Thanksgiving 2013: Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

November 27, 2013

Soundtrack:

• Alice in Chains -- Black Gives Way to Blue
• Arcade Fire -- Reflektor

When I woke up Wednesday morning it was still pitch dark.  I had no more sleep left to give, though.  I decided I'd just have to get up and deal with it.  Turned out it was 6:30, which wasn't too early.  I fired up the little camping stove and made a pot of coffee, then waited by the beach for the sun to rise.  Once it was up, I hit the road to explore Olympic National Park.

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

The exploration wouldn't be deep.  I only had a day, after all.  My plan was drive around the peninsula on 101.  The highway follows the Puget sound down to Olympia where it hooks up with I-5.  From there, it's about two and a half hours to Salem.

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Hairy Woodpecker

My first stop was Ruby Beach.  What a beautiful spot.  The surf was rough, and the pebble beach was covered with driftwood.  Mist was clinging to the haystacks in the ocean.  A creek runs into the ocean on the beach, and the back and forth between the surf and the driving creek was dramatic to watch.  

Mount Olympus, Olympic National Park, WA

I headed inland to the Hoh Rain Forest next.  Olympic National Park has three distinct types of ecosystems.  There's the rugged coastline, the ancient rain forests and the alpine mountains.  There are also some impressive rivers, including the Hoh River, which leads from Highway 101 into the rain forest.  The river appears to be completely unspoiled by development.  I saw a few people fishing, but other than that I had the entire river to myself.  Well, I had to share it with a couple of bald eagles.

Hoh River, Olympic National Park, WA

I didn't spend a lot of time in the rain forest.  The visitor center was closed, and a hike through a mossy forest didn't sound particularly interesting to me given my limited time.  Still, the river was spectacular.  If I was a fisherman and I lived up in the Northwest I'm sure this would be one of my main haunts.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, WA

Rialto Beach was my next stop.  It's in the heart of Twilight country.  I didn't see any vampires or werewolves.  At least, I don't know that I did.  I felt like goofing on the middle aged woman I saw with a car full of kids taking a picture of the Twilight signs along the road, but I wasn't on firm ground with that considering my giddy encounter with The Goonies house the day before.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Again, the surf was rough and the beach was pebbly and covered with driftwood.  The logs were massive here.  This was serious old growth driftwood.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Next up was Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls.  The lake was smooth and pristine.  The water looked cold, the kind of water that would swallow a person who ventured into it with barely a ripple.  It was surrounded by pine-covered hills, with expensive looking cabins dotting the shoreline.  I imagine it's a busy place in the summer months.

Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, WA

A one mile trail leads from the lake to Marymere Falls.  It's not the most exciting waterfall in the world, but the hike was pleasant and easy.  

I saw a number of bald eagles driving around the Olympic Peninsula.  I was doing the driving, not the eagles.  They've definitely made a strong comeback in the Pacific Northwest.  They are magnificent birds.  I also saw a number of waterfowl and a few deer.  At one stop I made driving down toward Olympia I saw a school of fish making a ruckus on the surface of the water.  I also saw a couple of deer hiding in the tall grass at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.  I couldn't get a good picture, though.  They seemed a bit shy.

Bald Eagle -- Octopus Hole Conservation Area, WA