Skip to main content

Day 113 - Olympic Cape Flattery

After enjoying a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and pizza-sized hot cakes, we drove along the coastal roads to Cape Flattery, the northwest-most point in the lower 48 states. 

The weather was rainy and overcast but the rain stopped when we hit the north coast. The road hugged the shoreline as we enjoyed pretty harbor and misty rock views. We often stopped to ponder at beauty. 


The rain began again just as we passed into the rundown Neah Bay in the Makah Indian Reservation. A half dozen tribes have reservations along this Pacific corner. Despite the rain, we hiked out to Cape Flattery.. and boy, were we glad we did. The Cape was magnificent with countless caves, islands, birds and vistas. 



We skipped another costal hike to Shi Shi beach as the rain was pouring and the hike long, instead returning to the cabins. After a rice and beans lunch at the cabins, we rallied and drove to the Sol Duc valley for the afternoon. This valley had a crystal clear river, ancient Douglas-Firs and a picturesque triple waterfall. 

We then returned yet again to The Hungry Bear, our fourth pilgrimage in three days, for another great meal, this one topped off by Bumbleberry Pie al a mode-- yum. More badminton, more s'mores and more fire watching capped another fun day at Olympic. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Day 170 - JMT Forrester Pass

The mountains had a surreal glow this morning as we climbed up towards the 13,200 foot high Forrester Pass.  One of the wonderful things about the mountains is that they change appearance as the sun changes height, creating a movie-like experience as you walk. I felt so free and happy this morning--just in love with this light.  After sixty minutes of walking, we stopped in the first sunny spot we could find to thaw out and rest. Another hiker came bustling up the trail behind us and stopped at the sunspot to shed a layer of clothing. Sly was a Canadian hiker, just turned 40, who seemed happy to see us. We struck up a conversation about travels and when we pushed off Sly asked if he could join us. We said yes of course. We hiked quickly up the trail, reaching a high plateau with epic alpine views. Selfie time! We skirted around a high alpine lake and then went up a ridge line ever further higher. We were at 12,000+ feet now and the world began to look small y...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon.  The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion.  Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4.  The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

Day 82 - Yellowstone to Montana

My alarm sounded at 5:30am, a time early enough for me to arise before someone found me secretly camping. The geyser prediction said Grand at 6:15am so I set out toward it.  I ran into geyser gazer Jim there and he said it likely erupted at 4:30-- missed it. Early morning eruptions are hard to predict as someone needed to have seen the previous overnight eruption in order to make a prediction. I walked on toward Artemesia, an unpredictable geyser at the far corner of the basin. I had seen her erupt from a mile away and wanted a closer inspection. The early morning setting was momentous, yet I didn't see a geyser erupt up close until Grand at 10:30.  Then Sawmill erupted with its twirling thirty foot action (pic).   The only remaining geyser left to experience on my mental list was Beehive up close. With a predicted window of 810 to 1210, I arrived at 1030 and waited until 1pm, before giving up. The sun was hot, I had read the geyser book cover to cover, and while seeing e...