Olympic National Park - HOH Rain Forest

Elwha Dam RV Park
Port Angeles, WA
July 9, 2018

Finally, we are here !  



Elwha Dam RV Park in Port Angeles is our home base to explore as much of the Olympic Peninsula as possible during our month long stay here.



  
Olympic National Park (making up about 1,440 square miles of the Peninsula) provides lots of opportunities for adventures and a great place to get started.  This national park welcomes visitors to explore three distinct ecosystems: subalpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific shore.  
  
Because of the park's relatively unspoiled condition and outstanding scenery, the United Nations has declared Olympic NP both an international biosphere reserve and a World Heritage site. 

Our first adventure took us to the temperate forest.  HOH Rain Forest is about a 2 hour drive from our campsite, but road construction on US 101 west added another half hour.  



We enjoyed the drive along Lake Crescent...

well except for the logging trucks that sped by us on the two-lane highway.  





Once through Forks, we made a left turn onto Upper HOH Road and everything changed.  Almost instantly, we felt we were entering an "enchanted land".  

The road curves it's way along the HOH River

 through a lush green forest.

Just after entering the pay station, we saw several cars parked along the side of the road.  Being a little nosy, we parked and I went to investigate.  It was a herd of female elk and calves.  Our lucky day !  

I made a quick stop at the Visitor Center for maps.  From earlier research, I knew there were a couple of short trails that fit our time frame (which we try to limit to 6-7 hours because of our pups) behind the VC.  Off we went. 

As we crossed a bridge, there was a lone elk grazing for lunch.  So cool to watch her munching away and enjoying her day...she sure made my day !

The rest of the hike was an explosion of green...

... powerful Sitka Spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar trees measuring up to 25 feet in diameter and over 300 feet tall...

...and breathing in the scents of the forest !  Ahhhh...

Nurselogs are an important part of the regrowth in the forest.  Downed decayed trees provide warmth, moisture and minerals that seedlings need.  Seedlings don't always survive on the tangled forest floor.

It's a lot to take in...like the thick beards of moss that feed only on air and moisture.  The rain forest atmosphere provides all the moisture and wind-blown nutrients they need.

And the denser clusters of mosses on big leaf maples.

We certainly enjoyed our visit to the rain forest taking in as much as possible during our short visit.  It really is an enchanted land. 

We were gone right at 7 hours.  What a warm welcome we had when we got home...lots of love greeted us at he door !

Until next time, enjoy the adventure and...

This is where the forest gnomes go...that's some big tree!

Beautiful trails meander through the rain forest.  There were other folks there, but it never seemed to be over crowded. Sweet!

The pleasant drive on Hwy 101 west...after all the road construction!
HAPPY TRAILS !

It's Almost July for Goodness Sake!

Gopher Flats
June 27, 2018
Moab, UT

I don't know about you, but I think June has flown by.  We have been busy and that's a good thing !  Tomorrow we will make our 4th trip to Grand Junction for a doctor appointment.  Joe has been seeing a corneal specialist there  from having had shingles in his right eye which started last September.  It's been quite an ordeal so I highly recommend the new shingles (Shingrix) vaccine that is 90% effective (unlike the old vaccine Zostavax that was only 60% effective) to prevent shingles.  I had the old shot and will be getting the new one.  We made another trip to GJ to have Belle (our MH) serviced at Cummins.  Joe was impressed with them last fall when they solved our overheating issue (a cracked manifold).   We have also been kitty sitting for Dee who is on the trip of a life time...an African Safari with her sister.  She returns home Thursday (the 28th) and I know for sure that 12 little paws will be waiting at the door excited to see her.  Sam is Dee's oldest kitty...going on 18...and he has been hungry and cuddly and so sweet.  We take him to the vet twice a week for fluids so he doesn't get dehydrated as he has kidney issues.  What a little champ he is.  

Sweet Sam

The two girls are pistols...  

Cleo and Jules are sisters.

always showing me where the food and bowls are and meowing...rather loudly...for me to hurry up.  

When Sam is cuddling in my lap after supper, Jules often joins us and snuggles up against my leg.  I was so happy when last week, Cleo decided to join us too.  Only she doesn't snuggle up next to me, she insists on being in my lap...usually right on top of Sam.  Since then, it has been a lap full of love.  These kitties have sure won my heart. 




Way back on June 9th, Moab Friends For Wheeling had a work day to clean LaSal Pass.  




With rather warm temps in the valley, a get away to the mountains was nice.  Our band of trail warriors included Jeff and Susan, Larry, Warren and Lydia, Chris and us.  Off we went with chain saws, trash bags, and snippers.

Warren and Jeff check out one of the chain saws just in case we needed it. 

Unlike last year, the mountains didn't get as much snow so clean-up was easy...just some trash along the way.  

The trail was lined with lots of colorful wildflowers.

Whites...

Large Chokecherry bushes

Tiny wild violet flowers

 Blues...

Lots of Larkspur

 Yellows...

Gorgeous Golden Peas

Heartleaf Arneca

Purples and pinks...

Columbine

Wild Roses

        
And splatters of reds...

Red Columbine

And there are the greens...

Pale greens on the evergreens 

Quaking Aspen...a delight to see and hear

  
The usual lunch spot is always the view of Mt. Peal.

L to R : us, Chris, Larry, Jeff and Susan, Warren and Lydia

Just look at that blue sky and imagine a nice cool breeze...ahhh !

Because there were no trees to cut, we made real good time on the scheduled work and because it was a beautiful day, Lydia, Jeff and I decided we would take the hike to Beaver Lake.

Back in the day, this was named Girl Friends Trail.  BLM changed it to be more politically correct.

The trail took us into the forrest.

Jeff and Lydia 

It's been so dry that Beaver Lake was not a lake. 
From here, we took the trail (about 1/4 of a mile) that led back to the road where we met everybody else in the jeeps.  

We haven't done any trails hiking or jeeping, since the 9th.  On Joe's last visit to the eye doctor, he had a diaphragm (looks like a contact)  put in his eye to speed up the healing.  It's about the size of a nickel with a band around it and uncomfortable.  No since in making it worse with dust and grit blowing in it and staying cool seemed to be the best option.  Tomorrow's visit is to remove the darn thing and hopefully we get a good...great report.

If all the stars align, Belle will be rolling north towards the Olympic Peninsula on Friday the 29th.  This is a trip we (ummm, I) have wanted to make for several years.  Fingers crossed ! 

So, until next time,

 

HAPPY TRAILS !