastal, rainforest, mystery and chill this one's for you.

Speaker 1: 17:18

Thanks for roaming with us. We'll link fairy info, garden passes and our favorite spots in the show notes, as well as links to LK, of course, larissa's Kitchen, who we want to thank again for sponsoring not only this episode but our entire series on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula and offering seriously clean, travel-friendly meat snacks. Today's flavor shout-out goes to the Smoke Show Beef Stick and Jerky. My favorite is a jerky Really good. Both the stick and the jerky are 100% grass-fed beef, no preservatives and packed with real smoky flavor Real good smoky flavor. It's the perfect clean protein for adventure days. And if you haven't yet subscribed or followed our podcast, please do so so that you don't miss our next upcoming series on Belize.

Speaker 2: 18:11

Yes, Until next time. We hope we've inspired you this episode, so join us next time. Please subscribe to rate and share our podcast with your friends or you know whomever? And please like and follow us on Instagram, youtube and Facebook.

Speaker 1: 18:26

We're also on X and on all social platforms. We are at TheRomies, that's T-H-E-R-O-A-M-I-E-S, and our main hub is our website.

Speaker 2: 18:38

At wwwtheromyscom, that's right, that's. D-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-scom. We'll be there until next time, yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:48

Thanks for listening.

Speaker 2: 18:49

Bye.