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Hi everyone,
We have had quite a couple of days! It started off with a visit to Olympic National Park on the Olympia Peninsula in Northwest Washington. The weather was not the best and the park was much bigger than we had initially though, so we decided to spend two days within the park. Thankfully on our second day we had beautiful weather, it was the first time we saw seventy in about 1 ½. Our first stops within the park were Hurricane Ridge, Brooks Falls, and Marymere Falls. Hurricane ridge has beautiful panoramic views of the Olympic Mountain Range but unfortunately we couldn’t see much with the fog and clouds. We did get a couple of glances when the clouds lifted briefly. Instead we decided to do some hiking to the waterfalls. The waterfalls were amazing and to get to them you needed to do a good deal of climbing and crossing rivers on logs. It was pretty interesting to say the least, no one has ever accused me of being graceful but thankfully I did not fall in or break any bones. After that we decided to set up camp and make our way to the Pacific Ocean
at the Olympic Wilderness areas. The closer to the coast, the better the weather was looking so we were all about it.
It was the most beautiful spot that I could have ever imagined. We literally pitched our tent on the rocky sandy beach at La Push, Washington near the Northwestern most point in the Continental US. The campground was located on the Quileute Indian Reservation and the view was spectacular. The waves were pretty good and there were actually a lot of surfers out in the water, even until the darkness rolled in. Right off the shores there were a number of different rock formations and islands. The main island was St. James Island. Half of the island belongs to the Coastal Native Americans and the other half is part of the National Park. It is an island that is very sacred to the Natives and where a number of ceremonial practices still take place today. It is also a great place to fish and spot whales. Luckily while we were there we were able to see a whale spouting water out its blowhole right in the cove. The sunset was amazing, there are no words to describe
it other than amazing. The more north we go the later the sun sets, right now it sets at around 9:15 and doesn’t get completely dark till about 10 or so. It ddoes a number to your internal clock but it makes the night a little more interesting.
At the beach there were some local surfers and snowboarders having a bonfire so in an effort to keep warm we joined in. They were all really friendly and laid back; it was so nice to be able to interact with normal, local people rather than people traveling. They told us a lot about the Native culture and the different coastal tribes that live in the area. It was interesting to hear the different stories and local legends. Thankfully the fire warmed us enough so that we didn’t freeze to death in our sleeps. What awaited us the next morning was the best gift that I could have ever imagined.
The SUN in all its glory was shining down upon us, never before have I been so happy to be stifling to death in the stuffy tent that I was this morning. It was 65 degrees at 8:30. After all
the rain and the cold it was well needed. Unfortunately the forecast is calling for more rain for the rest of the week but we will take what we can get. We woke up and took a stroll on the beach and it was lovely and delightful. Our next stop was down to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. We did the Hall of Mosses trail and it was so remarkable to see these old growth trees at about 300 feet tall, dripping in different colored mosses. It reminded me a lot of the Redwoods, but the trees were no where near as wide. After that the beach was calling our name again so we headed further south to the Kalaloch beach and rock formations. We took a nice nap on the beach to warm our souls up a little until we headed towards Seattle. The drive was pretty uneventful, but we were able to see those dang mountains that eluded us in the fog and clouds the previous day. The Olympic range is not that tall, around 6,000 to 8,000 feet, but they are very impressive to see. The majority are still snow capped and majestic looking
surrounded by the dark green evergreens of the forest. We are now camped in Pullyallup, Washington with a spectacular view of Mt. Rainer in the distance.
We are off to Seattle in the morning for a day in the city. Exciting stuff.
I hope that all is well back home and don’t forget to leave comments!!
Love, Laura
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jennyfromtheblock42
jenny
a delightful mirage.
first it was 1-800-COWBOY, then it was Dairy Queen. if you have any more mirages, i might kill me.