Olympic Peninsula

We stayed at a wonderful newer RV park in Sequim called Gilgal Oasis for Memorial Day weekend. There was a group campfire and S'mores night where we got to meet the hosts and other campers that was lots of fun. Many full-time RV'ers in big Class A's and 5th Wheels who marveled at how a mother and daughter with an 80 lb dog could fit into such a tiny camper (while we secretly wondered why they needed such big rigs!).

Sequim was a nice, clean little town who's recent building boom of new Home Depots, subdivisions, and the like seemed to be paused temporarily due to the mortgage credit crisis. I have no doubt it will be booming again soon.

While Mom explored Sequim and Port Townsend to the east, I headed west to the Hoh rainforest on the western side of the Olympic National Park. I had anticipated an overcast day with a bit of drizzle here and there (afterall, it IS a rainforest!), and the day certainly started out that way as I drove there. But once I arrived, skies had cleared and it was completely sunny. Great for casual tourists, but a real let down for photographers! Still, I tried to make the best of it. On the way to Hoh, I took a side trip along the Sol Duc river and was able to get this interesting shot. Once at Hoh, I decided to use my Infrared camera for most shots (as sunlit green foliage turns white in IR shots).




For our other full day on the peninsula, Mom and I explored the other areas of Olympic National Park-- the fabulous snow-capped mountain views at Hurricane Ridge (where there was still quite a bit of snow around the visitor's center), and the lovely Lake Crescent Lodge (that had the best ice cream of our entire trip-- a unique blueberry, lavender, and honey combo). Lake Crescent's serene, aqua waters were magnificent-- I could have stayed there for days!







As we left Sequim for our drive down south to Portland, we went to Port Townsend, WA to see some of the interesting homes and buildings Mom had discovered during her previous trip. The hilltop lighthouse below is actually a private home! The downtown buildings were delightfully preserved from the Victorian era, including the small tea room where we had noontime tea (served by a woman who had moved there from England). We had a terrific "Ploughman's Lunch" of fresh organic fruits, bread and cheese while overlooking the Sound, (where one lonely sailboat was anchored patiently awaiting it's owner's return).



After lunch, we headed south along the Hood Canal where we saw a nice display of "Roadside Rhodies" growing wild beneath the trees on the eastern edge of the national park.