Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge

Seven Weeks Across America

Several friends encouraged us to drive up to Hurricane Ridge at the northern end of Olympic National Park, and boy are we glad we took their advice. The panoramic view of the mountaintops was amazing. I REALLY wish I had a wide-angle lens so that I could have captured it properly. But just imagine this first image X 10 on all sides as you spin around. It was the most incredible view of the trip, for sure.

The blue patch at the top left is the Straits of Juan de Fuca and you can see Victoria, Canada, on the other side.

After a quick loop through the Visitor’s Center (heavy on the gift store) we took a nice hike. We were so lucky it was a clear day. We could see all the way north across the Straits of Juan de Fuca to Canada. As we walked through the meadows we came across a marmot colony, with several of the little guys peeking out from their burrows and trilling loudly.

It’s a good thing we got there in the morning, because by noon when we left, the parking lot was packed and there was a solid line of cars doing the super-slow drive looking for spaces. The drive up and down the mountain was spectacular, as you might expect, and we were happy to see some wildflowers still blooming.

Olympic National Park - Rialto Beach

Seven Weeks Across America

You can see the Quillayute town of La Push and the rocks of First Beach in the background.

We hit another Olympic National Park beach - Rialto Beach, on our next day.  There are huge mounds of driftwood - and I  mean entire tree-sized driftwood - along the parking area and pushed up against the edge of the forest.  We saw some of that at Ruby Beach, but this just went on and on and on down the shore, as far as you can see. 

We walked down to Hole-in-the-Wall, a huge stone arch surrounded by tide pools.  Grandpa walked with me while Bri and W took off to get their feet wet (brrrrrrrr!).  We all had a nice time, soaking up the sun and watching the birds and a seal feeding at the shoreline.

The view once you pass through Hole-in-the-Wall.

While these tide pools were not teeming with the volume of sea creatures we saw at Cannon Beach, there were still some to be found.

Olympic National Park - Hoh Rainforest

Seven Weeks Across America

The sunlight seemed to pour in through the trees the day we visited the Hoh Rainforest.  We hiked the two loops nearest the visitor's center, and both were just gorgeous.  

Olympic National Park - Ruby Beach

Seven Weeks Across America

Driving up the Washington coast proved to be a much quieter experience than driving up the Oregon coast.  There were quite simply fewer places to stop and less people, which was really nice.  We had heard Ruby Beach was a must-see, and we were eager to park the RV and stretch our legs.  The parking lot is above the beach, and looking down we assumed it was a strenuous hike, but really it was easy and we were down in no time.  

Brian and W got right to wading along the shore.  They eventually made it down to the large rocks and even found an arch.

My favorite part, however, was the huge collection of driftwood piled against the shore.

Though I did eventually look down and was entranced by the beautiful variety of stones that make up the beach.