The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles, Joyce, Sequim, Victoria Canada…five days isn’t enough to explore this area!
We stayed at the Elwha Dam RV Park just outside of Port Angeles. This is our kind of place. It’s quiet with easy access to a lot of things to do and has full hook ups for a reasonable price. We had good wi-fi but trees prevented us from getting TV which we were too busy to miss.
Our bodies needed a break after six straight days of exercise and they got one day off on the travel day. We expected to take it easy the following day due to soggy weather, but the weather guy blew the forecast and it was beautiful so we had to get out. We headed up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP. This is the only alpine region accessible in the park by car. It’s a 17 mile drive that climbs steadily from about sea level to 5200 feet. As you near the top you round a bend and are blown away by some of the best scenery in the US: a 180 degree view of rugged alpine peaks that average 6,000-8,000 feet. Don’t let those heights fool you. Remember that these mountains start at sea level. They are very impressive!
We did two hikes. The first hike was only about a 1/2 mile that went up and around the visitor center. Arleen made a snow angel in mid-August! The second hike was nearly 4 miles up to Hurricane Hill. The flowers were peaking and we saw deer and a marmot. We sat at the top for awhile to have some snacks, take pictures, and admire the amazing scene.
We road our bikes on day two. Our goal was to ride from the campground to Joyce, WA and then to Lake Crescent. It would have been a roughly 30 mile ride. The first 9 miles were on Highway 112. The shoulder varied from decent to very narrow. There was steady traffic that included huge semis and trucks towing trailers. Shortly after a truck and trailer zoomed by us at 50 or 60mph less than a foot away, I said screw this, and we detoured down to “Freshwater Bay”. The road down to the bay beat the hell out of riding on the highway and we were rewarded with a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This area is part of the “Whale Trail” where the huge critters are often seen.
We still wanted to see Lake Crescent so we loaded the bikes in the truck and drove to Joyce. From Joyce, it was about 5 miles over the hills to the lake on a smooth, windy road with very little traffic…perfect! The ride started with about 3 miles of climbing. There’s nothing like a slow, steady grind to get the legs and lungs working! We relaxed at Lake Crescent for a while. I got in the water to cool off and pose for pictures. We really enjoyed this ride.
We got back around 5:30pm and Arleen made big salads and an excellent pork loin. The sky was a brilliant blue with very few clouds and the sun didn’t go down for another two hours so we went back up to Hurricane Ridge to catch the sunset. The peaks behind us basked in an alpine glow and the sky out west treated us to faint oranges and yellows. Mount Olympus was so clear it seemed like we could take a leisurely walk to its 8,000 foot peak across the valley. Vancouver Island loomed large to the north beyond patchy sea fog sitting over the Strait. It was glorious!
To summarize what we did to our bodies this day: biked 24 miles with almost 2,000 feet of climbing and hiked one mile which included a few hundred feet of uphill.
We woke up the next day a little stiff, but ready for another hike. We headed up to Obstruction Point in Olympic NP. The dirt road included about 7 miles of very narrow, very rough, very windy, very steep, white knuckle driving with a drop off that would certainly mean plunging hundreds of feet to our demise. Thankfully we only had to squeeze past 2 or 3 cars each way. We hiked 5 miles up to Elk Mountain and were rewarded with amazing views of Vancouver Island, Victoria BC, Port Angeles, Sequim, the two spits, Mount Baker, and the high peaks of the Olympics. We walked about 3/4 mile along the ridge line with a great view on either side…my favorite kind of hiking.
See the trail? We’re headed up there!
Arleen let me ride my bike back down the mountain!! I started at the Hurricane Ridge visitor center and hauled ass down 17 miles of smooth, curvy pavement dropping almost 5,000 feet. I averaged just under 30mph and peaked at 42mph…FREAKIN SWEET!!
Why didn’t Arleen ride her bike down the mountain you ask? See the end of this post for the answer…
After loading my bike in the truck and letting the adrenalin rush subside, we headed down to the City Pier in Port Angeles. We got fresh vegetables at the Famer’s Market and strolled around the pier.
We were there! That’s the ridge line we hiked.
Arleen here…The next day we road our bikes 45 miles from the Ediz Hook in Port Angeles to the Dungeness Spit near Sequim on the “Olympic Discovery Trail” ( http://www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com ). This trail rates close to one of the best rides ever. The majority of it was paved and ran through rural areas away from roads and traffic. The first four miles run along the Port Angeles shore line. There were just a few short steep sections near creek crossings otherwise it was a fairly level trail that we had practically to ourselves.
See the Dungeness Spit in the background?
After pedaling 45 miles and burning a couple of thousand calories, we were more than a little hungry and so as soon as we finished, we walked over to The Kokopelli Grill ( http://www.kokopelli-grill.com/ ) in downtown Port Angeles. The Grill features made-from-scratch native southwestern food with northwest flare. We started by sharing a bowl of smoked salmon chowder, which is one of our favorite foods and this was some the best we have ever sampled. Shawn had a crab-stuffed chilli relleno with steak medallions. It was a little spicy even for him but full of flavor! I had a Polenta Frut De Mer that was served on a green chili cake – very unique and delicious. We really enjoyed it and give Kokopelli five stars.
Here are a few more pictures of the scenery and critters we saw…
Sadly we didn’t see any elk, cougars, or Big Foot. Maybe next time…
So why didn’t Arleen ride her bike down the mountain?
Somebody had to drive the truck! The real answer: Because she loves me. It was her suggestion because she knew I’d enjoy the hell out of it. Arleen is the greatest wife in the world! I love you babe.
Critters
Oh you guys are such cheeseballs! Sounds like you are having a great time! The pictures are glorious and I'm enjoying the posts. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are "cheeseballs"! Life is great!
ReplyDelete