Pictures of the Week 2008-34
Hello All,
We continued our trek north on US-101 into Washington. Our first stop was the little logging town of Forks. Our plan was to explore the western approaches of Olympic National Park. On another trip we had taken in the eastern approaches to the park. Olympic Park is unusual in that there are no roads that go through it. There are many entrances, but the roads go to a specific place 15 to 20 miles into the park and then end.
From our viewpoint the drive up the Washington coast is far less attractive than the Oregon coast. With the exception of Olympic National Park most of the land seems to be used by the timber industry. Vast sections of land are “clear cut” which means all the timber is cut down and hauled to the lumber mills. All that is left are stumps and slash--not an attractive sight. These clear cut sections are then replanted with saplings. Sections of land are cut in different years so there are sections with trees with varying ages--10 years, 20 years, 30 years, etc.
Replanted sections are so thick that you can’t see into them let alone walk through them. When you are driving down the highway it’s like you are riding between two hedges--boring. And, the logging roads are blocked with piles of dirt to prevent anyone from driving on them--probably a liability issue. One bright point from clear cutting is that in the following few years the area is loaded with Foxgloves that grow five to six feet tall.
We continued our trek north on US-101 into Washington. Our first stop was the little logging town of Forks. Our plan was to explore the western approaches of Olympic National Park. On another trip we had taken in the eastern approaches to the park. Olympic Park is unusual in that there are no roads that go through it. There are many entrances, but the roads go to a specific place 15 to 20 miles into the park and then end.
From our viewpoint the drive up the Washington coast is far less attractive than the Oregon coast. With the exception of Olympic National Park most of the land seems to be used by the timber industry. Vast sections of land are “clear cut” which means all the timber is cut down and hauled to the lumber mills. All that is left are stumps and slash--not an attractive sight. These clear cut sections are then replanted with saplings. Sections of land are cut in different years so there are sections with trees with varying ages--10 years, 20 years, 30 years, etc.
Replanted sections are so thick that you can’t see into them let alone walk through them. When you are driving down the highway it’s like you are riding between two hedges--boring. And, the logging roads are blocked with piles of dirt to prevent anyone from driving on them--probably a liability issue. One bright point from clear cutting is that in the following few years the area is loaded with Foxgloves that grow five to six feet tall.
Our first venture into Olympic
National Park was to the Hoh Rain Forest, among the only protected temperate
rain forests in the Northern Hemisphere.
Moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean brings an average of 140
inches of annual rainfall to the Hoh Valley, (record 190 inches) in addition to
condensed mist that contributes another 30 inches. It was truly a wonderful area to visit. Everything is moss ladened--even phone booths
and outhouses!! We hiked what is known
as the Hall of Mosses Trail. It takes
you into an area of the forest where huge maple trees are draped in heavy
moss. The mild winters and cool summers
with an abundance of precipitation produce giant trees in the rain forest.
After the rain forest we decided to drive to the
Kalaloch Beaches (pronounced clay-lock) area of the park. Enroute we passed a sign that said “Big Cedar
Tree.” So we decided to check it
out. Well this gnarly old tree wouldn’t
win any awards for being a raving beauty, but it was absolutely massive!!
When we arrived at the beach the fog and low
clouds had started moving in, typical for this part of the country. And, although it was a bit on the nippy side
the sea stacks and huge driftwood logs were still lovely.
After a good night's sleep our
next adventure took us to the Sol Duc Hot Springs area of the national park,
located 27 miles north of Forks. Our
target was not the hot springs but the trailhead there that led to Sol Duc
Falls. It was an easy one-mile hike into
the falls through a beautiful forest.
Coming out of the mountains the fast moving Sol
Duc River makes a 90-degree turn when four distinct falls plunge over the rocks
into a torrent froth of whitewater that then goes into a narrow rock
gorge. It is extremely difficult to
photograph the falls, and to make things worse the spray covers lenses in just
a few seconds. The sunlight shining
through the spray did make for a nice rainbow effect however. The roar made by
the falls was quite impressive--a very
memorable experience.
After spending the morning at the falls we
decided to get some lunch. Our target
destination was Crescent Lake. This huge
natural clear water lake is a jewel in the national park. US-101 runs along the shoreline for
miles. Wow, what a scenic drive.
We then moved the rig to
Burlington, WA, where we would explore North Cascades National Park--but more
on that later.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns