Friday, August 16, 2013
It is somewhat hard to believe the rest of the world exists.
It certainly doesn’t feel like it’s August.
There was a question about some of the distances. Sol Duc
Hot Springs is 12 miles from Hwy 101 and then Port Angeles is another 30 miles
to the east, and Forks is 28 miles to the west. There are at least two rain forests,
one is another 32 miles past Forks, and the second is another 69 miles. It is a
big park and nothing is a quick drive.
Since it was bright and sunny, Friday morning seemed like a
good day to hike the high country at Hurricane Ridge.
I once dreamed of hiking in our beautiful
National parks, and now I am doing it!
How different this was from the hike thru the forest to Sol
Duc Falls. At one point I felt like I was on the set for The Sound of Music.
You know, the scene where Julie Andrews burst out singing “The hills are alive
with the sound of music…”
Every direction you looked the view was breathtaking. Every moment it
seemed the light changed. The hike was a bit hard, but the sights were very much worth
it!
At the top of Hurricane Hill a very tame deer was busily
eating the tips of the highest evergreen tree there. I could have reached out
and petted her, but of course I didn’t because the rule is to keep the wild,
wild.
We also saw this furry guy. He is an Olympic Marmot. He was
close to the trail, didn’t seem afraid of us, but kept his back to us so he
could make a quick get away if necessary.
I thought he looked like a very fat, fluffy cat crossed with a giant
prairie dog.
After dinner we soothed our tired hiking bodies with a nice
soak in the mineral hot tubs at the resort. They do charge a bit extra unless
you are a guest at the resort itself, but we got a double discount. The cost
was only $6.00 each because we are seniors and we went after 7 PM. That still
gave us plenty of time for an hour-long soak and a shower before they closed
for the night.
I don’t think I would want to go in the hot tubs and then
drive to a distant campground outside of the park, but it sure was relaxing and
the walk to the RV only took a few moments. The last number I saw on the clock
before falling asleep was 9:44. Snore!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
We are starting to understand the weather patterns
here. We woke to a very dark foggy world
Saturday morning. That was fine because
our plan for the day was to drive out to Neah Bay, stop at the Makah Indian
Museum and then go to Cape Flattery for a for a short walk.
The drive was quite scenic, and we stopped in Sekiu for a
brief look at the boats moored there. They were having a salmon fishing derby
for the kids. Everyone was walking around with a large fish in hand! I guess
they had to check in their fish for the completion. The town itself seemed very “real”, in that
it was not a cutesy tourist spot.
We bought our $10 parking permit at the Makah Museum and
went out to the Cape. Although it was just after noon, the sky was still
overcast and wisps of fog filtered thru the trees. The forest was wet, but not
dripping.
The path from the parking area to the sea overlook was wet
and mucky but not slippery. Much of it
was boardwalk, with many steps up and down.
The view of the cape was intriguing.
It was not much
different than many other rocky cliff overlooks we have seen, but somehow
knowing it was the farthest-northwest point of the continental United States
made it special.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Forgot to grab the camera today.
We went on another six mile hike in the Elwah River area. It
was mostly forested, with some great views of the river. At one point as we
walked along a winding path, thru a fern and moss covered, sun dappled, grove,
Craig said he felt like he was in a Disney movie, and that any moment a group
of dwarves might appear singing “Hi Ho, Hi Ho …” Quite a place!
[From Craig] Every
morning this week in Western Washington it has been cloudy and sometimes drizzled.
But one must not give into despair and just plan to read all day, because it
typically clears by 11. Sunday we forgot the camera. The Elwha valley had lots
of very tall firs, some amazingly thin for their height. We will have to call
up our visual memories, while you will have to go to other blogs for your daily
fix of nature images. Sorry.
Monday ... Off to see some Beaches.
Monday ... Off to see some Beaches.
