For a mere $22.50, an individual in a personal vehicle can take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, and from the there the Olympic National Park is all yours.
The Seattle and Edmonds areas are beautiful and make the Pacific Northwest what it is, simply epic, but these are still suburban and even urban areas. Drive/bike/walk onto the ferry, cross the Puget Sound, and leave all that behind and what you have are forests and sea-side small towns.
My path took me to visit the historic Port Thompson and Port Angeles and hike above the beautiful Crescent Lake.
Port Townsend
Port Townsend has a history in boat building featuring an operational boat building and training facility to this day.
Port Angeles
Inland from Port Angeles is Crescent Lake, a beautiful crystal clear lake. You can catch all the fish you like using a barbless hook but must let them back. The day I was there was windless allowing you to see to the bottom in 20 feet of water. The bad news is the fish can see 20 feet to the surface with no problem. The fisherman I spoke with had little luck that day.
