Friends,

My short time in the Pacific Northwest was an enjoyable one, and I am enjoying reliving the time through photos and stories. The entire trip started with a poster on the Food Board reminiscing about eating at Shakey’s Pizza as a child. That led to another poster saying all the Shakey’s except the ones on the West coast are closed now. I found a location just outside Seattle and decided that its presence was as good as any other reason to make a trip to the region.

Some of my days from this trip have been documented already in other forums. Though I still have several letters to write to our dear friends at TD, and this is my tenth letter in the series,I am getting close to being done with this trip. Here are some of the previous ones, which may be of interest to some of my dear friends:

TulaneLSU's review of Love's Travel Stop showers

TulaneLSU's guide to and Top 10 hikes of Crater Lake

TulaneLSU's Top 10 movies currently for rent at Blockbuster Video in Bend, OR

TulaneLSU's recycling and gas pumping in Oregon

TulaneLSU's review of Shakey's Pizza

TulaneLSU's review of Ken's Artisan Pizza, Portland

TulaneLSU's tasting of cheap food along the Oregon and Washington coast

TulaneLSU's Top 10 dishes at Sushi Kashiba, Seattle

TulaneLSU's visit to Kurt Cobain's home, Aberdeen, WA

Today, I would like to share with you some photos of my very short trip to Olympic National Park, which occupies most of the Olympic Peninsula across the Puget Sound. My journey began that day near Astoria, OR, so I drove northward. Normally, when entering a national park, I expect to enter a threshold, a gate system, where rangers take money or check your annual pass. They provide maps and advice.

As I drove farther and father north on Highway 101, this experience never happened. It was like entering a restaurant and there being no hostess. Instead, you awkwardly seat yourself. I did not like this informal introduction to Olympic.

The first sites to see in this direction are a series of three beaches. I was running behind schedule, and my goal was to do the HOH River trail that our friend, cgrand, so enthusiastically recommended, so I skipped many things I should not along Highway 101. I did make a stop at Beach #2, where giant logs drift to the bluff’s edge and spruce trees were covered in burls.

This drive up deserved about an extra three hours of my time, but it was not meant to be on this trip. I passed Beaches #1, #3, and #4, the Kalaloch Big Cedar Tree, and Ruby Beach. To be so close to these wonders of nature and not to see them is a great regret, and a product of poor planning and timing. It was my first time to Olympic, but there really is no excuse. Although there is nothing done earlier in the day that I regret doing, except, perhaps, the Kurt Cobain tour, I wish I would have had one more day to explore Olympic. 15 hours was not enough.

So I continued north and then east, turning due east on Upper Hoh Rd., which follows a repeating S pattern along the river before reaching the NPS gate. It was 7:00 in the evening by the time I arrived, so no one was at the gate again (I did not have to show my annual pass to anyone during my trips to Crater Lake, North Cascades, or Olympic). Parts of the road were washed away, and were under repair. I could see how this road could become very congested, but I saw almost exclusively cars exiting, as sunset was less than an hour away.

Just before arriving at the parking area, there was a family of elk blocking the road. I rolled down the window and turned up the radio so they could listen to “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” with me. They seemed to enjoy it, as one approached the car. She scared me, so I rolled up the window and she then began licking my window before scooting to her next destination.

This post was edited on 9/22/23 at 8:51 pm

3 ...

Report Post

Posted by TulaneLSU

Member since Aug 2003

Member since Dec 2007

13616 posts

Posted on 9/22/23 at 8:50 pm to TulaneLSU

Again, taking the advice of cgrand, I set off on the HOH River trail. I was all alone and about 15 minutes into my hike, when my camera’s battery died. It was an eerie feeling. The light was dimming and no one knew where I was nor did I see anyone. I expected beforehand that many people would be returning from this hike, but it was quiet.

And then I heard a crashing noise. I have no idea how far away it was, but it was the type of noise you feel in your gut. I surmised that a tree had fallen. That got my attention. Perhaps it was a sign. But I kept advancing.

Five minutes later I stopped to take a picture of a fern with my phone since my camera was dead. And I heard a loud cat’s growl. This felt even closer. It was quite a different sound from that of a feral cat in a neighborhood. This was a threatening and guttural signal. The sign at the beginning of the hike warning not to hike alone because there were mountain lions on this trail flashed before my eyes in that moment. And I knew it was time to turn back. I prayed that God would protect me, and I was able to make it back to the car without any scratches.

There was a backup battery in the car. Not wanting to leave without seeing the Hall of Mosses, a very short trail near the parking lot, I headed there next. It was really getting dark at that point, so my photos are not very good. Please forgive me. Though the photos are lacking, please know that I found this pleasant walk soul restoring. I saw not a person on this 40 minute walk, and peacefully paced, slowly, consuming all these beautiful and many shades of green.

Normally the drive from the trail parking lot back to Highway 101 is at least 45 minutes, but with no traffic, I was able to navigate it in under 30. I drove through Forks around 9 or so. It looked like a lovely little town. But again, was I in a national park? Forks reminded me a little of West Yellowstone, but with Yellowstone, at least you know when you are inside and outside the park. Here, it was nebulous. I arrived at my tiny house in Beaver, Washington well after dark. Strangely enough, I did not see any beaver in Beaver. My accommodations that night were a tiny house, which was enjoyable, and the spot where I did some long overdue writing. By 5 the next morning, I was back on the road, this time headed northeast.

My destination this time was the Storm King Trail, which rises above Crescent Lake. It was another 45 minute drive. My plan was to leave that trail and head east to the North Cascades, but a good wrench was thrown in those plans, so after my hike, I returned to the tiny home and took a shower. It was an added 1.5 hours to my journey, but was the right decision.

Storm King is a short, but fairly steep hike. There is a segment about 500 feet long where you rely on ropes, and this is quite fun. The views at the top are quite beautiful. Unfortunately, there were many yellowjackets at the top, which shortened my stay there. I was the first one on that trail that morning, and only saw people on the way down. The rangers have courteously provided used gloves for use on the ropes. Not using the gloves could lead to unpleasant friction burns of the palms. Next time, I will remember to bring mine. The width of my hand from thumb to fifth finger is 12.25" and I normally wear a size 11 glove. This glove was the closest to fitting, but putting it on nearly tore it due to the poor fit.

Showering done, I returned east where I caught the ferry at Port Townsend, which is a lovely Victorian town. Mine was the last car to board, so the timing was perfect. I shall perhaps write about my experience on the ferry as well as my drive through Whidbey Island at a later time.

Of the 18 hours I spent in Olympia, four were spent hiking, four asleep, four writing and nearly six driving. It may not have been the ideal appropriation of limited time, but I had a good time. The hiking there is not great, and the trails with any elevation are limited. The caveat here is doing the multi-day camping trip to Mount Olympus, which I hope a group from TD will join me in attempting next year. If you are interested, please let me know here.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU

This post was edited on 9/22/23 at 8:58 pm

3 ...

Report Post

Posted by ecb