Washington and More

---

We toured the west side of the Olympic Mountains from LaPush, WA, Lonesome Creek Campground , located right on the ocean. The beach was strewn with great logs gathered there over time, and protected by the Quileute Indian Tribe who own the property. It was impressive. We hiked to the beach from several trail heads and took the bike to the Hoh Rain Forrest. There we saw gorgeous vegetation, the ground covered with ferns, and huge trees hung with moss including Sitka spruce, red cedar and western hemlock. We learned about the "nurse log" where new trees take hold when the nearby ground is covered with vegetation. We walked off one downed spruce at 190 feet. This growth was no surprise when we learned that they have an average rainfall of 190 inches per year making it the wettest region in the continental US.

We traveled inland to Rochester, WA and stayed at Outback RV Resort, our home base to visit Mt Ranier. One cannot confuse this 14,410 feet snow-covered mountain from the others in the Cascade range. And "the mountain was out" when we visited. We entered at the southwest Nisqually entrance to Paradise where we were met with a breathtaking closes-up view of the mountain. We hiked up about 1000 feet through the meadows and snowfields and were rewarded with views of several of the 20 or so glaciers on the mountain. While on this ride we got a call that my Aunt Lois Hurrell had died in West Miflin, PA. So we cancelled our trip to Mt St Helens and I flew "home" to Pittsburgh. While we were missing the life of the party, our family gathering was wonderful and I was so glad to be there with them.

While I was gone Terry left Rochester and drove the bus to the northern Oregon coastline at Seaside. This town is filled with quaint historic cottages and tree-lined streets and is more a family vacation hotspot than the rugged and isolated coastline we imagined. But we did not complain about the miles of white-sand beach. We found a lovely hike at Ecola State Park which took us through wooded hills down to the beach (and back up again!) We visited the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park in Astoria where the Corps of Discovery built Fort Clapsop and stayed the winter of 1806-06. The reproduction of this fort reaffirmed our admiration of these dedicated explorers who sacrificed their comfort and safety for the discovery of the west. We rode the Astoria Riverfront Trolley (with Harley) and learned its history from the narration.

We visited the village Canon Beach, a quaint upscale community of artists and shopping with a huge monoliths rising from the surf just off the lovely sandy beach. Its Haystack Rock which rises 235 feet above the water is the most photographed monolith on the Oregon Coast. The city was named for a cannon that washed ashore after a US Navy schooner wrecked in 1846.

Now on to Tillamook, OR, 51 miles south of Seaside and well-known for its dairy production, particularly cheese. We stayed at Cape Lookout State Park, again on the ocean and separated by a sand dune.

I loved the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center and came away wishing I more talent and time. Terry loved the Air Museum. We took the bike around the Three Capes Scenic Loop and enjoyed spectacular views of the coast. We came across the community of Oceanside where we found a pedestrian tunnel through a huge headrock and leading to a private beach unreachable by any other route. We will return to walk through it tomorrow, and I will share it (if I make it through) at my next entry.

---