Port Angeles, Washington

After the Alaska tour we had 2 one night stays in Canada.  On August 11 we headed for Lac La Hache, British Columbia.  There was still smoke in the air from forest fires in the area.

Our camp site for the night was long, wide and private.  There were a few cable tv stations but we mostly watched a movie channel that was controlled by the campground.  When a movie ended sometimes it took several minutes for them to put in a new disc.  We enjoyed our movie night!

The next morning we drove to Chilliwack.  About an hour into the drive the highway was closed because of a mud slide.  The detour took us through dense smoke and added an hour onto our drive.

Smoke was so thick our nav system thought it was night

Limited sight while driving down steep hill

Drove by a forest fire in its early stages

Smoke not too bad in Chilliwack

On August 13 we headed for customs and were on our way to Port Angeles.

Goodbye Canada, hello USA!

Drove through Washington farmland

Took a ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend to avoid Seattle traffic

Lovely scenic road to Port Angeles

The day after we arrived in Port Angeles we set about exploring the area.  There was so much more to do there than we expected.

We drove out to Neah Bay.

Neah Bay is on the Makah Reservation.  Neah Bay is mostly known for the best halibut fishing in the lower 48 sttes.  We stopped at a local restaurant for a snack and tried Indian Fry Bread--a 5" bread-like fried pastry served with either sugar and cinnamon or butter and jelly.  It was crispy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside!

Cape Flattery is a short drive from Neah Bay.  It is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States and is on the Makah Reservation.  The main attraction is a short hike that leads you to the tip of the Cape.

Most of the trail is boardwalked

I bought a walking stick made by a local

Several overlooks jutted out over the edge of the Cape

Even though it was a cloudy, hazy day we drove south from Cape Flattery to Ruby Beach hoping to catch a bit of the sunset.

The path to the beach

Some of the driftwood on the beach

Dead whale

No sunset today but still pretty

Cougar country?  There are also about 25,000 BEARS in Washington!

Next up on our list of things to see was Hurricane Ridge.  Hurricane Ridge is a mountainous area in Olympic National Park.  With an elevation of 5,242 feet, it is a year-round destination. It is not uncommon to find snow on Hurricane Hill Trail as late as July.  Hurricane Ridge is named for its intense winds.

Drove in and out of several tunnels on our way up

Next day we drove to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.  It is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US.  It receives on average 127" of rain and 27" of snow per year.

The drive to the rainforest took us past Lake Crescent.  The 12-mile long lake is known for its brilliant blue waters and clarity, caused by a lack of nitrogen in the water which inhibits the growth of algae.

The rainforest...

How tall is that tree?

A "medium" sized tree

On our way out we drove by a long line of cars waiting to get in

We also found time to drive on Ediz Hook.  This is a 3-mile long sand spit that extends from the northern shore of the Olympic Peninsula at Port Angeles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The Hook was created by wind and tidal action along the southern edge of the Strait.  The presence of the spit shelters Port Angeles from large ocean swells that roll down the Strait.

Black sand on the spit

Even with smoke from the British Columbia forest fires in the air during our week stay, it's a beautiful area and we enjoyed our time in Port Angeles.  Time to move on to Oregon!