Wandering Retirees

Had a nice easy ride from Olympia to LaPush, WA on the Olympic Peninsula. We covered 160 miles through very lush, very green land. We had the road to ourselves most of th time. It felt a lot like riding through back country Maine. A lot of forests and a lot of clear cutting. Many of the clear-cut tracts look like they’ve been blasted by bombs. It’s clear we need lumber and wood products, but is it possible to take better care of the land after harvest? Just wondering.

Our route took us up US Rte 101 which followed the coast much of the way. We passed through towns that have unlikely names, at least to easterners like us: Humptulips (home to a salmon hatchery), Queets, Kalaloch, and the entrance to the Hoh Valley. We don’t know much about them, but they were part of a lovely ride so we appreciate them as their names stuck in our minds.

We are staying at the Quileute Oceanside Resort on the Quileute Reservation. Our rooms are about 200 yards from the beach. We’re here with my mother-in-law,Pat and my sister, Judy. Pat flew out from Philly and Judy is coming from Humbolt County, CA. We look forward to a number of days together here and on Vancouver Island next week.

The view from our deck is stunning. There at literally hundreds of tons of driftwood trees washed up above the waterline. Their bleached look makes us think of dinosaur bones or some such. There are few swimmers in the water because it’s so cold. But there are islands reaching out from the shore left over from past geological action and the more recent glaciers. The islands act like break waters to calm the surf. Kind of like jetties along the Jersey Shore, only an awe full lot bigger. Tomorrow morning we’re thinking about heading along the shore at low tide to spot tidal pools, if we can. Oh, and fireworks are legal in these parts. We’re kind of hoping the rockets I’ll run out before too long.