Hoh River Rainforest

We explored the southern portion of Olympic National Park today. We got an early start in hopes of finding fog still lingering in the Hoh River Rainforest. Twenty-five miles later, the fog was gone. The sky was still overcast, but there would be no moody fog images in the rainforest.

The parking lot at the Visitor Center was nearly empty when we arrived. We talked to the rangers, got our bearings, and headed off on the Spruce Trail. Without the fog, a key element was missing and none of the photographs held much promise. We walked the 1 1/2 mile trail without seeing anything of significance. We didn't even see a banana slug. A Douglas squirrel was the only wildlife we saw. It was a far cry from what I remember from the backpacking trip I took up the Hoh River 40 years ago. We probably should have committed more time and hiked up the Hoh River Trail a couple of miles toward the waterfall.

Lake Quinalt

The Lake Quinalt Lodge, another hour south, was our next destination. It's one of those beautiful, old lodges built in the National Parks in the early 1900's. It's probably most famous for its Adirondack chairs sitting in the back lawn overlooking the lake. It would be a great place to relax and watch the world go by. There were quite a few people doing just that. We walked down to the lake, checked out the canoers, and then walked through the lodge reception area. It exuded old refinement.

We had stopped briefly at Ruby Beach when we were driving south and decided it wasn't as photogenic as the beaches farther north. We decided to skip it on the drive home.

Our plan was to return to the motorhome, and then drive up to Rialto Beach for sunset. As we drove by the parking for Second and Third Beaches, I was amazed at how full they were. Then, I realized it was Friday. I thought it was Thursday all day and had planned our activities accordingly. We had left our two biggest destinations for a Saturday when they will be packed and parking may be a huge issue. UGH!

When we reached our campsite, the coast was fogged in. We decided it wouldn't be worth the drive to Rialto Beach for a hazy, overcast sunset. We'll have to hope tomorrow is better and that we can find parking.

We grilled steaks for dinner and then hustled out to shoot the sunset off the beach in front of us. It dipped into the notch between the sea stacks, which turned into a pretty good image.

Since tomorrow is Saturday, any thoughts of going to Shi Shi Beach are gone. It was going to be a very long drive anyway, but the reports are that it's a zoo with so many people camping on the beach on summer weekends. And this weekend is supposed to be clear and sunny.