No thanks to Karen, our extremely untrustworthy and befuddled GPS, we made it to our hostel in Olympia, Chez Cascadia. We stopped to get gas and snag a photo of a Sasquatch themed pizza shop before getting rather mixed up around the interstates near town. At any rate, we arrived in time for check-in and were greeted by our most delightful host, Collin. With a cheerful greeting and quick tour of the hostel, we were all set for the night.
The hostel stands out upon arrival as a colorful home within a quaint neighborhood. The name of the hostel is prominently displayed on a toilet lid hanging next to the front door, below which is a microwave bearing a sign that reads "I'm a mailbox of course." The interior of the hostel is warm and welcoming, as were the inn-keepers, Collin and Hisham. There are two bedrooms in the main house, one a dorm style that could accommodate 5 people in bunk beds, and the other room a private room with a queen bed. We opted for the cheaper route and chose to share the double bed in the dorm-style room. A bathroom was situated between the rooms, painted in vibrant greens and purples to look as though the paint was oozing down the walls - very funky. A communal living room and vegetarian-only kitchen provided ample space and amenities for our two-night stay. Thankfully laundry services were available because after several days of camping and hiking, our clothes were smelling fuuuunkay! The hostel had a very Eco-conscious vibe; recycling and composting were encouraged, chickens roamed the back yard, communal food supplies were available for use (spices, canned goods, an assortment of teas, cooking oils - all of which we were greatly encouraged to use throughout our stay), a garden grew verdantly in the backyard, and rain barrels were situated to collect water for gardening. Even the dishwasher was only used as a drying rack. The hostel and it's residents made us feel quickly at home and embraced us during our stay. There was a separate dorm style room located behind the main house as well, which appeared to be occupied primarily by people contributing to the operation of the hostel by cleaning, gardening, and running the seed exchange which seemed to be a community effort encouraging community members to grow their own produce.
Collin informed us about a local food co-op a few blocks away, to which one of the residents volunteered to accompany us. It was a short walk under grey skies that gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs after our drive and get a better look at the neighborhood around the hostel. The houses were cute, many of them with a great deal of personal character and overflowing flowerbeds. Along the way, Michael shared with us his stories about life as a film-maker and actor, as well as his knowledge and thoughts about Olympia and the Northwest.
The food co-op was a pretty excellent experience. Gwen was sold on the fact that they had not one, but several varieties of essential oils, and even a kambucha starter kit. For those of you who don't know what kambucha is, it is a fermented tea that helps with the digestive system. Anyway, the food co-op was well-stocked with delicious, organic, locally grown or sourced foods that had our mouths watering. The staff were super helpful, many of them volunteers. Eastern Indian music played in the background as we procured some food for breakfast and lunch the following morning, including a delicious baguette, goat Brie, fresh eggs, and a tomato. Michael was kind enough to wait for us to show us the way back as neither of us had paid much attention to directions as we walked and talked with him on the way to the food co-op. Given that it was about 9 and we still had not showered, we decided to get cleaned up and make our way downtown for some dinner, nightlife, and a good cold beer.
Once we were showered, Collin pointed us in the direction of Fish Tale Ales, a local brew pub, for dinner and a drink. His directions were spot on, sending us straight through Olympia's small downtown on our way. Downtown Olympia is made up of a strip of many taverns and restaurants that is hustling and bustling on a weekend night. Fish Tale Ales is just off the beaten path and had a lively atmosphere and local art displayed on the walls. We shared an amazing meal of coconut encrusted red snapper and a pitcher of amazing clams! We thought it might have been too much for us, but our appetites were up to the task and we gorged ourselves on the delicious fare. The beers were a tasty reward as well after the days travel. We finished our evening downtown with a post dinner saunter, noting coffee shops and other spots we might like to check out on the following day. Gwen was really digging one restaurant that was packed, called King Soloman's Reef. We didn't stop in as we were full from our dinner, but it definitely looked like a good time. Much like the downtown scene back home, the streets and bars were populated with young folks looking for a drink or causing some kind of rowdiness in the streets. We found it hard to fit in amongst the bar scene tattooed nightlife of downtown Olympia.
Back at Chez Cascadia, Collin was still up and happy to hear that we had enjoyed his recommendation. Tired from the day, we hit the sack. What we had hoped would be a great nights sleep turned into a nightmare. Our roommate had perfected his art of snoring. It was terrible. Neither of us could get to sleep. We attempted to drown out the cacophony with wads of toilet paper in our ears, though this did little to lessen the brutality of our slumbering neighbor. Somehow a few short naps were managed during the night. Anderson had a strange dream that his mom had tooth surgery and couldn't talk right, so she kept making this strange mumbled sound over and over whenever Anderson would talk to her. Anderson awoke from the dream only to realize that the strange noise was actually the evolution of the snoring going on in the bed next to him. Gwen awoke before 6:00 (if you know Gwen, then you know this is totally out of the ordinary) and hung out with her buddy Colin, catching up on his life's adventures. In their conversation, she disclosed to him that Michael SNORED! Collin seemed very aware of this, and Gwen got the feeling that Michael was aware of this too. When Michael joined the conversation with Gwen and Collin in the kitchen at about 8:30, animatedly sharing his most recent music film festival invitation in New York, Gwen saw an opportunity for a quiet nap. While Gwen caught a couple hours of much needed rest, Anderson began experimenting with the blog! Updating pictures has been particularly difficult as you may be able to tell (note: please refer to the picture album for pics of the trip, though they are unorganized we hope you are able to identify our words in these snapshots).
Slightly better rested and eager to explore, we set out for the city. We were given some suggestions of things to do in the area by the innkeepers and residents, but mostly decided to follow our noses. We began driving and decided to head towards the capital. Being that it was a Sunday, tours of the capital were unavailable but we were able to explore the building, which was beautifully built in marble and decorated with a gigantic chandelier and fire pots from Tiffany's. The state flower of Washington, the rhododendron, decorated the capital lawn in bright bold colors. On the upper levels of the capital building, we found a photography exhibit documenting the effects of homelessness for children and families across the state of Washington and the nation. It was a very moving exhibit, with poignant images and stories captured in black and white. We found it particularly encouraging that such a serious and devastating issue was being put on display in such a prominent location where senators and delegates would be confronted with it frequently. As we explored the building, a high school choir group from Bellingham, WA assembled in the main corridor under the rotunda. Their voices filled the building, showing off the acoustic qualities of the space. A particularly interesting effect was achieved when the choir assembled around the four balconies of the second floor, arranged by pitch, and sang together. Their voices were beautiful and we both felt fortunate that we were able to share in the experience of the choir.
Our next stop was at the farmer's market. Forest Hill may have the best farmer's market in Richmond, but it is nothing compared to the farmer's market in Olympia (and probably a lot of the rest of the northwest). The farmer's market here was full of amazing greens and produce, scented bath goods, bakery items, plants for the garden, and other handcrafted goods. To make things even better, it was all totally covered by a really beautiful permanent structure, which was obviously a great idea given the consistency of the rainy weather in the state. We picked up a quick gift for Amanda (a friend who we will be staying with in Portland) and then checked out the boardwalk at the harbor. It was a pleasant enough place to check out and we dug the barnacles, oysters, and clams that had congregated on the mooring pillars. We figured they probably would not be too good for eating given the amount of boat traffic in and out of the harbor.
We then made an attempt to find the visitor's center that we had seen a sign for in town. Our search led us all over the vicinity, but not to any visitor center. We headed out of town toward Lacey, discovering a behavioral health center that we thought might have some job openings. With it being Sunday, we couldn't do much with that, and so we headed back to "downtown" to find a coffee shop and hang out for a bit. We had a hard time finding a coffee shop, which was surprising given that we have seen tons of them everywhere out here! We finally found a spot called Burial Grounds. The morbid name intrigued us and the vibe inside was definitely somewhat in keeping with the name. The was a kind of dark theme to the restaurant, and the bathroom was decorated with hand drawings of various kitsch sayings and pictures related to death or burial grounds and coffee. Anderson asked the barista about what folks do for fun in town, and the barista replied that mostly drink. This was not too encouraging. We sat outside and enjoyed our coffee and chai, talking over job potentials and thoughts about Olympia. Our verdict was that while Olympia had it's good points, we were not overly impressed with it and figured it was not substantially different enough from Richmond to be worth considering a move. We had the interesting pleasure of meeting one gentleman who was a professional viola player and had played with Arlo Guthrie in Richmond and a proclaimed singer/songwriter who sang us a little ditty and spout out a slew of facts about Mt. St. Helens (a cubic mile of debris blew out of the mountain). The affect and general demeanor of this fellow led us to believe that he was certifiably diagnosable.
We then decided to visit a bookstore that we had passed earlier. On our walk to the bookstore, we passed a parking lot with a pipe coming out of the ground and water flowing from it. A young dad and his little girl were filling up several gallon jugs with the water. Perplexed, we stopped to inquire about what they were up to. The father informed us that it was an artesian well, which we later learned simply means that it is a self-propelled well that does not need a pump to continue to supply water. Apparently the well has supplied many local businesses with water for years and maintains a steady flow that this fellow proclaimed to be "the best water in the state; it's been tested." He went on to tell us that he and his family only use this water to drink and cook with because "he's kind of picky," noting that they have to come and refill their water about once every few weeks. We got a total kick out of this and headed for the bookshop, making a note to return to fill our water sources here.
The bookstore turned out to be quite cool, and we enjoyed the time out of the rain by looking through new and used books and finding a few freebies to take with us. From here we headed back to the hostel to take a walk over to the food co-op and also to check out the nature trail that Collin had told us about the previous day. During our quick stop-in at the hostel, Collin informed Gwen that he would be moving us to the private room for the night so that we could get some better sleep, with no additional fee! This was a welcome relief after the rough sleep that we had the night before. We headed out for our walk feeling extremely grateful for Collin's amazing hospitality. Despite the rain, we enjoyed a walk through the nature trail, viewing more ferns and moss along the way before its terminus at a riverside park with plenty of open green space. At the food co-op we picked out foods to make dinner using a great simmer sauce, mushrooms, red pepper, onion, and bulk couscous. We figured our bill would be huge, but we got everything we needed for under $15. Back at the hostel, Gwen cooked (she is a total rock star, especially in the kitchen) while Anderson set to the task of writing blog updates and posting photos. It's a grueling process, this trip haha! Dinner was amazing, and we still had food left over. Dinner therefore came out to roughly $5/person. Not bad for shopping at the local food co-op. Healthy and cheap, can't beat that. We finished up some blogging before bed, relishing in the fact that outside of our room we could already hear Michael snoring away like a log, but inside the room, peaceful quiet.
The next morning we enjoyed delicious egg sandwiches for breakfast and washed our laundry. This provided us with some relaxing time to drink tea, upload photos, and write blog entries. Look at how hard we work at keeping you all informed and up to date! It is a lot of work this blogging thing! You don't know it, but a good deal of this post was actually written laying in a tent in the rain at the foot of Mt. St. Helens! That's right, we risk volcanoes to bring you all the juicy details of our trip. Hopefully you are enjoying them and not just getting totally bored. It has been a fun process for us to share our stories and experiences with you all back home, and a fun way for us to capture some of the memories that we are making while traveling. As I mentioned, this post was written at Mt. St. Helens, so you know where we are heading next . . .
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Backpacking Second Beach is never second best
The trail into the beach entrance ended with tons of bordering driftwood skeletons of ancient trees, washed white by the sun and the waves, all along the coast. We climbed through this drift wood pile up with the weight of our backpacks like two giddy kids on Christmas! We kept our eyes on the sea ahead of us and the sea stacks, remnants of headland, broken off by years of erosion. The tide pools beckoned us onward but first we had to find a campsite.
Anderson ditched his backpack for the moment with Gwen and explored trail heads leading into the dense headland. He was vigilant. Though he reported that many scenic spots had already been claimed, he found us the perfect perch, nestled amongst the scrubby bushes of the coast, up steep steps indented in the raised headland, lined with helpful rocks for climbing. Situated at a point, we enjoyed a clear view of the length of Second Beach. Our nook on the coast provided a ready made fire pit surrounded by driftwood benches and a privy! This was no ordinary privy. This privy was just that, a smelly hole with a toilet seat above it about 20 yards from the campsite that itself boasted some scenic views! We took the time to make our room with a view, or view with a room rather and Anderson went to pump some water for dinner and we gathered firewood, which was plentiful.
The tide was out and on its way in, and we used the sea stacks as a playground to explore the filling tide pools. We walked to each end of the beach, taking in the scenery and observing the many starfish, green and aggregating sea anemones, sea grasses, limpets and barnacles inhabiting the tidal pools. On one end of the beach we rounded a corner just in time to scare a bald eagle into flight! We love bald eagles. They're huge and majestic and really exciting to find. When we made our way to the spot the bald eagle was hanging out we could see just how amazing these birds are! It's talons were as big as Gwen's hand and we could see where it's wings had brushed the sand as it took flight. At the end of the cove was a small, shallow cave which we were just able to explore before the tide forced us out. We walked back to our campsite into the sunset for a warm fire, Gwen's first mountain house meal, feeling so lucky to have come upon this treasure of an adventure.
If you haven't had a mountain house meal-even Gwen says they're freaking delicious! We had chicken Alfredo. We enjoyed our hot meal with some hot green tea and roasting apples over the fire. This was a successful Gwenvention as roasting the apples cartelized them from the inside and we enjoyed a sugary dessert. As the sky darkened and the stars flickered on, we wondered what stars we were seeing while away from home. The serenity of our evening was interrupted when Anderson noticed signal flares from a boat in the water. Two flares, followed by search lights from the boat made us curious and a little concerned. Minutes after the second flare we heard a helicopter approaching, which shined a search light as well extensively up and down the coast. We couldn't read the side of the helicopter to get an idea of what was going on but after the initial curiosity, the extra noises became a bother. We retired to the tent for good conversation and peaceful sleep.
We woke on the beach and enjoyed a lazy morning and after pumping more water from the creek together we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of oatmeal, tea and bananas. We again took our time exploring the sea stacks up and down the coast. Anderson even scaled one of the exceptional sea stacks - pics to come, and made it back down in time just before the tide could close in around us.
We hiked back up the steep trail, this time ascending instead of descending, and made our way back to the car. After a quick lunch we headed to Chez Cascadia, the hostel in Olympia which we would be staying for two nights, looking forward to the opportunity to have a hot shower and a cold beer.
Anderson ditched his backpack for the moment with Gwen and explored trail heads leading into the dense headland. He was vigilant. Though he reported that many scenic spots had already been claimed, he found us the perfect perch, nestled amongst the scrubby bushes of the coast, up steep steps indented in the raised headland, lined with helpful rocks for climbing. Situated at a point, we enjoyed a clear view of the length of Second Beach. Our nook on the coast provided a ready made fire pit surrounded by driftwood benches and a privy! This was no ordinary privy. This privy was just that, a smelly hole with a toilet seat above it about 20 yards from the campsite that itself boasted some scenic views! We took the time to make our room with a view, or view with a room rather and Anderson went to pump some water for dinner and we gathered firewood, which was plentiful.
The tide was out and on its way in, and we used the sea stacks as a playground to explore the filling tide pools. We walked to each end of the beach, taking in the scenery and observing the many starfish, green and aggregating sea anemones, sea grasses, limpets and barnacles inhabiting the tidal pools. On one end of the beach we rounded a corner just in time to scare a bald eagle into flight! We love bald eagles. They're huge and majestic and really exciting to find. When we made our way to the spot the bald eagle was hanging out we could see just how amazing these birds are! It's talons were as big as Gwen's hand and we could see where it's wings had brushed the sand as it took flight. At the end of the cove was a small, shallow cave which we were just able to explore before the tide forced us out. We walked back to our campsite into the sunset for a warm fire, Gwen's first mountain house meal, feeling so lucky to have come upon this treasure of an adventure.
If you haven't had a mountain house meal-even Gwen says they're freaking delicious! We had chicken Alfredo. We enjoyed our hot meal with some hot green tea and roasting apples over the fire. This was a successful Gwenvention as roasting the apples cartelized them from the inside and we enjoyed a sugary dessert. As the sky darkened and the stars flickered on, we wondered what stars we were seeing while away from home. The serenity of our evening was interrupted when Anderson noticed signal flares from a boat in the water. Two flares, followed by search lights from the boat made us curious and a little concerned. Minutes after the second flare we heard a helicopter approaching, which shined a search light as well extensively up and down the coast. We couldn't read the side of the helicopter to get an idea of what was going on but after the initial curiosity, the extra noises became a bother. We retired to the tent for good conversation and peaceful sleep.
We woke on the beach and enjoyed a lazy morning and after pumping more water from the creek together we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of oatmeal, tea and bananas. We again took our time exploring the sea stacks up and down the coast. Anderson even scaled one of the exceptional sea stacks - pics to come, and made it back down in time just before the tide could close in around us.
We hiked back up the steep trail, this time ascending instead of descending, and made our way back to the car. After a quick lunch we headed to Chez Cascadia, the hostel in Olympia which we would be staying for two nights, looking forward to the opportunity to have a hot shower and a cold beer.
Monday, May 21, 2012
May 18: Onward Hoh, to the beach we go
We woke up-in the Rainforest(!) to another beautiful, sunny day. As our luck with weather would have it, we can go to the rainforest and not be rained on. We got ourselves packed up for the morning and at about 10 began the Hoh River Trail. This trail is about 17.5 miles, ending in Blue Glacier, next to Mount Olympus. We hiked about 5.5 miles into this trail, just enough to feel like we were entering the dense greens of the forest ferns rather than the short hikes closer to the Ranger Lodge.
Breaking into such enchanting territory solemned us as we enjoyed taking in our surroundings though other tour groups close by did not appreciate the quiet and natural sounds of the water, winds, birds, and squirrels. True to our "winging it" strategy/ADD, we also enjoyed breaking from the main trail onto smaller paths for extra opportunities to explore the riverbanks and waterfalls. This trail had two beautifully cascading waterfalls and though we attempted to get ourselves to the top of the falls for a changed perspective of below, we only got so far. Along the path we saw just how huge these spruce trees were! Fallen trees along the path, cut for the passing of tourists such as ourselves measured Anderson's height in diameter. We were always on the lookout for bears and elk but instead we ran into many small birds, squirrels, and colorful slugs. We enjoyed watching the friendly squirrels, who are smaller and darker colored than the furry rats on the East Coast, nibble pine ones on the forest floor. We spotted two woodpeckers scaling the trees, black with a red spot on the head of one, and saw much of their trace on trees along the path as well. Our animal sight seeing was finally satisfied when in a clearing by the crystalline blue waters we spotted a bald eagle!
We ended our journey just after Five Mile Island, and found a clearing by the river to sit and have lunch, PB&Js, apples, trail mix and lots of water. Our eyes were pealed for animals across the bank but still no elusive elk or bear spottings. The clearing where we stopped had reminents of previous fire pits. It would have been the perfect stop for backpacking the whole of the trail as it also had a privy and permanent bear bag rigging. Though we had plenty left in us after lunch, we decided we should head back if we were going to journey onwards during daylight hours. Seeing the deeps blue scaping of Mount Olympus high above us at our lunch spot, knowing it was on the same trail we were trekking, left us wanting more. We agreed that the next time we were in the Hoh we would backpack the trail till the end, which we estimated might be a 3-4 day trip.
The trail inward, with frequent stops and extra excursions took about 2.5 hours, and the hike back about 1.5. We tried to make sure we had all the photo opps we would need to capture the experience, though no picture could illustrate the surroundings to completeness.
When we made our way back to the visiter's center, Anderson was directed by the ranger to a coast campsite for the night at Second Beach. Though this was not in our original plan, winging it yet again proved to be predetermined destiny for our Olympic adventure! An hour later, after driving back through the few blocks of Forks yet again, we passed the vampires and entered "werewolf country." We parked at Second Beach, creatively loaded our necessities for the night in Anderson's legit backpacking backpack and Gwen's big day bag, we took the mile hike to the coast. As we descended the steep drop to the beach on the trail, through the trees we saw
Breaking into such enchanting territory solemned us as we enjoyed taking in our surroundings though other tour groups close by did not appreciate the quiet and natural sounds of the water, winds, birds, and squirrels. True to our "winging it" strategy/ADD, we also enjoyed breaking from the main trail onto smaller paths for extra opportunities to explore the riverbanks and waterfalls. This trail had two beautifully cascading waterfalls and though we attempted to get ourselves to the top of the falls for a changed perspective of below, we only got so far. Along the path we saw just how huge these spruce trees were! Fallen trees along the path, cut for the passing of tourists such as ourselves measured Anderson's height in diameter. We were always on the lookout for bears and elk but instead we ran into many small birds, squirrels, and colorful slugs. We enjoyed watching the friendly squirrels, who are smaller and darker colored than the furry rats on the East Coast, nibble pine ones on the forest floor. We spotted two woodpeckers scaling the trees, black with a red spot on the head of one, and saw much of their trace on trees along the path as well. Our animal sight seeing was finally satisfied when in a clearing by the crystalline blue waters we spotted a bald eagle!
We ended our journey just after Five Mile Island, and found a clearing by the river to sit and have lunch, PB&Js, apples, trail mix and lots of water. Our eyes were pealed for animals across the bank but still no elusive elk or bear spottings. The clearing where we stopped had reminents of previous fire pits. It would have been the perfect stop for backpacking the whole of the trail as it also had a privy and permanent bear bag rigging. Though we had plenty left in us after lunch, we decided we should head back if we were going to journey onwards during daylight hours. Seeing the deeps blue scaping of Mount Olympus high above us at our lunch spot, knowing it was on the same trail we were trekking, left us wanting more. We agreed that the next time we were in the Hoh we would backpack the trail till the end, which we estimated might be a 3-4 day trip.
The trail inward, with frequent stops and extra excursions took about 2.5 hours, and the hike back about 1.5. We tried to make sure we had all the photo opps we would need to capture the experience, though no picture could illustrate the surroundings to completeness.
When we made our way back to the visiter's center, Anderson was directed by the ranger to a coast campsite for the night at Second Beach. Though this was not in our original plan, winging it yet again proved to be predetermined destiny for our Olympic adventure! An hour later, after driving back through the few blocks of Forks yet again, we passed the vampires and entered "werewolf country." We parked at Second Beach, creatively loaded our necessities for the night in Anderson's legit backpacking backpack and Gwen's big day bag, we took the mile hike to the coast. As we descended the steep drop to the beach on the trail, through the trees we saw
May 17: to da Hoh
Rainforest of course! We were smart to camp right next to the ferry and were awoken to the sounds of the ferry boat (as Anderson predicted the night before as we set up camp), got ourselves together and took the short trip (about 1/2 hour) to Port Townsend from which we would continue on to Olympic National Park. As Anderson navigated the winding roads and abrupt changes in speed limit we realized how fortunate we were not to have ventured to the park the night before.
We inevitably had to pass some opportunities to explore towns along the way, determined to spend as much time as possible in the park itself. We got gas in Sequim, known for their lavender. Though our timing was unfortunately about two months early for the lavender festival, when Anderson rolled down his window we both thought we smelled lavender in the air, before we hit the gas station. Port Angeles looked like a cute town by the water, and we stopped to ashamedly take advantage of their wal-mart in search of fuel for the camp stove. Wile they didn't have the fuel we needed, we did score plenty of food for the next few days of camping. Gwen's quest to find more jiffy pop was foiled, so the search must continue. We did meet an overly helpful woman in the wal-mart who directed us to Swain's, an all around outdoor and garden supply store, where she believed we might find the camp fuel we needed. Her directions were spot on, though they did not carry the correct fuel either. We pressed on.
The drive was beautiful! Lush greens all around, moss covered towering trees and all around views of the snow capped mountains. The surrounding water overlooks on this incredibly scenic drive were of clear blue glacial water, courtesy of the snowy peaks above us. We stopped at a pullout by Crescent Lake to appreciate the purity of the water, which was icy cold for a brief photo opp and kept on.
As the drive became an elongated series of saddening views of logging operations that skirt Olympic National Park, Gwen took advantage of her passenger status and caught a little nap until we arrived in Forks. Some of you Twilight series buffs may recognize the name of this town, as it was the setting for Twilight, etc. Bella had good reason to dread moving to Forks. There isn't a whole lot going on there, just one main small town drag of shops, many of which boast of the Twilight connection, advertising Twilight souvenirs, tours, and firewood. We opted to not take the Twilight tour, surmising that we too may be at risk of coming under the spell of the local vampires. A quick stop in the local Ace Hardwear proved successful as we were able to find our much needed cooking fuel! Without delay we headed the last 12 miles south on 101 to the Upper Hoh Road that leads you about 8 miles into the Hoh Rainforest.
Logged forests quickly gave way to lush moss-carpeted tree branches, Sitka spruce, western hemlocks, red alders, cottonwoods, and huge ferns in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Hoh River flows just to the south of the road, weaving through the dense rainforest among smoothed pebbles and rocks worn from centuries of glacial runoff. The river is a chalky light blue, running full of tiny sediment of ground rock from further up in the mountains. The river bed is much wider than the river itself and is flanked on either side by younger alders and cottonwood trees that will eventually give way to the spruce and hemlocks as the forest matures. At a pull off, we stopped to bask in the sun and appreciate the views of snowy peaks, glacial waters, and beautiful shades of green all around. At this point we still had not officially entered Olympic National Park or the Hoh rainforest. The last few miles before the park were full of little farms nestled amongst the forest. We imagined what an amazing experience it might be to live there, though completely removed from the rest of civilization.
Anderson made Gwen take his photo with the Hoh rainforest national park sign - yep, he's that silly tourist guy, and with the photo in the bag we headed into the rainforest. There really aren't words enough to describe the experience of driving into the only temperate rainforest in America. The scale of the trees is immense, lending to a sense that this place is sacred. Forest encloses all around you, moss sweeps in the breeze, clinging to overhanging tree branches. There is a quietness and reverence to the place that is calming, pure, full of an energy that can only come from such verdant and fertile environs. After stopping at the visitors center to pay our fees for the night and inquire about hiking, we selected a campsite less than 100 yards from the Hoh river. The weather was sunny and cool, a few small clouds drifting past, and small chickadee sized birds flitted here and there as we set our tent up on a grassy patch near wildflowers, mossy logs, and the sound of the river. We had to keep reminding each other that we were truly camping IN A RAINFOREST!
We took advantage of the extended daylight hours to complete two short hikes on the Hall of Mosses trail and the Spruce Nature Trail, totaling about 2.5 miles of oohs and aahs. Both trails provided interpretive markers along the way, written with a poeticism befitting such a landscape. Gwen was particularly drawn to the description of the "tapestry of mosses" and we took our time to inspect around logs and in creeks for plant or animal life that would surprise and excite us. The Hall of Mosses trail provided great views of an old growth rainforest, with a short spur off the main trail to a grove of maple trees whose sprawling branches are shrouded in sweeping mosses. We enjoyed trying to differentiate between the huge variety of ferns that are present, including sword ferns and lady ferns, which appeared to be the most present. We didn't see any animal life aside from some robins on these hikes, but we learned a great deal about "nurse logs." During storms, huge trees blow down, often times knocking down other trees in their path. With sunlight and uninhabited ground being scarce in the rainforest, downed trees provide a valuable real estate for seedlings trying to take hold. Over time, these logs become the growing grounds for colonnades of new trees. Eventually the nurse log will decompose, leaving buttress roots with hollowed out spaces under them where the log once was. We made many attempts to capture the colors, sizes, and shapes of the plants we saw, though no photo can truly do justice. As the sun moved lower in the sky, the lighting afforded us views through backlight shadows of silvery green mosses.
After not having dinner the previous night due to our last minute bolt to try to catch the ferry, a hot meal of beans and rice proved delicious. Gwen was particularly excited, it being her first camping beans and rice experience. We quickly devoured the delicious food next to a blazing campfire, patiently waiting for the stars to turn on. The sound of the river provided a soothing backdrop for our memories of the day and excitement for the next.
We inevitably had to pass some opportunities to explore towns along the way, determined to spend as much time as possible in the park itself. We got gas in Sequim, known for their lavender. Though our timing was unfortunately about two months early for the lavender festival, when Anderson rolled down his window we both thought we smelled lavender in the air, before we hit the gas station. Port Angeles looked like a cute town by the water, and we stopped to ashamedly take advantage of their wal-mart in search of fuel for the camp stove. Wile they didn't have the fuel we needed, we did score plenty of food for the next few days of camping. Gwen's quest to find more jiffy pop was foiled, so the search must continue. We did meet an overly helpful woman in the wal-mart who directed us to Swain's, an all around outdoor and garden supply store, where she believed we might find the camp fuel we needed. Her directions were spot on, though they did not carry the correct fuel either. We pressed on.
The drive was beautiful! Lush greens all around, moss covered towering trees and all around views of the snow capped mountains. The surrounding water overlooks on this incredibly scenic drive were of clear blue glacial water, courtesy of the snowy peaks above us. We stopped at a pullout by Crescent Lake to appreciate the purity of the water, which was icy cold for a brief photo opp and kept on.
As the drive became an elongated series of saddening views of logging operations that skirt Olympic National Park, Gwen took advantage of her passenger status and caught a little nap until we arrived in Forks. Some of you Twilight series buffs may recognize the name of this town, as it was the setting for Twilight, etc. Bella had good reason to dread moving to Forks. There isn't a whole lot going on there, just one main small town drag of shops, many of which boast of the Twilight connection, advertising Twilight souvenirs, tours, and firewood. We opted to not take the Twilight tour, surmising that we too may be at risk of coming under the spell of the local vampires. A quick stop in the local Ace Hardwear proved successful as we were able to find our much needed cooking fuel! Without delay we headed the last 12 miles south on 101 to the Upper Hoh Road that leads you about 8 miles into the Hoh Rainforest.
Logged forests quickly gave way to lush moss-carpeted tree branches, Sitka spruce, western hemlocks, red alders, cottonwoods, and huge ferns in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Hoh River flows just to the south of the road, weaving through the dense rainforest among smoothed pebbles and rocks worn from centuries of glacial runoff. The river is a chalky light blue, running full of tiny sediment of ground rock from further up in the mountains. The river bed is much wider than the river itself and is flanked on either side by younger alders and cottonwood trees that will eventually give way to the spruce and hemlocks as the forest matures. At a pull off, we stopped to bask in the sun and appreciate the views of snowy peaks, glacial waters, and beautiful shades of green all around. At this point we still had not officially entered Olympic National Park or the Hoh rainforest. The last few miles before the park were full of little farms nestled amongst the forest. We imagined what an amazing experience it might be to live there, though completely removed from the rest of civilization.
Anderson made Gwen take his photo with the Hoh rainforest national park sign - yep, he's that silly tourist guy, and with the photo in the bag we headed into the rainforest. There really aren't words enough to describe the experience of driving into the only temperate rainforest in America. The scale of the trees is immense, lending to a sense that this place is sacred. Forest encloses all around you, moss sweeps in the breeze, clinging to overhanging tree branches. There is a quietness and reverence to the place that is calming, pure, full of an energy that can only come from such verdant and fertile environs. After stopping at the visitors center to pay our fees for the night and inquire about hiking, we selected a campsite less than 100 yards from the Hoh river. The weather was sunny and cool, a few small clouds drifting past, and small chickadee sized birds flitted here and there as we set our tent up on a grassy patch near wildflowers, mossy logs, and the sound of the river. We had to keep reminding each other that we were truly camping IN A RAINFOREST!
We took advantage of the extended daylight hours to complete two short hikes on the Hall of Mosses trail and the Spruce Nature Trail, totaling about 2.5 miles of oohs and aahs. Both trails provided interpretive markers along the way, written with a poeticism befitting such a landscape. Gwen was particularly drawn to the description of the "tapestry of mosses" and we took our time to inspect around logs and in creeks for plant or animal life that would surprise and excite us. The Hall of Mosses trail provided great views of an old growth rainforest, with a short spur off the main trail to a grove of maple trees whose sprawling branches are shrouded in sweeping mosses. We enjoyed trying to differentiate between the huge variety of ferns that are present, including sword ferns and lady ferns, which appeared to be the most present. We didn't see any animal life aside from some robins on these hikes, but we learned a great deal about "nurse logs." During storms, huge trees blow down, often times knocking down other trees in their path. With sunlight and uninhabited ground being scarce in the rainforest, downed trees provide a valuable real estate for seedlings trying to take hold. Over time, these logs become the growing grounds for colonnades of new trees. Eventually the nurse log will decompose, leaving buttress roots with hollowed out spaces under them where the log once was. We made many attempts to capture the colors, sizes, and shapes of the plants we saw, though no photo can truly do justice. As the sun moved lower in the sky, the lighting afforded us views through backlight shadows of silvery green mosses.
After not having dinner the previous night due to our last minute bolt to try to catch the ferry, a hot meal of beans and rice proved delicious. Gwen was particularly excited, it being her first camping beans and rice experience. We quickly devoured the delicious food next to a blazing campfire, patiently waiting for the stars to turn on. The sound of the river provided a soothing backdrop for our memories of the day and excitement for the next.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Travel Lessons for a Successful Trip (with your partner)
Sometime during the second day of the trip, unbeknownst to Gwen, I began to reflect on important lessons I was learning about traveling with a partner. Gwen and I seem to very naturally have a lot of fun and function effectively while traveling, not that I am surprised, but it makes for a lot of happiness and enjoyment everyday we are here together. So, I started my own little list, which I then shared with her, of lessons for a successful trip with your partner - you know, for my next career as a self help book writer! Here is the run down of our list thus far, which we will hopefully update as our journey unfolds:
1. Be flexible - this is what we refer to as "wingin' it" - making great plans doesn't always mean you need to follow them. Let your sense of adventure guide you when you can!
2. Allow time for healthy rituals - whether it is for hygiene, journaling, or just having some quiet time, it makes all the difference. Even if you just think the other person needs it, you'll likely get just as much out of letting them have their time as they do.
3. Be silly - you're on vacation, and while that sounds relaxing, being in a new place everyday can get stressful really fast. Remember to be silly, goof off, laugh a lot. It's healthy and will recharge your batteries for when inevitable challenges arise.
There you have it, a work in progress. We aren't experts by any means, but we do have our masters, and so far we are having a spectacular trip, so we just might be onto something.
1. Be flexible - this is what we refer to as "wingin' it" - making great plans doesn't always mean you need to follow them. Let your sense of adventure guide you when you can!
2. Allow time for healthy rituals - whether it is for hygiene, journaling, or just having some quiet time, it makes all the difference. Even if you just think the other person needs it, you'll likely get just as much out of letting them have their time as they do.
3. Be silly - you're on vacation, and while that sounds relaxing, being in a new place everyday can get stressful really fast. Remember to be silly, goof off, laugh a lot. It's healthy and will recharge your batteries for when inevitable challenges arise.
There you have it, a work in progress. We aren't experts by any means, but we do have our masters, and so far we are having a spectacular trip, so we just might be onto something.
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