A Slice of the Good Life Among the Cloudberries and Fjords

SHIPPING FROM THE U.S. Scenario: You're going to London, then flying to Scotland for golf, and don't want to drag your clubs. Solution: You'll save several hundred dollars by bringing the clubs across the Atlantic yourself, because on those flights, two 50-pound checked bags are free; flights within Europe generally allow one 44-pound bag free. Ship the clubs from London to your hotel in Scotland via UPS or DHL. Contact the hotel in advance. Scenario: It's hard enough getting your family through the airport--doing it with skis seems impossible. How should you get your gear to Colorado? Solution: DHL, FedEx, and UPS will pick up everything at your house, and three-to-five-day ground service costs about $45 per pair of skis (50 to 70 percent less than overnight shipping). Specialists such as Luggage Express handle the details, but their cheapest ground service costs $89--and anyway, their shipments wind up being sent by FedEx or similar. Whichever method you use, cushion skis in ski bags with thick sweaters and socks. Scenario: After having a baby, you're off to a Caribbean resort to relax, and you want to send formula ahead. Solution: Don't even think about it. Goods that look like they might be resold are inevitably delayed on arrival, so they're too risky to ship. Instead, bring as much powdered formula as you need in your carry-on, and extra in a checked bag. Also, your resort may be able to suggest a nearby store that carries your baby's brand. Scenario: Once your flight lands in Moscow, you realize that you left your prescription blood-pressure medicine and your glasses at home. Solution: You could have a friend put your glasses in a hard-sided case and drop them off with FedEx--with "prescription eyeglasses, used personal effects" in the description box. But express shipping costs $120 and takes about five days, so consider having a pair made or going without. As for the medicine, pills are likely to sit indefinitely in customs. Throw yourself at the mercy of a local doctor for a new prescription; the U.S. Embassy can provide names of English-speaking ones. A fax of your prescription sent from a doctor back home will speed things along and ensure you'll get the correct medicine. SHIPPING TO THE U.S. Scenario: After sipping a fantastic ice wine at a vineyard in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, you just have to bring some home with you. Solution: Ask if the vineyard sells via U.S. distributors. Next, request that the vineyard ship for you. If it won't, ask for recommendations on how to package and send. Regular mail is cheapest; express courier is safer and quicker. Some states have restrictions on importing wine that are tougher than federal law, however. Packing bottles in checked bags is viable. Pad with bubble wrap or sweaters; duct tape over the cork helps prevent leaks. Scenario: Midway through a tour of Asia, you're loaded down with an old ivory-looking figurine from Kathmandu, a rug from India, and Japanese lacquerware. Solution: Send via freight, the cheapest and easiest option for bulky items. Local tourism bureaus and U.S. Embassy offices can help you find freight services. U.S. Customs has endless regulations for goods made of animal and plant materials, so to avoid hassles, find out exactly what the rug is made of and which country produced it. Ask questions before buying anything that is old or looks like ivory. Most countries have restrictions on exporting items over 100 years old or made of ivory. Scenario: There's no way all the watches, jackets, purses, jewelry, sneakers, CDs, and DVDs you bought in Seoul will fit in your checked bags. Solution: Send by regular mail, which is easy even if you can't understand a lick of Korean. If some items are gifts, put all the recipients' names on the shipping label (multiple addresses aren't necessary as long as the shipment is noted "consolidated gift package" and "unsolicited gift"); U.S. regulations allow you to send items valued up to $100 for each person listed, duty-free. Note: Many CDs and DVDs sold in Asia don't work with players in the U.S.; test them on your portable device before buying. Scenario: You're worried that the pottery you bought in Florence will be broken on the way home. Solution: Tell the shopkeeper you plan on shipping it overseas and ask him to package it accordingly. Then watch to make sure he does an adequate job. Depending on how soon you want to get the items home, ship via freight or express courier. Either way, pay extra for insurance, which costs 50¢ to $1.50 per $100 of the item's value. Scenario: In Australia, you wonder how to send home some cheese, as well as a crocodile-skin wallet and other gifts. Solution: It's always smart to buy perishables at a store that will ship the goods for you. Bigger stores in tourist areas know how to package fresh foods and get them through U.S. Customs. As for wild-animal products, check to see if the species is protected either by the U.S. government (fws.gov) or your state; California is known to have particularly tough rules. TIPS FOR SHIPPING ANYTHING, ANYWHERE Know the Rules: When returning to the U.S., American citizens may bring up to $800 of goods for personal use without paying duties and taxes. There are some tricks for going above that limit. You're allowed to ship up to $200 of goods per day to yourself at a U.S. address without a duty charge. And you can send, duty-free, gifts worth up to $100 per person per day to friends and family in the U.S. Avoid Unnecessary Fees: Anything sent from the U.S. for your trip--golf clubs, skis, etc.--should be listed as "used personal effects" to qualify for duty-free status. Otherwise, the destination country may view the items as new and try to hit you with an import charge. If you ship the items back home, note them as "American goods returned" on the green customs sticker, so they're not counted as part of your U.S. Customs duty-free allowance. Bulky or Heavy Goods: Shipping costs are based on the package's bulk or weight, whichever costs more. Too much padding can make for more-expensive shipping. To Insure or Not to Insure: Most shipping services have a limited liability of $100 per package; in some countries, the liability is about $9 per pound. Buying insurance is a no-brainer for large, valuable, and fragile items. What's OK and Not OK: Cuban cigars and absinthe are among the many items prohibited from entering the U.S. Bringing plants or seeds home is difficult, when allowed at all. Call 877/227-5511 or go to customs.gov for the specifics. Every country has its own rules on what visitors can take out: Art and handicrafts are generally fine, but cultural artifacts and antiques are often restricted. Check with local officials--not the shopkeepers--before you buy.

Until recently, reward miles for US Airways and United didn't expire until there had been three years of no activity. Under new policies, miles will be deleted if an account is stagnant for 18 months. That's not to say you must actually fly within the allotted time to keep miles alive. The key word is activity. Most airline reward programs have online malls with links to dozens of partner businesses where you probably already shop, including Barnes & Noble, Gap, Old Navy, Target, and Starbucks. You can keep existing miles from expiring--and earn miles for every dollar spent--by logging in at the airline's site with your frequent-flier number and making a purchase through a linked retailer. That's hardly the only method for saving miles, however. Signing up for an airline-affiliated credit card, or using one that you already have, also qualifies as account activity. So does trading in reward miles for hotel stays, car rentals, or magazines; taking an airline's online quiz; or answering follow-up questions after watching advertisements on your computer arranged through online marketers E-miles or E-rewards. We've examined policies for eight domestic carriers and found many, many options for saving miles. In the chart at right (click to see the full chart), "Our Pick" is an especially easy way to keep reward points from disappearing--in some cases, you won't have to spend a dime. We're including each carrier's shopping partnership links because they're tougher to find than you'd imagine. To purchase through some partner retailers, you must not only sign in with your frequent-flier number but also type in a special code before buying, as explained in the airline program's online mall. Pay close attention to detail to make sure that your account is credited. Within a few weeks, log in to your reward program account to check that the "activity" has been noted. American Airlines Credit Card: Citi AAdvantage MasterCard, free first year, $50 annually thereafter; 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $250 Shopping: aadvantageeshopping.com (240 partner retailers) Our Pick: Two bags of coffee via Starbuck's retail website, StarbucksStore.com. ($9.50) Correction: In the original article and the accompanying chart, we erroneously said that a participant in American Airlines' reward program could keep their account active by buying a gift card from partner Starbucks. Continental Credit Card: Continental Airlines World Master-Card, $85 annually; 15,000 bonus miles with first purchase Shopping: continental.com/for/shoponepass (50 partner retailers) Our Pick: A year's subscription to music magazine Blender (400 miles) Delta Credit Card: Delta SkyMiles American Express, free first year, $85 annually thereafter; 15,000 bonus miles with first purchase Shopping: skymilesshopping.com (150 partner retailers) Our Pick: Digital photo from partner Shutterfly (19¢) JetBlue Credit Card: American Express JetBlue Card, $40 annually; 25 TrueBlue points with first purchase Shopping: None Our Pick: Using the credit card extends the life of points for an additional year Northwest Credit Card: WorldPerks Visa Platinum Card, $55 annually; 10,000 bonus miles with first purchase Shopping: nwa.com/mall (150 partner retailers) Our Pick: Take the five-minute quiz at nwa.com/worldperks/university Southwest Credit Card: Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa, $59 annually; eight credits after first purchase Shopping: None Boo! Hiss!: Without exception, mileage credits expire after two years United Credit Card: United Mileage Plus Visa, free first year, $60 annually thereafter; 21,000 bonus miles after you spend $250 Shopping: mponlinemall.com (155 partner retailers) Our Pick: Groceries bought online through partner Safeway US Airways Credit Card: US Airways World MasterCard, free first year, $79 annually thereafter; 15,000 bonus miles with first purchase Shopping: usairways.com/shop (75 partner retailers) Our Pick: Download a song or two at partner iTunes (99¢)

Chris Epting has written nine books, including Roadside Baseball, and has brought his family to watch spring-training games for the last eight years. He recently chatted with BudgetTravelOnline about spring-training trips, including the best way to buy tickets, the best time to visit, the best places to find players signing autographs, and the best baseball-themed attractions near the training camps. Q: What makes baseball's spring-training magical? A: Let's start with the obvious appeal. The stadiums are compact. You can be inches away from players standing on deck, which would never happen at a regular season game. So you'll more likely experience a moment when a player will say hello to your kids, or say, "Kid, I cracked this bat, would you like to have it?" The training sessions that happen outside of the games can be even more magical. For example, when I take my 13-year-old son Charlie to spring-training camps in Arizona, he will collect 10 to 15 balls. He'll run around on the lawn out beyond the diamond. For a kid, that's heaven. That's better than watching any game. Charlie loves to learn where the balls came from. Many of the balls have been recycled from all-star games, or other major-league games, and are marked as such. For the grown-ups, of course, the games themselves are exciting. You're so up close that you can hear the chatter and how the coaches push these guys. The trip doesn't require a long commitment, either. Two days can offer a full experience. Q: Is the trip affordable? A: Yes, it's a bargain. Hotels are inexpensive in the parts of Arizona and Florida where the games are held. The average room rate for a low-cost, modern hotel room for a family of two adults and two kids can be as low as $75 a night. The game tickets are super cheap, from $5 to $22 a game generally. Q: How do you buy tickets? A: Buy them from your team's box office or from the stadium itself on game night. [You'll find all the teams' spring-training advice listed at this Major League Baseball site (click here).] If you'd like to sit behind home plate, you may need to buy tickets from a ticket reseller, especially if your team is very popular. One large ticket reseller is Ticko. You'll also find tickets included in packages offered by hotels. If you don't want to buy a ticket to a game, you can often still gain access to the facilities to watch the practices for free. [For Arizona game schedules, click here. For games in Florida, click here.] Q: What's the difference between the spring-training leagues in Arizona and Florida? A: Arizona has the Cactus League. Florida has the Grapefruit League. These leagues don't correspond to Major League Baseball's American League and National League. So teams play against teams they wouldn't ordinarily see during regular season. (The New York Yankees versus the Cincinnati Reds or Philadelphia Phillies, for instance.) This is good news for fans who would like to see teams they wouldn't ordinarily get to see in their hometown stadium. For example, my wife, son, and daughter are Los Angeles Angels fans. We see the Angels all year, so when we visit spring training each year, we'll wander off to see other teams that aren't in the American League because we probably won't get an opportunity to see those teams during the season. My advice: Go as a baseball fan instead of as a fan of one team. Q: Which state offers a better experience, Florida or Arizona? A: Both do a good job. Arizona's Cactus League is more convenient in the sense that nearly all its stadiums are located within a 40-minute drive of each other. You can base yourself in a hotel either in, or near, Phoenix, and you'll be pretty much set. The exception is that two teams in Tempe are a bit farther away. By contrast, in Florida, stadiums are located on the east and west coasts of the state, with the exception of one stadium in the middle of the state. Given the long distances, you would be wise to commit yourself to seeing only one of those areas. One warning, though: Whether you go to Arizona or Florida, note that your favorite team may have to travel to play other exhibition games. So check the game schedules before you leave to make sure your team will be at its home stadium when you visit. Q: What's the best time to visit? A: Spring-training lasts about a month. If your kids' school schedule allows, go during the first couple of weeks of spring training, not the last week, for the best experience. The players are more relaxed at the start of spring training than at the end. Players aren't into peak-competition mode--jockeying with each other to earn the coach's favor--because the rosters aren't being set in those first few weeks. As the month wears on, the whole spirit turns more serious towards the end, when players are being assessed and selected. What's more, all the players show up at the start, but some of the players may be sent home early, and if you arrive at the end of spring training you won't see them. By the end, some of the more veteran players may pack it in before opening day. Q: What's your advice to parents bringing children? A: The magic for younger kids is going to happen on the days when your team might be practicing instead of playing a game. On those days, kids may have better access to players for getting autographs. They'll certainly have a better chance at catching foul balls. For kids, practice days are better because they can wander throughout the facilities and watch drills and see the players up close. My advice to parents is to look at your team's website and check the team's spring season game schedule. If the team is not listed as being on the road for a given day, it'll probably be at the training facility, though games are played just about every day. Call to confirm this information. And get there when the gates open in the morning to get a good jump on everything! Q: What's the most common mistake made by visitors to spring training? A: Some people only attend the games. But for the great stories, you gotta go to the rookie training camps, not just the standard games with the longtime pros. Many teams will have rookie camps with 200-odd kids vying for roughly five spots. The camps are free to watch. And they're dramatic. You know that for each kid, in their hometown, they're the best that has played locally. Each guy has won every local baseball award. Yet the competition is so fierce at this national rookie camp that most kids will go home without a position. There is no other place to see that high level of drama in the major leagues today. This is where you might see the next Babe Ruth. Q: Any tips for bargain-conscious travelers? A: You can wander most spring-training facilities at no charge if you pay a few bucks to park your car. My kids have bumped into players as we have toured the facilities, which is something that would never happen in a million years if we were hanging around at a stadium during regular-season play. Q: Any tips on how to get autographs? A: In general, parking lots. But every team has its own prime moment when players are unguarded and willing to interact with fans. For example, in Tempe and Mesa, Ariz., where the Angels train, you can park your car in the morning and wait for the players to come out to practice before their afternoon game. They'll come out in groups. Pitchers will be training on one field. Catchers on another. Other players will be doing a different drill or activity on another part of the lawn. After the players finish and before they head to the locker room to get ready for the game, that's usually a prime time for getting autographs. Q: Any more tips for getting autographs? A: The best information is local. Most stadiums tap volunteer or part-time workers to help manage the crowds during spring training. Ask these folks to tell you where the best spots are to bump into players. Asking around can be fun for your kids, too. Kids like to play detective to find out the best way to enjoy the event. Q: What are some baseball-themed sights worth seeing in the area of the spring-training camps? A: In Scottsdale, Ariz., try the baseball-themed Don & Charlie's Restaurant and Lounge; it has lots of memorabilia. You'll be going more for the experience than the food. Meanwhile, St. Petersburg, Fla., (which is close to the games) has the Ted Williams museum at Tropicana Field, but it looks like it will be closed during spring training this year. An alternative stop is the field where Babe Ruth hit his furthest ball. The site is now Pepin-Rood Stadium at the University of Tampa (401 West Kennedy Boulevard, 813/253-3333). [For other ideas, read Chris Epting's BudgetTravelOnline article "Florida's Best Baseball Sites."] Q: Which team do you root for? A: I'm a New York Mets fan, but my family lives in Huntington Beach, Calif., so we're big Los Angeles Angels fans. I split my allegiance. We're going to see the Angels train in Arizona this year. For me as a grown-up, there's something very therapeutic and cathartic about this annual family trip. The time passes so slowly and blissfully. It's a true vacation because you disconnect from the workaday hustle. Maybe because it lets you empty your mind of your troubles and just eat and breathe baseball. Every time I come back from spring training, I feel even more hopeful than usual about life. Related link: Real Deals: Baseball packages in Arizona and Florida College Town: Tempe, Arizona MLB's Spring-Training site

Day 1: Seattle to Ocean ShoresSince even in the summer one rarely swims outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, spring is a perfect time to visit the Olympic Peninsula. Rates are cheap and, without the summer crowds, the wilderness feels all the more wild. With daylight at a premium, my wife, Susan, and I motor quickly, resisting the multiple espresso choices offered by every town along the way, including Kurt Cobain's childhood home of Aberdeen (the welcome sign reads COME AS YOU ARE). We reach Ocean Shores on a blustery, fleece-and-base-layer afternoon, and it's not hard to see why the town boasts a champion kite-flying team or why firewood is still for sale. Ocean Shores is basically a sleeping/shopping/eating hub for tourists, but today the four-lane beachfront boulevard is largely carless. We drive semi-aimlessly toward the marina at the tip-top of Grays Harbor. We weren't really planning to visitOcean Shores Interpretive Center, but hey, it's right here--and a lot bigger and more well-rounded than the quaint small-town museum that we expected. There are rooms of shells and bones and fossils, a preserved eagle's nest, all kinds of bird-watching information, and a taxidermic specimen known as the Passaround Bear--because, as a volunteer tells us, it's been displayed in a handful of local establishments since the 1920s. We also learn that Pat Boone and Ray Charles used to hang out and perform in Ocean Shores back in its 1960s heyday. A short walk from the museum isDamon Point State Park, where theCatala, a former freighter and "botel," has been buried in the sand since 1965. Storm erosion has brought some of it back to the surface, but since last year it's been fenced off so that the oil still remaining in the wreck can be drained. A big portion of Damon Point is also closed off as a snowy plover nesting habitat. One path to the water is available. We trudge along the dark, gravelly sand, fail to spotany of the baby seals we've been instructed not to pet, and then flee the wind for a nap at theHoliday Inn Express. Emily's Restaurant, inside the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino, provides the answer to the question, Where are all the people? We've come for the salmon, which is either farmed or caught wild by members of the Quinault Nation. The fish is served in the traditional style on a wooden plank the size of a cutting board; it has a decent smoky flavor but is a bit dry for my taste buds. I win back half of what it cost at a fancy electronic slot machine, despite the fact that I don't really understand what constitutes a jackpot. Lodging Holiday Inn Express685 Ocean Shores Blvd., Ocean Shores, 360/289-4900, from $69 Food Emily's78 State Rte. 115, Ocean Shores, 360/289- 9466, roasted salmon $17 Activities Ocean Shores Interpretive Center1033 Catala Ave. SE, 360/289-4617, interpretivecenter.org, open Apr.-Sept. Damon Point State ParkOcean Shores, 360/902-8844, parks.wa.gov Day 2: Ocean Shores to Neah BayThe hazelnut-encrusted French toast atOcean Crest Resort in Moclips is so good and rich I barely use the freshly zested orange butter. The restaurant (which is currently closed) sits high on a bluff, with 131 wooden stairs that drop through the trees down onto flat, wide-open Sunset Beach. We walk off breakfast but don't linger, as theQuinault Rain Forest awaits. After an hour's drive we pause in theQuinault Mercantilestore to sock away some sandwiches; the owner, fisherman and would-be retiree Chuck Coble, says he loves this neck of the woods more than the national park's Hoh Rain Forest because there, the best scenery comes only after long hikes. "Here," says Chuck, "it's 31 miles and you can see it all by car." Funnily enough, our waitress at Ocean Crest told us she prefers the Hoh for the exact same reason. Since we already have a hike planned for tomorrow, Susan and I are down with Chuck's perspective. "Have you seen the tree?" Chuck asks. No, but we're about to: The World's Largest Sitka Spruce--191 feet tall and just an inch shy of 59 feet around, with an enormous root system--is at the beginning of the Quinault Rain Forest loop drive. Then South Shore Road rambles past homes and farmland--Rainy Daze Farm, the Wild Ass Ranch--before resuming alongside the Quinault River. At the 10.8 mile mark we cross the river and continue down North Shore Road, which winds and drops into a denser, lower-hanging canopy. We picnic in a meadow by the ranger station, toss our trash into a bear-proof bin, and proceed on foot along the Maple Glade Trail, a half-mile circuit of seemingly boundless forest with maples, mosses, hemlocks, spruces, and, as Susan dubs them,Jurassic Parkferns. U.S. 101 returns us right to the coast, where we pause for gas, espresso, salmon jerky, and views of pounding surf. We later stop at a supermarket in the logging town of Forks, having gathered that the peninsula's most charming locales are short on services, while the towns with services lack charm. Further up the highway, a series of four signs explains a bare patch in the usually dense state forest: CUT SOME TREES, TO HELP THE COUNTY, WE PLANT SOME MORE, FOR FUTURE BOUNTY. "Burma Shave!" Susan and I blurt out simultaneously, joining, no doubt, thousands before us. Our destination for the night is Neah Bay, the northwesternmost point in the continental U.S. "You're at the end of the world," says the goateed desk clerk at theCape Motel & RV Park, which doesn't aspire to be anything more than a place for fishing buddies to bunk down with a 4 A.M. wake-up call. The clerk mentions that some people in town like to say Neah Bay is actually thebeginningof the world, but he tells them: "You haven't been very many places." Lodging Cape Motel & RV Park1510 Bayview Ave., Neah Bay, 360/645-2250, from $45 Food Ocean Crest Resort4651 State Rte. 109, Moclips, 360/276-4465, French toast $10 Quinault Mercantile352 South Shore Rd., Quinault, 360/288-2620, turkey sandwich $5 Activities Quinault Rain Forest353 South Shore Rd., Quinault, 360/288-2525, quinaultrainforest.com Day 3: Neah Bay to Sol Duc Resort"I'm sick and tired of all these restaurants with beautiful ocean views," Susan mock-complains. This one isWarm House, owned by the Makah Nation (alas, it's now closed). We're not there two seconds before an older fellow wearing a baseball cap that says NATIVE AMERICAN joins us in our booth. Over coffee and sticky buns, Ed Claplanhoo, age 78, tells us all about theMakah Cultural & Research Center, which displays the mud-slide-preserved treasures of a 500-year-old Ozette Indian village. The Makah tribe began working with archaeologists at the site in 1970, and ultimately they unearthed 55,000 artifacts. The research center, which opened in 1979, is a truly impressive facility that also helps the Makah stay connected to their traditions, including whaling--after its 1999 whale hunt, and subsequent animal-rights protests and media coverage, the tribe became somewhat infamous. What we're really in the area to do is walk to Shi Shi Beach, often touted as one of North America's most remote beaches. "It's one of the most beautiful hikes there is," Ed tells us, though he's unable to give us any further tips: "Don't ask me, I've been there twice in my lifetime!" Used to be the only legal way to get to Shi Shi was by hiking 11 miles up the rocky coast, in time with the tide pools; or you could trespass on private land. These days, a two-mile trail is laid out with stone and blocked off with logs. A $10 permit, sold at shops in town, is required. The hike follows roads that were put in during World War II so the coast could be defended from a Japanese attack. The paths are narrow and muddy, though I don't mind the slop too much. While I'm hardly a technical hiker, it's nice to have to contemplate my every step, Zen-like, in order to avoid sludge and puddles. The beach itself is lovely--foamy surf crashing onto rocks, big cliffs above, driftwood that's been washed to Louisville Slugger smoothness--but really, Shi Shi is a place you want to overnight. Then you can hike three miles further to the famous rock formation Point of the Arches, maybe catch some fish, go tidepooling, and camp in total isolation. Next time. Truth be told, the beach views from the road between Neah Bay and Sekiu are fantastic on their own. Right around mile marker 14 we cruise past a yard full of multicolored objects that demand investigation; we go back to findBirdhouses Etc., a store with hundreds of adorable structures, some with old Washington-state license plates as roofs, all laid out in the yard. STEALING HURTS TWO HEARTS, MINE AND YOURS reads a hand-painted sign above a drop box. Our barracks is a cozy cabin at theSol Duc Hot Springs Resort, which first opened its doors in 1912. It's 12 miles inside Olympic National Park and has a slightly chintzy Catskills feel, but it also has the Catskills' peacefulness and mountain air. The four pools--three hot (98 to 104 degrees; one of them is for kids) and one cold--look like any other hotel's spa and swimming area, except of course they're spring-fed, and just what we've been wanting after a half-day hike and two hours in the car. Deer nuzzle up against the surrounding fence as we squeeze in as much soaking as we can before the restaurant closes at 9 P.M. Lodging Sol Duc Hot Springs ResortSol Duc Rd., 866/476-5382, visitsolduc.com, cabins from $125, open Mar. 15-Oct. 31 Activities Makah Cultural & Research Center1880 Bayview Ave., Neah Bay, 360/645-2711, makah.com, $5 Shopping Birdhouses Etc.13753 Hwy. 112, Sekiu, 360/963-2770, open May 1-Sept. 15 Day 4: Sol Duc Resort to SeattleSusan has had enough outdoor exertion. She hangs back with a book while I tool around in a little yellow kayak in Lake Aldwell, about an hour's drive from the resort. It's another crisp, blue-sky morning--somehow we haven't needed rain gear the whole trip--and the wind provides just enough chop to keep my paddling honest. I'm working up a little sweat even as my hands get cold from dipping in the 50-degree water. The man-made lake is scheduled to disappear circa 2009, when two dams will be removed as part of the Elwha River restoration, but that doesn't make it any less appealing. I share the lake with just one fisherman, who is in an inflatable catamaran. I paddle out a ways for a view of the jagged white peaks of the Olympic range. Arriving in the hub city of Port Angeles is jarring--has it really been just 48 hours since we last saw a fast-food chain?--but the downtown has quirky grit as well as tourist-friendly commerce. We replenish our caffeine supply and head to Sequim (pronounced squim), the self-proclaimed lavender capital of North America. The gift-shop cottage atOliver's Lavender Farmappears closed, but soon Don Oliver, a gray-haired gentleman, emerges, explaining that the door is shut tight so his quail don't get inside. "There'd be white spots all over the floor," he says. A former lawyer and policeman, Don started the crop with his wife, Claudine, in 1999; they now have 10 different varieties and 2,100 plants. We're too early to self-pick (harvest is in July), so we instead buy jars of shaving soap and hand cream. What better way to cap off 500 miles of driving than to let a boat captain handle the last leg? Though knockdown-strength gusts keep us off the deck of theBainbridge Island Ferry, the view of the Space Needle and the rest of Seattle's skyline is as pretty as the untamed beauty fading behind us. Transportation Bainbridge Island Ferry888/808-7977, wsdot.wa.gov/ferries, one way with car to Seattle from $11.25 Activities Olympic Raft & Kayak123 Lake Aldwell Rd., Port Angeles, 360/452-1443, raftandkayak.com, one-hour kayak rental $18 Shopping Oliver's Lavender Farm82 Cameron Acres Ln., Sequim, 360/681-3789 Finding Your Way There's nothing on this trip a normal car can't navigate, but certain bumpy side roads will be slow going. Renting an SUV for $20-$30 more per day is not a bad idea. Got an extra few days? Linger in Port Angeles, where you can drive up mile-high Hurricane Ridge for some hiking, go to Port Townsend and whale-watch in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, or ferry over to the cute city of Victoria, B.C.