Beaches in the Olympic National Park

The beaches in the Park offered Karen's favorite nature creation - ROCKS!  We spent hours

searching for the perfect round and heart shaped rocks as we walked up and down the beach.  The Washington State beaches have no commercial or private development in the Park.  One cannot even drive up and down the beach.  Rialto Beach is famous for piles of driftwood.  Tourists walk on rocks or small pieces of gravel, not the sand of the Oregon Coast beaches.

With our car loaded with rocks we headed over to LaPush for afternoon tea and home made black and blue cobbler!  Feeling energized we headed over to Forks, our stop for the night, but decided to do a little hiking on the way.  The hike to Beach #4 was delightful, another rain forest experience.  The soft rain did not detract from the beauty of the forest or our enjoyment of the hike.

 The pictures below were taken at Ruby Beach, actually the next day, with the sun shining on all those glorious rocks!

 We left with lots of memories of the beach and bags full of rocks for Karen to paint and ponder!

Olympic National Park

My sister, Karen, and I felt compelled to honor the 100th year anniversary of our national parks by spending a few days on the Olympic Peninsula.  We began our trip on the Bainbridge Island Ferry, watching the clouds get heavier and heavier.  Of course, this is Seattle, but we'd hoped for sunny skies all week so we could hike and see the views of the Olympic Mountains.

It was not meant to be, according to Tim, the volunteer at the Hurricane Ridge victor's center.  He told us to hold cotton balls in front of our eyes and that would be like our view all week from Hurricane Ridge.   The drive takes 45 minutes from Port Angeles, so we took his advice and drove to Crescent Lake.

The forest, with a carpet of fern and towering trees did not disappoint us.

 

We took some time to explore Crescent Lake Lodge, built in the 1930's.  

 I looked at their website when searching for lodging, but these old lodges are expensive!  I just imagine only wealthy people stayed in them over the years.  The dining room had a lovely view of Crescent Lake. 

 

We really enjoyed our hike to Sol Duc Falls.  Tim told us it was the only Falls near Port Angeles that had any water running this time of year, because of the drought!

Duck Lake Hike

Ann Storrar, one of the LaTreks, rented a lovely cabin in McCall, and invited several of her friends to join her for a few days of friendship and hiking.  She lived in McCall for several years and hiked all over with her young family before she moved to Moscow.  The group hiked here last year in September and liked it so much we did it again!  When I look at the pictures I realize why it was so special.  It's rather short, but has stunning views and lots of wildflowers!

We considered going all the way to hum lake, but a gentleman riding a mountain bike suggested that we keep going at the lower elevation which eventually comes out at Warren Wagon Road.  We were quite happy to find these little gems along the way!

I ate most of the huckleberries I picked, but saved enough for a granola breakfast treat!

Love hiking with my sister, Karen and appreciating God's lovely creation.

The chipmunk and the wildflowers delighted us with unexpected beauty.   Looking up at the dead, burned trees almost made it seem like a winter scene.

Sharing stories with friends adds so much joy to the day!

Thank you Ann and your dog, Wags, for including us.  

 And Christine, for making us laugh.

And God, thank you for the magnificent creation!

Twin Lakes Hike

The second day of our adventure in McCall took us past Brundage Ski area, and Goose Lake to the Twin Lakes Hiking Trail.

The sign reminded us that we'd be sharing the Alpine like trail with cattle!

 I love the post fence

Our first encounter with a black cow

The hills were alive with wildflowers, including some late-blooming lupine.  Christine said this area is truly like the alpine areas in Switzerland.  

Just a little peace filled rest when we reached the first lake

Karen loves to celebrate her great life!

Sometimes there is a real advantage to bringing up the rear!

 We noticed the lake had been drawn down.  Ann believes water eventually makes its way down the hill to hydrate Boise residents.

This final picture was taken at Goose Lake.  We drove by it early in the day and the lake was calm and more serene.  By afternoon it was quite windy.