Port Angeles - Monday, Oct. 4 2010

It’s said you should keep the best things for last and although not quite the best, today’s activity was right up there.

It seems we’re having a bad weather day and a good weather day alternately. Today started off really well – we could see the mountains to the south and across the strait to Vancouver Island to the north.

Mountains in Olympic NP

After a small sleep-in we set off for the northern section of Olympic NP and a 27 km uphill drive, involving three tunnels, to Hurricane Ridge. For our early start we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains although some of the peaks were obscured by low cloud. As with all the other parks we have visited, Olympic is also in the throes of autumn shut-down. The visitor centre and gift shop were closed for the season and the snow poles were coming out.

A major walk to Hurricane Hill starts just past the visitor’s centre and we set off with lots of energy and enthusiasm to walk the 2.5 km (all uphill) to the top. The view along the trail was superb in all directions – snow capped mountains dropped steeply to the valley bottom far below while the colours displayed were very impressive. The dark colours of the pine trees contrasted brilliantly with the autumn shades.

As we approached the top the cloud started to descend lower and we decided to abort the last few hundred metres of the climb. After all, how much fun is there in looking at the inside of a cloud?

Looking back towards the trailhead. Cars are in the centre.

It was a good decision because by the time we had reached the car the cloud had completely closed in and it had become very, very cold.

The long drive back down the mountain allowed tiredness to well and truly set in. Despite this it was a really beautiful hike and well worth doing.

The afternoon was spent giving the car a drive-through car wash while Helen attended to our personal laundry.

Packing our accumulated possessions into the limited baggage space was a challenge – hopefully it will all fit into Tony’s car.

Aberdeen to Port Angeles - Sunday, Oct. 3 2010

Helen crossing the bridge on falls trail.

Had a very wet start to the day. We planned to visit the Hoh valley rainforest on our way around the Olympic peninsular to Port Angeles. On reaching the turn-off we debated whether to continue on or drive the 30 km up the valley. We decided to take our chances and it turned out to be a good decision. By the time we had reached the Visitor Centre the rain had eased to a light drizzle so we donned our wet-weather gear and set off on the Spruce Nature Trail. After all, you can’t have a rainforest without rain.

It was a really interesting walk. The blankets of moss hanging from the trees were amazing. It was a much more “pure” form of temperate rainforest than what we had seen yesterday. I imagine there would be places in Tasmania with a similar type of forest.

Waterfall

Just before reaching Port Angeles we drove along the shore of Crescent Lake for many kilometres. Even though it was quite a grey day the beauty of this glacial lake was obvious with the steep tree covered mountains surrounding the lake. We hiked to a waterfall part-way up the side of one of the mountains and were rewarded with a very scenic view.

Helen shouted me a birthday dinner tonight and we went to a restaurant at the harbour-front called “Downriggers”. Talk about a value plus deal. It turns out they have a Sunday special which consisted of clam chowder, roast turkey with cranberry sauce and vegies, a glass of wine and ice-cream for dessert – all for $13.95!

Aberdeen - Saturday, Oct. 2 2010

We decided to stay at Aberdeen for two nights so that we could spend some time in the southern part of Olympic NP before moving around to Port Angeles and the northern section on Sunday.

Autumn colours

As we left Aberdeen and moved away from the coast the weather began to improve and although it was still overcast it was pleasant enough for us to continue with our plans.

Today was a hiking day as we walked along a number of trails around Lake Quinault. Olympic NP is largely temperate rainforest, especially the western section, and receives in excess of 100 inches (ie 250 cm) of rain a year with almost half of that falling in the winter months of December/January.

We were fortunate to see a number of trees which are rated among the highest/biggest in the world for their particular species. Altogether a very enjoyable day.

Moss hanging from the trees

During our travels we’ve had conversations with a lot of Americans. The conversations usually start off with, “Where are you from?” “Wollongong, just south of Sydney.” Very few people have heard of Wollongong, hence the need for the extra information. The discussion then moves to our trip and they are invariably blown-away when we tell them how long we’ve been here and where we’ve been. Usually the next question relates to the value of our currency. In general, they know very little about Australia so I usually feel quite pleased that I can comment on their economic situation and politics. One guy wasn’t very impressed when I told him that part of the reason our dollar is so high at the moment is because of the weakness of the US dollar. I guess home truths are not always welcome.

Newport to Aberdeen - Friday, Oct. 1 2010

When Captain Cook visited this part of the world he named Newport Cape Foulweather. While it probably wasn’t that bad, the day started off wet and foggy. Along the seashore the weather was worse while as soon as the road moved inland it improved a little.

Today was another big driving day, almost five hours, and again largely due to the winding road, traffic and lots of small towns. Averaging 65 kph is not my idea of driving fun!

Fortunately we were able to do most of what we had planned with no real interference from the weather.

As we approached Tillamook the country changed and became very lush grazing with lots of dairy farms. Tillamook itself is famous for its cheese factory so this was our first stop. It was interesting to see the cheese being packaged but even more interesting to try out the range of items sold in the shop. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring some samples home – I don’t think Customs would approve. We tried out some of the 38 flavours of ice cream they produce – wild huckleberry for me and Helen had the pistachio and pecan. Ice cream servings in USA are large and the price is really cheap - $2 for two huge scoops in a dish!

Fort Clatsop

Our second stop was at Fort Clatsop near Astoria. A replica fort has been constructed here for the Lewis and Clark expedition.  In early 1800s Lewis and Clark led a group of men to explore from the Missouri River across to the Pacific Coast and in doing so opened up the way west. Sounds a bit similar to the McDouall Stuart south to north crossing of Australia – although I think Stuart had the tougher environment to deal with. Nevertheless, Lewis and Clark are exploration heroes in the narrative of US history. The fort had a palisade (wall) but was still very small for the number of men who lived there.

Bridge across the Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon

                                                                     Astoria also has a landmark called the Astoria Column, which can be seen for quite a distance. It celebrates the Lewis-Clark journey and stands high on a hill overlooking the town. Helen and I decided to climb the 168 steps to the top. Unfortunately the view was spoilt by the dull weather conditions. We were however able to get an uninterrupted view of the Astoria bridge over the Columbia River.

The bridge is amazing. It’s 6.5 km long and stretches from Astoria in Oregon across the Columbia river to Washington. Just to think of a river so wide is staggering and it must have been a real engineering accomplishment back in the 1960’s when it was built.

Both Helen and I are quite tired – I think all the driving is catching up with us. I know it certainly is with me. This adds a bit to the journey time as I need to stop more often. It was quite a relief to finally arrive in Aberdeen although it was quite late in the day. Tonight we continued our seafood odyssey as we dined at a restaurant called Mallards, which was recommended by reception at our accommodation. As the name suggests, the restaurant is decorated with ducks, ducks and more ducks. Helen had trout while I chose the salmon. The food was absolutely delicious and by far and away the best meal we’ve eaten on the trip.

Aberdeen itself doesn’t have a lot to recommend it – not the sort of place I would choose to live in although about 15000 people have. That number must include the surrounding district because the town doesn’t seem that large. Like all the towns along the Oregon-Washington coast most activity seems to centre around the port and harbour. The timber industry is also a major employer because of the forests which dominate.

Crescent City to Newport - Thursday, Sep. 30 2010

A rather ordinary day. After all the exhilaration and pleasure over the last six days today brought us back to earth.

It was a long drive from Crescent City to Newport made longer by the fact that there wasn’t a lot to see. The trip was quite slow as we passed through numerous small towns and villages with a reduced speed limit and the road was quite winding.

Islands in the fog

Fog along the seashore hampered viewing early on but we were able to see lots of rock-stacks/islets/islands poking through.

We did develop an interest in architecture during the day as we crossed over lots of bridges with some amazing designs especially incorporating columns and arches. Helen came across some information which revealed they were all designed by the same person, obviously explaining the similar characteristics.

I mentioned the sea lions we saw at Crescent City and today we visited Sea Lion Cave. It is a commercial operation which allows you to descend by lift into a viewing area adjacent to a cave occupied by sea lions. You know sea lions are present by the raucous noise they make.

Bridge in Newport, Oregon

On arriving in Newport late this afternoon we asked for recommendations for seafood restaurants. One was down by the harbour-front and as soon as we got out of the car we knew there was a sea lion colony nearby. I would hate to be staying in accommodation nearby as they apparently keep up the racket all night.

We’ve decided to dine out on seafood as we make our way up the coast. A delightful restaurant alongside the harbour, called the Chart Room, was recommended to us in Crescent City and we ate there both nights. Tonight we ate at Local Ocean and the food and ambience was superb. There can’t be a better way to eat seafood than right alongside where the trawlers tie up. Prices have been pretty reasonable and we can generally get a meal for $30. The tip is extra of course!

While I strongly dislike the practice of tipping we nevertheless do the right thing. Only once did I refuse to tip and that was because the food and service didn’t measure up.

Crescent City - Wednesday, Sep. 29 2010

As we set off this morning the fog was noticeably lighter than last night, especially around Crescent City so we decided to get some early photos of the harbour and light-house. While making our way down the coast the fog became thicker, especially along the seashore and over the ocean. We decided to abort some of the drives and viewpoints which were fog-bound.

Just on the outskirts of town we passed through another old-growth redwood area. It was so dark for about 14km as we drove through the tunnel of trees that headlights were necessary. This was a roadside instruction, but quite a sensible one.

Driving thru a Redwood tree

As we made our way south we stopped at “Tour Thru Tree” where we were actually able to drive through a redwood tree. Apart from the interest value, this and a number of trees we saw damaged by fire, demonstrated just how resilient the redwoods are. Unlike most trees, the redwoods don’t have any resin to ignite during a fire. The bark contains water which acts as a retardant and helps protect the tree. We saw a number of trees which had been burnt up the centre yet continued to survive.

Continuing southwards, we drove through some redwood areas which had been logged and restored. While the old-growth areas were very dark underneath and had little understorey foliage, the areas which had been logged had a more open canopy and contained ferns and a variety of low shrubs.

Tall trees

Lady Bird Johnson Grove, about 40km south of Crescent City, was our turn around point. As President Johnson’s wife she was involved with having the redwoods protected and the area declared a National Park. A really nice walk through the grove provided lots of background information about the redwood trees.

On the way back we stopped at a commercial venture called Trees of Mystery which attempted to capitalise on some of the unusual shapes (eg Ripley’s Believe it or Not). The main interest was a gondola ride through the redwoods to the mountain top which we quite enjoyed.