Finally hitting the west coast!

August 26 - September 13
Port Angeles, Washington

Olympic National Park

We spent most of our first week on the Olympic Peninsula exploring different areas of the Olympic National Park. It was fabulous to be in a less-crowded park, though some of the trails were pretty busy. We at least felt like we had a little elbow room and really enjoyed checking out all of the diverse landscapes.

Hoh Rain Forest

We took advantage of one of Don's days off to trek over to the rainforest on the western side of the park. It was almost a two-hour drive, but totally worth it. The Hoh is one of the only temperate rain forests in the U.S. and is very lush, green, and mossy. Unfortunately, there had been such a dry spell in the area that even the moss was dried out. I've been told that the ground is usually at least damp and the trees and moss drip with moisture, but that wasn't at all the case when we visited. Still beautiful, though! It was hot and humid enough for Gavin to get a tad bit overheated, but he pushed through and we did a couple of the trails and had a picnic lunch.

The two people who are afraid of heights doing a log crossing!

Elwha River Valley

We tried to explore the areas closest to our campground in the evenings when Don finished with work. This section of the park was right down the road from where we were staying.

We first did a short little trail to Madison Falls. It was a short walk, but the kids really liked it because we could get right down to the water.

A cool tree stump - I liked the way it looked, so you get to see it :-) 

Next was a drive into the park. We took the unpaved Whiskey Bend Road that climbed up and gave us some gorgeous views. We went out to the Giles Canyon Viewpoint, where a dam was removed a few years ago and the vegetation is beginning to grow back in.

After driving around until the sun was setting, we headed back out to the main road. We had another fun bridge experience and all had to suck it in to fit the truck across.

Lake Crescent

One of my favorite evenings was spent in the Lake Crescent area. We started by taking a trail to Marymere Falls. The kids always like for a hiking trail to have a payoff at the end, so a lot of the time we choose hikes that head to waterfalls. The path goes through an otherworldly old growth forest, then climbs a bajillion natural, carved, and wooden steps to the level of the top of the waterfall.

The beginning of the trail passes through a tunnel underneath the roadway.

This part of the forest seemed like a movie set! I almost expected an Ewok to come swinging through.

Awesome footbridge!

There was also an interpretative trail in the area that we explored. These types of hikes aren't challenging, but usually provide a lot of information about what we are seeing and help us to learn about each new area. We enjoyed the "Moments in Time" trail that took us through old growth forest and around the lake.

We capped off the night with a picnic dinner on the shore of Crescent Lake. The glacial water was so cold that even Gabriella wasn't tempted to get in. It sure was pretty, though.