My previous story left off as we made it across the border and luckily found a campground in Mt Vernon, just outside of Seattle. It was a long and exhausting day of driving and we got up early the next morning to run errands before we needed to get on the road again. We were headed west to get closer to Olympic National Park.
The next night we stayed at Little Creek Casino near Shelton, after navigating the heavy traffic coming out of Seattle. It was a super inexpensive campground, very convenient, and we were allowed to use the hotel’s amenities including the indoor pool. Plus, it was only $1.50 to wash and dry a load of clothes. I took advantage of that!
There are so many casinos west of Seattle, all located on reservations where the different Indian tribes call home. Some are definitely bigger than others and this is one of the bigger resorts. We walked around the casino for a while, hoping to see someone win big, but we did not deposit any of our money. The following day we took a drive along the nearby Skookum Inlet and stopped to take a few pictures.
Unfortunately the smoke from the wildfires was starting to get worse, so we went farther north to Hoodsport, on the Hood Canal. Our campground was on a road that went to a popular lake so we saw lots of canoes and boats. Our campsite was tucked away in the woods and it felt like we were in the wilderness, but no campfires were allowed due to the fire ban.
We stayed there a couple of nights and explored the area. Our favorite pastime is walking or hiking since we sit in the truck for hours between stops. We were excited to wear our shorts again and the sun was out for the better part of both days.
The main road (Highway 101) circling the Olympic Peninsula is called the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway. About every 20-40 miles you have to slow down for a cute little town and most residents have wonderful water views. Hoodsport is one of those vacation destination type of towns. At the very least, it makes a good stop on a weekend road trip for sure.
We spent a good hour or so just hanging around the dock, watching boats go by and a group of people who were trying to trap some crabs. The area is known for oysters and clams, and both shellfish are served at most restaurants.
From there, we got back on the scenic highway and started our trip to the northernmost area of Washington. Darin was finally able to visit the first National Park on his list. His excitement soon faded as we arrived at the top of Hurricane Ridge only to be welcomed by smoke. No sighting of Mount Olympus that day! Oh, and we didn’t see Bigfoot either!
We hiked a couple of trails and saw tons of damaged trees that cannot handle the weight of snow during the winter. About 30 feet of the cold white stuff falls here each year. I didn’t feel afraid of bears for some reason. Maybe I was brave because I saw no warning signs about bear attacks.
A cute little chipmunk was cleaning up any crumb left behind by humans. Many people bring their lunch and sit at picnic tables outside of the visitor center. He was going from one crumb to another, without paying attention to us.
We saw several of these birds walking around in the grassy areas. Their size and color look a lot like ptarmigans, the state bird of Alaska. I also saw a marmot, but it was too far away for the zoom in my camera.
It is so sad that Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Montana are literally on fire right now. The smoke is a menace to several additional states, and it can’t be healthy for anyone, including animals. We weren’t going to allow it to ruin our Olympic National Park experience, so we headed to the rain forest on the west side.
Being in a rainy place closer to the ocean, there was finally less smoke in the air. This section of the park is called the Hoh Rain Forest, named from the Hoh River that starts at the top of Mount Olympus. It receives up to 12 feet of precipitation each year, but remarkably we didn’t get rained on.
Walking through the trees reminded me of Kodiak Island. The only difference is the color of the moss. The Kodiak forest was covered in darker green moss and the Hoh forest moss resembled an olive color.
Sadly, due to the wildfires, we are going to SKIP Mount St Helens, Mount Ranier, and Mount Hood. I really hate saying that, but don’t worry, there are many more gifts from Mother Nature to explore!