It is a matter of hot debate among Americans which is the most beautiful state in the union. This, of course, is very tied up in interstate rivalry and local pride. Even the residents of New Jersey can be found disputing the unique natural splendors of their home area. However, one particular state that few people would contest as being in at least the top five is Washington. It is a region of quite staggering natural beauty, made up of a seemingly endless sequence of mountains, forests, lakes, and wild rivers.
It has all this and more. Washington has some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the world, let alone in the United States. Possibly the most beautiful area in this most beautiful of States is the Olympia peninsula. The Olympia National Park - the boundaries of which encompass all the areas of interest on the peninsula - has the benefit of being one of the most accessible areas of wilderness and natural beauty in the whole of the United States, being as it is separated from the city of Seattle only by the narrow, icy waters of Puget Sound.
So reaching the Olympia Peninsula is easy. But what he's there to do once you have arrived? The short answer is quite a lot, especially if you like adventurous sports combined with solitude and seclusion.
But this is not a complete wilderness, isolated and remote though its pine forests and white water rapids may seem. The whole peninsula is dotted with small towns and villages, many of which have made major adaptations in recent years to make tourists more welcome. One such is Port Townsend. Here you'll find a wide variety of things to do and see, many of them indoors - which is a good thing, considering that the peninsula gets more rain, it seems, than any place else on earth.
Of most interest to visitors who are not of an adventurous disposition, are the town's many art gallerias and craft stores. These can form the basis of a diverting afternoon if the Washington weather is just too inclement to make venturing out of doors even remotely tempting. It should come as no surprise that some of the landscape paintings available are truly stunning in their natural drama and beauty; the geography in this part of the world is quite spectacular, and affords a virtually limitless array of possibilities to the painter.
Frommer's Washington State (Frommer's Complete)
N Is For Our Nation's Capital: A Washington DC Alphabet Edition 1. (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series)
Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State
Washington Quarters: State Collection, Vol. 2: 2004-2008
Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form (Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State M)