The Hoh Rainforest

After leaving the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park we headed over the Astoria Bridge into Washington.

Bill did not enjoy the drive over the bridge, not one bit.  It was something about the bridge being too tall, pouring rain, construction on the bridge, driving at water level and the ever present wind on the water.  It was a white knuckle type of border crossing.

We continued meandering up Highway 101 through Washington, although the further north we go the highway seems to get smaller and more twisty and the logging trucks are out in force.  It rained most of the day and we finally settled in at beautiful Lake Quinault for the night.  The Quinault Valley is also known as the Valley of the Rainforest Giants and has six champion conifer trees (largest Western Red Cedar, largest Sitka Spruce, largest Douglas Fir, largest Yellow Cedar, largest Mountain Hemlock, and the largest Western Hemlock).

 The lake is absolutely beautiful and as the evening and rain continued the views kept changing.

The next morning we headed to the Olympic National Park, our second national park on this trip.  The park has several distinct areas which include the coast, forests and the mountains.  Highway 101 took us through the coastal section of the park for more spectacular ocean scenery. 

 We then turned inland and discovered a magical place.

The pictures cannot capture the beauty or the feeling of being in the rain forest.  Despite the rain, or maybe because of the rain, the charm of the rain forest captured our hearts and imagination.

Yes, they really were this close.  They bedded down right next to the trail.

This is a beautiful and mystical part of the park and we are so glad we traveled the 18 miles off of 101 to experience it, and yes, the roads can get smaller.

Today's 3 Fun Facts:

1. The American Forest Association has a point system to rate trees.  The formula to calculate the total points for a tree is Trunk Circumference (inches) + Height (feet) + ¼ Average Crown Spread (feet) = Total Points.
2. President Roosevelt supported the efforts to create the Olympic National Park because of a sign he saw while touring the area.  School children held up a sign that said "Please Mr. President, we children need your help.  Give us our Olympic National Park."
3. The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center has a really cool banana slug stamp for your passport.

The Girandoni

Unlike our leisurely cruise through California, Bill is zooming up the coast of Oregon.  We traveled 180 miles today which is a long travel day for us. Along the way we encountered more coastline, lighthouses and bridges, in other words, more spectacular ocean vistas.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Yaquina Lighthouse

 

 

We stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and test drove a much smaller RV.

Our final destination for the day was Fort Stevens State Park.  Fort Stevens Military Reservation has guarded the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War to the end of World War II.   The fort was built during the Civil War to protect the northwest from British invasion from Canada if the British decided to join the war on the Confederate side.  In 1942, a Japanese submarine fired 17 shells at the fort, making it the only military institution in the continental United States to receive hostile fire during the war. 

In 1906 during a heavy storm the British ship, Peter Iredale ran aground on the Clatsop Beach, just south of the fort. You can still see part of the ship on the beach.

 
The fort was decommissioned after WWII, the guns dismantled and sold, and the land was eventually given to Oregon for a state park. 

The next morning we headed just a few miles down the road to the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at the site of Fort Clatsop.  The Fort is a replica of site where Lewis and Clark with the Corps of Discovery wintered from December, 1805 to March, 1806. 

The high point of the visit came when Bill was talking with the ranger in the Visitor's Center and mentioned the air rifle that Lewis and Clark had on the expedition.  The ranger told Bill that a local antique gun collector had recently (within the last 3 weeks) given an original Girandoni air rifle to the center for permanent display.  She went to the back room and returned with the Girandoni.

The air rifle was used by the Austrian army from 1780 through 1815.  It could shoot 30 shots on one air reservoir load, but it took nearly 1500 pumps by hand to fill the air reservoir.  Bill and the ranger carried on a lively conversation for the next 30 minutes about the Girandoni.  They took it apart, inspected the engraving, discussed how to pump the chamber, load the cartridges and other gun stuff.  Bill and the ranger were both very excited about the Girandoni.

Today's 3 Fun Facts:

1. The Girandoni air rifle was the first repeating rifle of any type to be used in military service.
2. The captain's final toast to the Peter Iredale was "May God bless you and may your bones bleach in the sand."
3. The Girandoni was freakn' awesome.

Footnote:

The dump station at Fort Stevens campground is the Costco of dump stations.

Florence

We stopped in Florence on a recommendation from a friend.  Apparently there is quite a contingency of folks from our hometown who spend the summer months in Florence.  So many that when I was checking in and gave my address, the manager knew my zip code by heart. Impressive!

We arrived to two days of absolutely beautiful weather in the 80s (I know, Oregon in April, I can't believe it either).  After our traumatic sewer issues, we decided just to chill for a couple of days and enjoy the weather.

I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Now that we have chilled for a few days we will be moving on.  I will keep on blogging as time, power and internet allows, but the combination of all three is getting harder to find.

 

Today's 3 Fun Facts:

1. The Siuslaw River Bridge in Florence was constructed during the Great Depression as part of Roosevelt's New Deal.
2. After completion of the bridge which connected Florence to the Oregon Coast Highway System and tourism increased by 72% the first year.
3. Even while on vacation you need a day or so to chill.

Up The Proverbial Creek

We left Willow Creek and continued our trek north, enjoying the scenic coastline and redwood forests of northern California. Plus, after two weeks on the road, I was finally closing in on that elusive first stamp of the trip in my National Park Passport.

We decided to spend the night at the Elk Prairie Campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  The Revelation Trail from the Visitor’s Center to the campground is a wonderful walk through the redwood ecosystem designed specifically for the visually impaired.  The trail encourages you to use all your senses, not just your sight.  Unfortunately, I can only share it here visually.

The campground is named for the herds of Roosevelt Elk that roam in the open prairie areas of the park.  We chose a campsite in the meadow area of the campground, hoping to see some elk during our stay.

Marley decided that the best way to attract the elk was to roll in their $hit.  He did an excellent job of becoming one with the elk but not so much with us.

Marley getting a much needed bath!

The next morning we hiked the Revelation Trail again (did I mention it was a lovely trail?) and found about ten elk grazing in the prairie near the Visitor’s Center.  The Roosevelt elk are the largest land mammal in the park and can exceed 1,000 pounds.  They are distinguished from the black-tailed deer by their much larger antlers.

We finally got on the road about noon, still heading north.  We stopped at the park headquarters in Crescent City and I stamped my passport. Redwood National Park, check!

Shortly thereafter, we crossed into Oregon to finally begin the Pacific Northwest part of the Pacific Northwest Tour.  We camped about 50 miles from the border, at the Humbug Mountain State Park, which had a short walk to the beach.  I know, I know, another beach.

 
We had a lovely dinner of fresh fish and chips and a homemade Rhurbarb Crisp for dessert.  Thanks again Anne, for the rhurbarb, I have been craving it for months.

The next morning when we were dumping our tanks, we experienced a sewer malfunction.  Our fancy macerator (basically a garbage disposal for poop) stopped pumping.  I will not go into all the messy details, but we were up the proverbial (“$hit”) creek, without a paddle.  Ah, the unexpected joys of traveling.

Today’s 3 Fun Facts:

1. The coastal redwoods can tower to 380 feet in height, the base diameter can be up to 22 feet in diameter, the root system is typically only 10 feet deep and they can live up to 2,000 years.
2. The scientific name for the coastal redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens means “ever living”.
3. The Roosevelt elk still will not accept you into the herd, even if you roll in their $hit.