Olympic Peninsula, P. 2

the wandering chick

...the Olympic Peninsula

Page 2

Rialto Beach must have been one of my favorite spots on the whole Olympic Peninsula. The pounding waves rush to shore to greet the tremendous logs, once beautiful mighty trees that had long succumbed to the power of the waves.

By coincidence, just after going to Rialto, which is located on the Pacific (the west coast of the OP), I had read an online review about one of the beaches on the OP. I don't remember which one, and it doesn't matter, because most of the coastline is the same....strewn tree trunks that have been brought in by the water and left to gather in heaps and piles, never to wither away but rather to collect as a reminder of the force that lies out at sea.

The writer was complaining that the beach was 'not very fun' because there were so many logs to climb over. Her words struck me as sad, I was saddened for HER, because she failed to see the beauty in what was before her. It reminded me of a friend once who said she couldn't see the beautiful view because the mountains were in the way.

Well, I scoffed at the logs remark, then went the next day back to Rialto Beach to marvel at the beautiful log-laden shore. Here are some pictures I took.

Sea stacks add to the beauty of Rialto Beach.

The Olympic Peninsula has three rain forests. I visited the Hoh RF . The entrance is located just south of Forks, but the near 20-mile drive inland puts the park near the center of the whole peninsula. It has a Visitor Centor and a couple of well-maintained hiking trails. The one I took is called the Hall of Mosses. Below are the pictures.

The true giants of the OP's trees are the Sitka spruce. They average more than 200 feet tall. This particular trunk that lines a section of the Hall of Mosses trail is 190 feet long, and it's only a portion of the original tree.

In the rain forest, the old and the new mingle, and it's difficult to distinguish between them.

Ruby Beach, on the OP's southwest coast, is a popular beach desination. Its sea stacks, rocky cliffs and variety of shore birds make it a favorite.

For the 'Twilight' fans, I've added this picture. It's a rendition of Bella's truck and is parked in front of the Forks Information Center. The real one....don't know where it is. Perhaps on location somewhere.

The Highway 101 is the main road around the perimeter of the Olympic Peninsula. And off the 101 in the northwest corner is Highway 112. It's a narrow, winding road that follows the coastline past Clallam Bay and the port town of Neah Bay and ends at Cape Flattery.

Cape Flattery is the most northwestern (attached) piece of land on the lower 48. It's where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean, and it's as rugged as any coastline you will see.

Below are pictures of Cape Flattery and the road that leads to it.

Above and Below: Along Highway 112

At the end of the Highway 112 at Cape Flattery is a 1/2-mile trail that leads out to the cape.

The old rock at Cape Flattery reminds me of monster feet...I see the claws and hoofs of enormous chickens and elephants. Luckily I didn't have nightmares that night.

The Cape Flattery Lighthouse on Tatoosh Island

Above and Below Right: taken at Neah Bay, a harbor town on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and part of the Makah Indian Reservation

The Pacific Ocean off Hobuck Beach Road just south of Cape Flattery

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The town of Aberdeen on the OP's south side

The Hood Canal dominates the OP's east side, separating the OP from the Kitsap Peninsula. A natural canal, it begins in Puget Sound and comes to an end as a shallow tideland 50+miles to the southwest. It's known for its oyster and clam beds.

A bridge crosses the Hamma Hamma River along the Hood Canal.

This bridge carries passengers across the canal to the Kitsap Peninsula, including the small town of Port Gamble, an 1800's logging community. Pictures of Port Gamble will conclude this page.

The William Walker - E. G. Ames house. Walker was the master mechanic at the sawmill, and he lived in this house from where he could overlook the sawmill and be close in case of emergency. Edwin Ames was the resident and then general manager.

St. Paul's Church, Port Gamble

Port Gamble was the site of the oldest continually operating sawmill in North American until 1995. Its origin began in 1853 and was modeled after the hometown, East Machias, Maine, of its founders.

The mill has long quit running, but the town residents have preserved their Victorian-style homes along with a post office, church, general store, museum and a few boutiques for tourists to enjoy.

It sits at the north tip of Washington's Kitsap Peninsula.

Now this tree in Port Gamble isn't just enyole tree. It's called a Camperdown Elm, and what's unique about it it that it's mutant and cannot self produce. The sign in front of the tree tells the story: In 1640 in Dundee, Scotland, the Earl of Camperdown noticed a branch growing on the floor in his elm forest. He grafted it to a Scotch Elm and it took hold producing what has become known as the Camperdown Elm. The Scotch Elm is the only root mass that the Camperdown will grow on. Every Camperdown Elm tree in the world is a part of the original and must be grafted to a Scotch Elm in order to grow. When the graft starts to grow, the Scotch Elm branches are cut off leaving only the Camperdown.

This particular tree (above) is on the grounds of the Walker-Ames house and was started in 1875. It measures 20 feet hight and 7 feet in circumference.