On to the Olympic Peninsula
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
2
10
Trip End
Sep 10, 2005
Port Angeles,
Washington,
United States
Saturday, September 3, 2005
My favorite type of "cruising" is not by luxury liner, but the common mans means of water transportation.. the ferry. My love for these simple vesseles started when I was a child with the yearly ferry ride across the Deleware river on our way to Sea Isle City New Jersy. It progressed with the Alaska "Big Blue Canoes" on our northern vacations.
We head up the highway to Edmonds, and pull into a "ferry line" on the street. John gets out to find a coffee while we are waiting. Ferry comes and we pull on. After we park the car, we head upstairs. Some passengers are sitting in the cushioned chairs, others are out walking on the deck. This is my favorite place to be. The clean air in your face and the gentle sway of the ferry. Too soon comes the announcement to return to your cars
Crossing over
. Price for the four of us with the car was about $35. Beats driving!We disembark in Kingston, drive a short distance and are traveling over the "floating bridge". No place to stop to see why it floats. But we are now officially on the Olympic Penninsula!
Our first stop is at Sequim. The totem poles grabbed our attention. The Sklallam Tribe operate a totem pole carving shed. We walked in for a demonstration on carving. These totems are custom designed to the clients specifications. We watched as the carver slowly used his tools on the a small section of the long pole. Hmmm, I've seen lots of poles and carvers in Alaska. So, can I beg to try my hand at it? Yep. I'm nervous as all get out, but the tool is in my hand and I'm putting it to the wood. It's a very sharp blade, so the wood cuts easier than I imagined. Not wanting to cause any damage (although he assures me that would be impossible) I return the tool to the master carver. Whew! After a few words of gratitude for the experience, we head over to the store.
Kary picks up an ornament, I debate on buying one now or waiting. Waiting won. There are totem poles around the complex, so we go to inspect them
Close up detail
. Unbelievably beautiful. It's as scenic as it gets with Sequim Bay in the background. Back in the car we're headed to Port Angeles. I'm hoping to catch a Lavender field in passing. This area has a large lavender festival, but we are too late for it. Darn.We check in at the Red Lion Hotel, drop our bags and stop for a quick lunch. Then up the curvey mountain to the Olympic National Park. The Visitors Center is offering a Ranger Program in five minutes out on the patio. We're THERE. The Ranger kept us entertained with tales of the miners travels over the glaciers - which are still viewable in the mountains behind him. Directly behind him is a field of wildflowers. Such a serene setting. We then head downstairs to check out the hiking maps. There are four trails we'd like to do, but have to narrow it down to two, maybe three if we can squeeze it in.
We all vote on the Hurricane Hill Trail for it's views. We also spotted deer that seemed to be a little too tame, as we were within a two foot distance and they were not spooked. We walked around them and continued up the hill. Hopefully no one is hand feeding them. We watched as a thick fog rolled up the mountain and surrounded us. It was surreal! This is the trail I would reccommend if you arrive in the early afternoon, as we did
Master carver
. The five mile trail would be my first choice, but not enough time for us to do it today. I'm a sucker for a waterfall, so I convinced Kary and John that PJ Lake was a must on our list. Driving down a dirt one and a half car road was a challenge, especially since there are no guard rails. But we found a pull off that said "Lake" and figured this was it. Flat and easy for about 5 minutes. Then STEEP down hill with rough terrain, fallen logs and another mist coming in.
Not to be deterred, cause I swear I can hear the waterfall, we keep trecking. And going further down the path. I'm getting hints that we should go back, but stubborn should have been my middle name. Finally, after a few near falls, but still hearing the sound of water, I give up my dream for the perfect photo. We're now lower in the valley, and discovering it's a little tricky to get back up the hillside (which now looks like a mountainside). The thick mist that boarders on a light rain has covered the ground, and we are slipping and sliding more than occasionally.
I finally admit outloud that this was not a good idea. And get the "looks" that say we're half your age and twice as smart
Profile
. A long and slippery hike back to the car. Pushing our time schedule - since we can hold off for dinner, we take a hike to the higher flat ground just south of the Visitors Center. The scenery here is a mixture of hills, valleys and steep drop-offs. On the return, we discover more deer around our parked car.
The ride down Hurricane Ridge is one of views into the Juan de Fuca Straights. I'm feeling bad for Gary cause he can't enjoy this beautiful scenery while he is driving, or we would be down one curvy mountainside.
Dinner at the restaurant on the harbor (where the ferry from Victoria unloads) and into bed.
