Friday, July 5 Olympic National Park is a very limited access park; US Route 101 encircles the park and there are a few access roads that lead a short way into the interior. No roads go through the park! Our destination today was Hurricane Ridge, and our access road left directly from Port Angeles. The morning was gray, light fog and mist, and 55 degrees . . . very typical weather for this area! At the entrance station to the park there was a line-up of cars! The road was 17 miles of twists and turns, thick fog . . . and views we could not see. At the top the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center sat perched on a mountainside – with fog banks moving in and out. We could catch quick glimpses of distant valleys and mountain ranges just to have it disappear in a total whiteout. The visitor center had some nice exhibits, a “gotcha” gift shop and a snack bar. We bought lunch and dined on the patio overlooking . . . the valley of fog! As we sat there, I listened to the many different musical languages all around us. The National Parks are always a great place for diversity, but the Pacific Northwest best represents the multiplicity and presence of international travelers. The fog did not let up, and Tom was not exactly anxious about heading back down the mountain . . . this time on the cliff side of the road! This is getting to be the norm for our daily drives! We had time to explore another couple areas in the park: Lake Crescent and the beautiful lodge, and Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Lake Crescent borders Route 101 on the southern side. The Lodge and surroundings had the same feeling as the Adirondack scenes from our trip last summer! There was a picturesque lodge, a beautiful open lawn by the lake, and a pier. Down the road was the Ancient Groves Nature Trail . . . another showcase of old-growth grandeur. The upper canopy is itself a habitat, as is the forest floor. Large downed trees are nurse logs to new seedlings and growth. The whole thing is painted in 50 shades of green! It was another beautiful hike! Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort was interesting. It was a large, very nice lodge that had a gift shop, dining room, and entrance to the large hot mineral bath, swimming pool, and changing rooms. Outside were individual cabins for overnight guests – they didn’t seem to be very special from the outside. All in all, it was a “resort” a little on the downhill side of what it may have once been. Nearby was a campground aligned with the resort – truly just a gravel parking lot with hookups. There was also a full-fledged National Park campground, and those sites were beautiful. Tom had tried six months in advance to get a site, and they were all taken! Sol Duc was our turn-around point, and we had 47 miles to drive back to our campground . . . and a king salmon filet to cook and eat!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |