Olympic National Park

Monday July 7, 2008

I'm posting two at once again so check out the post before this one....

I’ve had a wonderful day in Olympic National Park. It was cold when I first woke up this morning right next to the beach. I thought I might work out early, but it was too cold. I needed gas before I could start driving all over the park so I went to the closest station and paid $4.65~ Yikes! I didn’t fill up though and was able to purchase again at $4.33~ much better! Olympic National Park is strange in that there is a public road that goes around it and spurs that go into the park in different places. So, there’s lots of private property all around. The $4.65 was in a more remote place. The $4.33 was in a town.

Rather than start up my stove just to heat water for coffee (since I’m not making oatmeal anymore!) I stopped at an inn and went in search of hot water. There was no one around but I could see the coffee machine in the back so I helped myself to the hot water spigot on the coffee machine! After coffee I went for a short, cold walk on the beach. It was overcast and miserable so I kept it short. Then I drove to the Hoh Rain Forest, which was incredible! It started clearing up as I drove so the weather was much better for walking. In the rain forest there is not an inch of ground not covered by something living. When something dies, something new starts growing out of it. There are different mosses covering everything and ferns everywhere. It would be a creepy place to bush whack through!

After the walk through the rain forest (only two miles) I drove to another beach and went for a walk. Rialto Beach. The weather was much better by then; the sun was shining but it was cold and windy. I walked a mile and a half to some tide pools and then back. The beach is very different than Virginia’s. The sand is dark and more often it’s not even sand, but little pebbles. There are lots of dead trees along the shore and lots and lots of driftwood. I wanted to collect driftwood but I don’t have a place in my car for “collectibles”! Anyway, it was a tough walk in the sand and gravel. My legs really got a workout! Next, I drove up to the far northwest corner of Washington~ Cape Flattery. It was gorgeous there. The road follows along the Strait of Juan De Fuca, which separates the US from Canada. I could see Vancouver Island on the other side. Once I got to Cape Flattery it was about a half-mile walk through the woods out to the cape. The water was the most incredible shade of blue and the sky was so clear. I could also see Tatoosh Island from the cape. It looked very inviting with its lighthouse, but I didn’t see any way to get out there.

The park is huge, so I had a long drive to get to a campground, which is where I am now. It’s called Lyre River Campground. It’s free one, as was the one last night at South Beach. I’m right beside the river and that’s the nicest sound to fall asleep to. Goodnight~