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Olympic National Park Headquarters Historic District

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    • TravelerIt Begins
      Day 88

      Olympic Hot Springs

      October 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

      Fri 21 Oct: Woke up to a Grey overcast day, managed to convince Doug to bike to the hot springs - so what if we get wet, that's why we invested in good rain gear. Was spitting when we left, which turned into drizzle and light rain for most of the day. Certainly see why the road was closed, a major task ahead to rebuild it. The detour route wasn't very bike friendly but got through okay with some walking. After that it was nice biking on a smooth tarseal road knowing there will be no traffic. Stopped at the Glines Canyon Overlook, where a dam once was, but was removed in 2012, and the river started flowing freely again late 2014. In November 2015 the road first got closed due to a washout. They rebuilded it, adding a bridge, however after only 3 weeks it washed out again, I think it's been closed since. After that the climbing begun probably for about 6 or 7 kms until the end of the road. Bike stats for the way there are: 13.39 km, 1 hr 25, elevation gain 563 m, loss 81 m. Once we got to the trailhead we left the bikes and carried on foot on a well formed trail for 4.24 km, 47 mins, elevation gain 142 m - we probably could had bike this but it said no bikes and after the climb to get there it was nice to have a change. There were about 6 hot pools formed on the hillside nestled in amongst the bush along about a 200 m track above the river. We choose the first pool. We thought we would have the place to ourselves but there was 6 other people there when we were, but all had our own pools. We quickly got out of our wet gear and into the very hot pool, it took me awhile to get fully in, not liking very hot water as much as Doug but soon became very enjoyable. The outside temperature was 7°C, and still drizzling, so we made the most of the pool before getting out and returning back to the van. At least the ride back down was a lot quicker although quite chilly especially on the fingers. It was nice to be able to get back and get into warm clothes and have a cup or two of hot chocolate, definitely benefits of a campervan. Decided to stay put for the night.Read more

    • TravelerIt Begins
      113
      Day 90

      Sol Duc Hike

      October 23, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      Sun 23 Oct: A chilly start today with a low of 1.8°C, so it was lots of layers on to start the hike. There is a popular hike starting from here called the Seven Lakes, however it is recommended due to the distance to do it as an overnighter, looking at the map we saw a smaller loop that went past two lakes, Deer Lake and Mink Lake, so thought we would tackle that one today. In hindsight, we should had done the Seven lakes, I found our one quite boring with nothing really exciting on it, and it was still long. When we got back I added up the miles of each - the Seven Lakes was 18.4 miles, our loop was 15 miles - so only an hour or so longer, however we won't know if it was more interesting. It also remained chilly all day - Doug didn't take his track pants or jacket off so that's how cold. At our quick lunch stop at Mink Lake my watch read 10°C. The track came out by the hot springs so we went and checked them out to see if it was worth going back too, however at $18 each for entry decided not too. So carried on down the track called Lovers Lane and finally made it back to the van. Hike stats: 26.32 km, 6 hrs 12, gain 1077 m, highest altitude 1266 m. Decided might as well stay here another night. It is now 20:15, temperature is 5.7°C and its just started raining - I think it will be a chilly night - at least there is no van next to us running it's generator until 22:30 like last night - the sound of the rain will be more pleasant to go of to sleep too. Steps V 40772.Read more

    • TravelerIt Begins
      Day 89

      Two Waterfalls and a Peak in Olympic NP

      October 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Sat 22Oct: The rain was short-lived, and we woke up to a fairly clear morning. First stop was at Lake Cresent, a clear glacially carved lake known for its clarity and turquoise colour, due to having very little nitrogen. Here we did a 3.2 km return walk through old growth forest (loving these forest) to the 90 ft Marymere Falls. After that we drove around the end of the lake and 3 miles down the other side of the lake, and did a hike up Pyramid Peak, where there is a World War II spotting tower with views over the lake. It was a steady climb up, and cloud was rolling in and out at the top. On the way down, the sun shining through the cloud mist and trees was pretty neat, although quite chilly also. Hike stats: 12.25 km, 2 hrs 27, elevation gain 784 m, highest altitude 997m. We then drove to the end of Sol Duc road, where there is a hot spring resort, which we might check out tomorrow, but today we just did the 2.4 km return walk to Sol Duc Falls, and sussed out a loop hike for tomorrow so we will stay here for the night. Steps D 28805 / V 27292Read more

    • TravelerIt Begins
      Day 86

      Back to the USA

      October 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Tue 18th Oct: After a morning driving around Vancouver, we got another couple of quotes for the van repairs and Doug got his new watch ordered. The smoke was still really bad, and we couldn't work out where to go to escape it - the two areas we were keen on going too, Whistler or North Cascades, were both reporting unhealthy levels of smoke particles. Because we were keen to get some USA cash for South America we decided to head to Olympic National Park, there smoke particle levels were fair. So after losing another 5 eggs and 3 apples at the border, we continued to Bellingham - the smoke was extremely bad here, and both our eyes were getting sore from it. We went to a bank to find the best way to get cash out, and basically the only way is $500 cash withdrawal a time from the atm, so we will have to do a few trips this week. Continually onwards we stopped at Bowman's Bay in Deception Pass State Park, initially with the intention to stay the night, but after doing a walk out to Lighthouse point and catching the sunset we decided it was a bit risky to stay, so carried on - it was now dark and we were struggling to find somewhere suitable to stop until we got to Oak Habour and found Walmart yay. Even better it had a Safeways with a liquor section, so we got a bottle of vodka and Kahlua and had our first proper Black Russisn in nearly 3 months with nachos. Boy am I out of practice.
      Wed 19th. Continuing towards Olympic National Park, it is a really pretty drive along the coast line, looking north to the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, not that we could really see them due to the smoke, but it wasn't as bad as it has been. Had about a 45 minute ferry ride across Puget Sound - where we were on a direct intersection with a container ship until the ferry reduced speed - we could see the captain taking photos of the ship so we presume he wasnt happy with it, We stopped at Port Angeles, the north eastern entrance to the park. After visiting the visitor centre in town we decided to go for a bike ride, firstly out to the Edix Hook, a thin spit out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca that helps forms the habour - biking past a pulp and paper mill on the way, (they look exactly the same here as back home). Then back the other way along the water front trail for about 5 kms, spotting seals and some new birds / ducks as we went. Bike stats: 25.84 km, 1 hr 49. We then headed to the National Park visitor centre, and with maps and more of an idea what to do (although bad weather is meant to be coming on Friday so might change things), headed up the Hurricane Ridge road, stopping at the Heart of the Hills campground for the night. Noticed there was a 4 mile return easy hike in the old growth forest starting near our campsite, so quickly got our running gear on and headed out on a jog. I didn't go quite to the end, Doug did and he ended up doing less distance than me so one of our watches is not measuring correctly, but my stats are: 7.58 km, 54 mins, 196 m elevation. So good to be back in the wilderness. Steps V 12396.      Read more

    • The big roundtrip
      Day 3

      Scenic Route to Olympic National

      October 4, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      🇩🇪 Unsere Reise beginnt mit einer Fahrt entlang der atemberaubenden Route durch den Bundesstaat Washington. Die Landschaft breitet sich vor uns aus und enthüllt bezaubernde Brücken, die über tiefblaues Wasser führen. Seehunde schwimmen entlang des Ufers, und in der Ferne thront ein majestätischer Weißkopfseeadler in den smaragdgrünen Zweigen. Leider war er ein kleines Stück zu weit entfernt für mein 200-mm-Objektiv, aber der Anblick war atemberaubend. 🤩

      In nur 2 Tagen fühlte es sich an, als hätten wir bereits eine Woche an Erfahrungen gemacht. Während wir über diese anfänglichen Abenteuer nachdenken wird uns bewusst, dass dies erst der Anfang einer großen Reise ist, die noch viele weitere unglaubliche Momente bereit halten wird.

      Nach einem Vorschlag meiner lieben Tante steuerten wir Port Angeles mit der Fähre an. Als wir den Fährterminal erreichten, machten wir unsere wohlverdiente erste Pause und genossen unsere allererste Portion Porridge. Aus finanziellen Gründen hatten wir beschlossen, dass Porridge unser Frühstück für die nächsten 17 Tage sein wird.

      Der Fährterminal bot einen atemberaubenden Blick auf eine Bucht, die mit reichlich Treibholz geschmückt war und an Szenen erinnerte, die wir in Kanada gesehen hatten. Die ganze Szenerie war schlichtweg wunderbar!

      Der Herbst beginnt so langsam, seine Magie zu entfalten und malt die Landschaft in satte Rot-, Gelb-, und Brauntöne. Die tief hängenden Wolken und das blaue Wasser machen die Szenerie einfach herrlich!

      Obwohl wir das Nationalparkgebiet noch nicht erreicht haben, sind wir bereits begeisterte Bewunderer der Landschaft des Bundesstaats Washington. Die Aussicht auf weitere Entdeckungen und Abenteuer freuten uns bereits auf das nächste Teilstück unserer Reise.

      🇬🇧 Our journey begins with a drive along the breathtaking route through the state of Washington. The landscape unfolds before us, revealing charming bridges that stretch over deep blue waters. Seals swim along the shore, and in the distance, a majestic bald eagle perches in the emerald branches. Unfortunately, it was just a bit too far for my 200mm lens, but the sight was breathtaking. 🤩

      In just 2 days, it felt as if we had already experienced a week's worth of adventures. As we reflect on these initial experiences, we realize that this is only the beginning of a grand journey that holds many more incredible moments.

      Following a suggestion from my dear aunt, we set course for Port Angeles via a ferry ride. When we reached the ferry terminal, we took our well-deserved first break and savored our very first serving of porridge. For budgetary reasons, we had decided that porridge would be our breakfast for the next 17 days.

      The ferry terminal offered a breathtaking view of a bay adorned with abundant driftwood, reminiscent of scenes we had seen in Canada. The entire scene was simply wonderful!

      Autumn is slowly beginning to unveil its magic, painting the landscape in rich shades of red, yellow, and brown. The low-hanging clouds and the blue water make the scene simply delightful.

      Although we haven't reached the national park area yet, we are already enthusiastic admirers of the landscape of the state of Washington. The prospect of further discoveries and adventures is already exciting us for the next leg of our journey      Read more

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