Monday, July 5th:On into Oregon and the beautiful coast. Stayed at Camp Blanco SP, on the cliffs above the Pacific and looking out at the Lighthouse. Weather was sunny but very windy with all the trees leaning against the shore.
Tuesday, July 6th:
We made it halfway up the Oregon Coast, past Yachats and the Adobe Motel where I has stayed many years ago on the way to BC. Dori and I stayed at the South Beach SP and she had her first taste of beach life, was somewhat intimidated but got the hang of running around in the sand, the wind blowing her ears. Here also the campground spaces were roomy and we could walk over the dunes from the campground; many families here with little kids.
Wednesday, July 7th:
We made it to just South of Portland and found the Champoeg Historical area SP. Lots of ancient settlers buildings and a wonderful “general store” to buy strawberry/rhubarb pie for breakfast. Here I met 3 women who are bicycling across the US. Their sag driver, Karen came into my camper to talk traveling and ask about my rig and experience. It was good to hear her input, especially regarding places in AZ to spend the winter. The people I meet “out here” have been so friendly, polite and helpful….except for a very few “crude, rude, ugly” types.
Thursday, July 8th:
I drove into the Mt St. Helens visitor center to relive the day in May, 1980, when Molly was a baby and we lived in Coeur d’Alene, ID, that the huge ash cloud descended on the town about 4pm…we were all terrified, thinking it would kill us! Continued on to Miller-Sylvania SP just south of Olympia, WA. There I met a man who was setting up camp there to bring his wife after her chemo treatment at the local Cancer Ctr in Olympia. When he brought her out to the campground I could see that she was feeling pretty bad; but he had explained that their dream was to travel if she was up to it…..such brave folks.
Friday, July 9th:
Met Matt and Molly (dtr and SIL) at Lake Cushman SP on the Olympic Peninsula for the w/e. It’s a beautiful lake near Hoodsport, WA and the weather was perfect, 80 during the day and cool at night. Once again we had to deal with the boaters/beerdrinkers over, the w/e but it was a really nice place to camp. They now have “Pepper” new dog who got to know Dori and me and had her fill of squirrel/chipmunk sightings.
Monday, July12th:
I went out to Pacific Beach on the coast above Aberdeen after visiting the Quinault Lake center of The Olympic National Park and getting into my 3rd National Park, FREE ( I love being old!) The beach here is very wide and windy. I met Sylvia, a lovely lady kite flyer who is an expert making and flying kites for 20 years! We will keep in touch and I look forward to attending a Kite Festival some day. She had some valuable recommendations for me as I go around the peninsula.
Tuesday, July13th:
I made it to the Kalaloch So beach campground. The other Kalaloch campground is reservation only and was full…no wonder, the weather is perfect every day and the beach gorgeous. The one I stayed in was more like a parking lot along the beach so we were all lined up next to each other. Walked down the path to the very wild beach with gigantic trees thrown up on the shore and the tide in. Dori just wanted to get away from crashing surf but the next morning the tide was so far out that a lone fisherman was standing at least 200ft from shore with his line in the surf. I did see several groups with fish on the campfire for dinner.
Wednesday, July 14th:
The Rialto beach by Mora campground is the most amazing! There I met Terry, a traveler with a camera and a blog. So I will always think of that as “Terry’s beach” since we had a terrific walk along it to the “Hole-in-the-wall- and the tide pools. Camping and walking around there is unforgettable; the best views of the Pacific I’ve seen yet, and that’s saying something on this coast! I stayed 2 days to just live in it.
Friday, July 16:Without realising that I was on hallowed ground, I actually drove into FORKS, WA and then discovered that I was among the many teens with their grandparents touring the scenes from the "Twilight" movies.
I decided that I needed to drive up to Neah Bay. Now I can say that I have traveled from the farthest SE place in the US to the farthest NW place! The Makh Native Museum is one of the best small museums in the country and has a very full history of that Indian tribe who are all still there and maintain their lifestyle. They were preparing for the annual Canoe arrival next week in which about 100 native canoes arrive in their bay for a weeklong celebration. Will certainly try to get to that some year.
Went back to the Klahowya (Chinook word for Welcome) campground and spent 2 nights surrounded by the Sol Duc river and many WA families. The days were so warm that the kids were all tubing in the river. This is my favorite Oly Natn’l Park campground, so far.
Sunday, July 18th:
I next stayed at the Elwha River campground. It is a part on the river that will have it’s dam removed this year for the Salmon spawning to resume. The water is glacial ice green, very swift and cold.
Monday, July 19th:
I walked to the SolDuc waterfall, about .8miles and worth every step. The water roars down about 100 feet, is very energizing and cool in the forest. It’s near the SolDuc Hot Springs Resort pools and cabins. This is the site of an old resort from the 1800s when folks took the ferry to Crescent Lake, then the “motor wagons” across land and a steam engine train to get into the resort hotel. No more hotel now, it burned down, but the cabins and campground around the pools are great and the deli/restaurant looked really nice.
I drove into Port Angeles, such a nice coastal town with ferry to Victoria, BC and then went out to my last ONP campground, Heart-O-The-Hills near the northern entry National Park Visitor Center.
I also drove up the 17 miles to Hurricane Ridge to see the spectacular Olympic Crest mountains. Stayed for 3 nights to get my last blast of the Olympic Peninsula but could come for many years to all the forest places hear….it’s a serene and restoring atmosphere!Thursday, July 22nd:
Left the ONP to travel toward Seattle, down the east coast of the sound. Visited Port Townsend and their library…really quaint town on the coast. I stayed at the Kitsap SP for a night on my way down and then drove through Tacoma, past the Tacomadome where I took my nursing boards in 1990 (that was a frightening memory!!)
Friday, July 23rd:
Arrived at West Seattle to stay at kids house, celebrate Matt’s birthday, and get lots of maintenance stuff done before heading back east to Ohio.
