September 27, 2009

Venture to the Olympic Peninsula - Day 2

Take a big, deep breath. You're gonna need it! Here are the rest of our trip pictures from last weekend and there are plenty to go around. Enjoy them, peruse them, but don't say I didn't warn you. ;)

Good morning, Forks!

We were up bright and early Sunday, eager to continue our adventures. I didn't take many pictures of Forks; mostly because we weren't there very long and also because the town is so stinkin' tiny, there's not much to take pictures OF. However, I saw these signs hanging above the waitress station at the restaurant we ate at Saturday night, so I figured what the heck. When in Forks, do as the natives do. And the natives do Twilight. In a big way. :)

On to the Hoh Rain Forest!

I love the moss growing on this phone booth.

(If you seem to notice discrepencies in the coloring/lighting of these photos, I assure you you're not losing your vision; the lighting in the forest that day wrecked havoc with our cameras, so in some cases, I've had to digitally alter the pics using my scrapbook software. I have tried to alter the photos so that they look as close to what we saw as possible. No, I am not trying to con you. ;)
The Hall of Mosses trail:

Jason called this one the "Ent Moot" and I agreed. This forest could have been Fangorn; I half expected to see Tree Beard.





Do you see the monkey? (No, it's not a real monkey, and NO, it's not Bigfoot).





After nearly two hours at Hoh, we packed ourselves back into the van and headed out. Lake Crescent was our next destination, a gorgeous, huge lake nestled in the mountains. I had to restrain myself along the way, because the views of the Olypmic Mountains in the morning sunshine were breath-taking, but the camera was getting full. This bumper sticker I found pretty much sums it up for me:

A tiny piece of Lake Crescent, as we headed down the trail to Marymere Falls. I believe the mountain sloping up to the right is known as the Storm King.


A better view of the lake.


Marymere Falls, at last!


Below the falls, a stream that Caleb found. I had another Lord of the Rings moment here, imagining the end of the Fellowship as the Uruk Hai attacked and Frodo tried to leave without Sam.




Good-bye, Lake Crescent! Jason and I liked the area so well, we want to go back in the spring when the snow begins to melt. We think the falls will be even more spectacular then, and we'd also like to spend a little more time at the lake.

On our way out, we spotted this deer. Just a few feet from the car. Munch, munch, munch. La dee da dee da. Not a worry in the world. Humans? What are those?

Riding the ferry back to Whidbey Island, we got to watch the sun set behind the very mountains we'd been visiting all weekend.

This last photo was not altered, I'll have you know. Mom took it with her camera, and this is how it came out. Point-and-click.


From the ferry, we could see Mount Baker with all its glaciers, the Olympic Mountains behind us, and for a few mintues, we could just glimpse Mount Reineer far to the south as the last rays of the sun shone upon it. It was a glorious sunset.
So ended a wonderful weekend. :) Rather an appropriate end, don't you think?

September 24, 2009

Venture on the Olympic Peninsula: Day 1

We had to leave the house by 7:30am. Our ferry left at 8:45, check-in was at 8:15. The weather didn't help; we woke up Saturday morning to rainy skies. But we didn't mind too much. Harry and I had been up around 5:30 because we just couldn't sleep anymore. We were that excited. :) Plus, we still had to pack the van.

We made it to Keystone Ferry landing on time. Can you tell we're just super happy campers this rainy morning?? Even Caleb knew this weekend would be extra special.
We even had enough time for a quick walk to the cafe for coffee and muffins.

On the ferry to Port Townsend.

Caleb looks out the window on the ferry boat. He couldn't decide if he liked being outside or inside better. But the wind was blowing with gale force out on the deck, so we eventually made the choice for him. Inside, Buster!



See how choppy the water is? Brrrrr, I get cold just looking at this picture!


Once on the Peninsula, the weather cleared up nicely. A couple hours later, we arrived at Hurricane Ridge.

Of course we hiked a trail or two. :)



Caleb didn't hike so much as run. If the trail was downhill. If it was uphill, he hitched a ride on Grandpa's or Daddy's shoulders.

Gorgeous!







The view from the top of Hurricane Hill. This vantage point looks down at the visitor center, where we had parked.

Mount Olympus, covered with snow and glaciers.


Mom and Harry at the top.



A view of the winding road we drove along to get up to Hurricane Ridge.

Who's this crazy lady? Probably just some backpacker wanna-be. ;)

The rest of our crew (minus Harry, who's obviously behind the camera).

A baby Christmas tree! Awwwww!


Before we left, a Mommy deer and her fawn mosied past the parking lot, not ten feet from us.

They kept right on goin', too. Not a care in the world.


The mountains were beyond beautiful. More immense than anything I'd imagined. They defined "vast." The trees grew so thickly on some slopes, it looked like the mountains were covered in dark green fur. Breath-taking, to say the least!
We left Hurricane Ridge early afternoon and drove straight through to Forks, where we spent Saturday night. Sunday would be just as exciting, but you'll have to wait for those photos. . . :)