Big Blue

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Andrew:

And so we left the ranger station and headed toward the coast, which was about a mile off at this point. When we finally got there, it took awhile for it to sink in that that night would be the culminating night of our journey before we began the trip home the next day. We stopped a number of times to take in the view and enjoy the sounds and smells of the sea before finishing our hike to a rock formation known as 'hole-in-the-wall.' We set our stuff down and wandered around a bit to see if there was any place in particular we wanted to go or camp. After finding a spot we settled in a bit and took a bunch of photos. I appreciated every part of being there from the sand, to the rolling waves, the smell of seaweed and salt, and the horizon where only the sky and ocean met. That night we made a fire and (for the first, and only time) cooked ourselves our dinner. I took to some 'Robinson Crusoe' type behavior, and Ryan wandered off to explore. We did see an otter in the water (which we got a photo of), and a family of four otters entering the water on a separate occasion (they were too quick for us and our camera). I would have gone swimming (or at least submerged myself), but the water was FREEZING so I opted to only wet my legs and save the swimming for warmer climes. All in all, I finally felt no urge to keep moving or to cut short our stay (despite it only being a day long), and I slept quite well for it.

In the morning we broke camp after a meal and some short excursions for photos of low(est) tide. The hike back to the road was one I was not eager to make, but our departure from the coast was less irking than I had imagined it would be. The desire to continue on the journey, not head home, but rather back south down through California entered my mind. Ryan was set though, and I had said already that we could head back.

On the hike back to our bus stop near La Push I managed to get us a ride; I was tired of hiking in the heat. We waited for the bus, and when it came, we rode it back to Port Angeles. Once there, Ryan called Ali again to see where she was and if we'd be able to stay with her and her friend Catie while they were in PA. No such luck was to be had, so we spent the night on a wooded hillside behind a strip mall-esque series of buildings. We treated ourselves to a restaurant that night (Chinese) before going back to our spot.

Ryan:

Big Blue kind of takes the cake on this journey, in terms of locations. Camping out on the beach was a fitting goal for the trip. We met up with Ali and Catie the next day, and drove back into Seattle with them. They dropped us off on the first exit out of Seattle onto I - 90, which we were planning to follow back home until Billings, Montana where it split off into I - 94, which would take us the rest of the day.

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Photos

Big Blue, First Impressions
This is the first view we got of the ocean

The beach
A view from the beach

Camp
The hole in the wall is just to the left of here

Hole in the wall
You can only get to it at low tide

From Camp, high tide
The hole in the wall is on the right

From Camp, low tide
While we we here, we saw some of the highest discrepancies between high and low tide that are typically recorded, so I took some pictures.

Twin Rocks from the hill, high tide
These were slightly to the south of camp, which would be farther to the lower left of the picture

Cooking
We decided that we wanted a warm dinner

How to split wood, part I
This is a four part series featuring Ryan. This series illustrates for our readers how to split wood with rocks and wood, in case that's ever useful.

How to split wood, part II
Prepare to hit the rocks

How to split wood, part III
Hit the rocks

How to split wood, part IV
Wood split. Merry Christmas.

How to throw fire, part I
This is a five part series featuring Andrew. This series illustrates how to throw fire. In this case, the fire is thrown into the ocean where it will be safely extinguished. However, you might throw fire into a number of places, if you so choose.

How to throw fire, part II
After finding something flammable, start it on fire.

How to throw fire, part III
Check to make sure it's on fire.

How to throw fire, part IV
Run really fast

How to throw fire, Part V
Throw it as hard as you can, preferably underhand so you can get more air time. This concludes the tutorial on throwing fire. You might even be able to combine these two skills to signal a plane if you're ever stranded on a desert island, or something.