we left the hotel, we were on our way to La Push, Jacob's home, about 15 miles west of Forks.We knew we were in the right place when we saw the sign saying "No vampires beyond here!" which marked the treaty line. It was nice how the towns have embraced the Twilight phenomenon and cater to tourists making the "Twilight tour" -- which included us!
But the beach at La Push was beautiful. We didn't go to the best one, because it's a bit of a hike, but the one we did see meant I got some great pictures!
And how weird was it as I walked back to the car after getting some beach pictures and see this dog! Shades of Jacob and the werewolves!
As it started raining we said goodbye to La Push and Forks and yes, even Twilight! and headed to a part of the Olympic National Park that was supposed to be just gorgeous -- the Hoh Rain Forest. This is the wettest place in the continental United States, and as one of my pictures on Picasa shows, it rains 142 inches a year here, compared to 7 in Phoenix! But no one was exaggerating -- it was just gorgeous. And w
e had a perfect day for seeing the park, since sometimes it was drizzling, other times it was sunny, and then at other times just overcast.I did manage to get a neat shot of a butterfly here!
When we got to the Visitor's Center, we learned more about the Rain Forest - what causes it, what types of plants are in it, etc. And then we took a short, about a mile-long, hike on the Mossy Trail to see the curtains of moss hanging on the maple trees. An interesting phenomenon is how when a tree falls over, seedlins use it as nourishment, and as they continue to grow, t
hey grow around the "nurse" tree. Eventually it disintegrates, and the remaining trees, now grown, have spaces at their base where the "nurse" tree was! Like this picture shows...Once we left the Rain Forest, we continued our way on Highway 101, eventually heading back to the ocean near Ruby's Beach, back inland, then back to the ocean again near Moeclips. It was a beautiful drive - we saw great ocean sites, a Bald Eagle, and cute villages.
When we arrived in Ocean Shores, we checked into our Days Inn, then went to eat. After a seafood dinner we headed to the beach, and were amazed to discover that in Washington you can drive on the beaches. It's considered part of their highway system, and there's even signs saying you have to have your seat belt on. The sand is more packed than in California, but we still saw some people stuck -- so we didn't go too far. The tide was also co
ming in, and I didn't want to explain to the car rental company how I lost their car in the ocean!But here's a shot of us (and our Jeep Cherokee) on the beach in Ocean Shores, Washington!
To see more pictures of our day in La Push, the Rain Forest and Ocean Shores, go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/azwomon
and click on "Hoh Rain forest and beaches"
Gorgous pictures! I would love to go see it and photograph it too! Looks like a great time.
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