🏔️ Hurricane Ridge - I see the mountains, and the mountains see me

📍 Olympic National Park Yesterday, Hurricane Ridge showed an Alert, and I was worried about the road being blocked by heavy snow today. 🌨️ Adding to the worry, there’s vehicle traffic control at Hurricane Ridge. I woke up at 5 am to drive up the mountain from Port Angeles, facing the sunrise. 🌅 I was the first to arrive at the entrance. My heart sank when I saw the “Closed” sign at the entrance. 😢 There were no staff on duty either. 🥹 On my way back down, I saw a few cars and thought maybe someone was coming to work. Sure enough, I turned back and found that the staff had arrived. However, I was told that snow chains were a must. 🚗❄️ And the entrance might reopen at 9:00, but it wasn’t certain. 🤷‍♀️ So, I went back down and found an Auto Parts store in the town that opened at 8:00 (Thankful! 🥹 I thought they’d be closed on Sunday.) I rented a set of snow chains (The guy was really nice and gave a full refund since the snow chains were not used.) Enjoyed a nice, hot Matcha Latte. ☕ At 8:57, I was back in front of the gate and successfully went up the mountain. By noon, the fog had begun to lift as I descended. 🌁 On one side of the winding mountain road, there were endless coniferous forests and layered mountain ranges. 🌲🏔️ In the distance, the vast and endless Pacific Ocean shimmered in blue. 🌊 I could clearly feel the grandeur and greatness of nature. #ChineseNewYear #USA #Travel #America #Trip #Seattle #AroundSeattle