Olympic Rainforest Roadtrip
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Took off last week to go camping up in the Olympic rainforest with my son, who is back in town for a few weeks after graduating law school. On our way up to the Olympic Peninsula, we stopped at a couple of roadside attractions, including a decommissioned nuclear power plant:
We also stopped off in the dreary town of Aberdeen, WA. Its claim to fame is that it is the hometown of Kurt Cobain. We stopped at a memorial park on the muddy banks of the Wishkah River and had a beer under the bridge that young Kurt would brood under.
We stayed the first two nights at the Kalaloch campground right on the ocean at the southern end of the Olympic National Park. It made for easy access to the Quinault Rainforest, where we did a 5.2 mile (up and down) hike the second day:
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
We then headed north and
We then headed north and stayed at a Hipcamp on an old hippie’s property near La Push for the remaining three nights. Real nice place with wi-fi, hot shower, spacious campsites, and clean bathrooms:
The campsite was only a few miles down the road to Rialto Beach:
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
The next day, we hit the Hoh
The next day, we hit the Hoh Rainforest and hiked back three miles on the river trail. More people than in the Quinault, but still lots of fantastic temperate rainforest scenery:
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
The next day, we drove a
The next day, we drove a little north to the tip of the peninsula and hiked out to Cape Alava, which is the westernmost spot in the 48 contiguous states. Much of the three mile trail to the beach consisted of a spongy boardwalk in varying states of disrepair.
Drove back yesterday in pouring rain all the way back to Portland, which was a little nerve wracking, but stopped in Centralia for lunch at the historic Olympic Club and checked out some murals and monuments commemorating the 1919 street battle between the IWW and the American Legion that left six people dead, including labor organizer Wesley Everest, who was lynched by a mob of American Legionnaires for his alleged role in the unrest. Mural to Wesley and a link to a news article describing its various labor related symbols:
https://www.chronline.com/stories/massacre-mural-brimming-with-labor-mov...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
Really nice, Ken. Thanks for
Really nice, Ken. Thanks for sharing your trip. Great pics. Glad you and 'da boy could get away together. You must be incredibly proud. Congratulations.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Thanks for sharing, Ken. I
Thanks for sharing, Ken. I always enjoy these travel threads .
The photos....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
nice trip
nice trip
that one tree looks like a sculpture
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
^ though I think that tree
^ though I think that tree takes a 3-prong
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: smiley
any squatch sightings?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Sweet thread, Ken. Sounds
Sweet thread, Ken. Sounds like you and your son had a fine time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mr. Sunshine State
Glad you obviously got some sunny days, Ken- absolutely fantastic shots- thanks for sharing!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: long live the dead
did you go by Hanford or by
did you go by Hanford or by Richland wa where i was born
dad worked for GE Nuclear after WWII and the Manhattan Project
I have never been back
looks sweet strong work
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Beautiful pics and scenery,
Beautiful pics and scenery, Ken. Thanks.
The ferns remind me of the forests of far northern Wisconsin.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Deadly
Multiple thumbs up!
Multiple thumbs up!
Wishing to be there, too.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Frank3
GREAT pics !
GREAT pics !
very cool to see the banks of the wishkah
ferns are amazing also
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
beautiful area. Did the Hoh
beautiful area. Did the Hoh River>Blue Glacier backpack in my younger years!...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Thanks for sharing these pics
Thanks for sharing these pics Ken... the Olympic range was my weekend playground during college.
So much to explore in that corner of the state.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Looks like a blast!
Looks like a blast!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
That tree looks like the
That tree looks like the apple tree in Wizard of Oz!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Cool tree to climb for a
Cool tree to climb for a younger man.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: KeseyB
Great photos, thanks for
Great photos, thanks for sharing!
I visited the Olympics many times in the 90's, loved the hikes and hot spring. Haven't been back in decades.....and I should do a road trip!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jeff
the olympic rainforest is
the olympic rainforest is hands down one of the most beautiful places anywhere in the world.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jeff
the olympic rainforest is
double
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mtndog
Sweet photos
Sweet photos
what nuke plant
did they let you climb the stairs on the cooling tower
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
what nuke plant<<<<<
what nuke plant<<<<<
Trojan - a friend of mine worked there for a while in the 70's - before they shut it DOWN.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
Correction - that's Satsop.
Correction - that's Satsop. Trojan's tower no longer stands. Sorry.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mtndog
Cool, thanks for the info.
Cool, thanks for the info.
Looks like satsop was not completed
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
Great pics....Olympic is on
Great pics....Olympic is on the list.