roaming2: Olympic Peninsula Coast

We have been out of touch for a while because the coast of the Olympic Peninsula is so remote that cell phones don't usually work and Internet connections are hard to find. As we traveled this area there were always phone booths in front of stores or gas stations in the remote areas -- sometimes two booths together. We haven't seen that in a long time!

We first spent three nights in Victoria BC and had a really good time. Susan replaced her silver ring that was taken in Chattanooga years ago and is very happy with the new one. We had some really good sea food and enjoyed the museum in Victoria. Weather was great and food was great. Next time up there we will take the truck and go north on Vancouver Island and explore the wilder more remote areas of the island. Saved for the next trip.

On the Olympic Peninsula we camped at Morah a few nights. Morah is near Rialto Beach near Forks and La Push Washington. It is in the Olympic National Park. Weather was good and we were able to walk Rialto beach and up the headland at the end of the beach. We also walked first beach in La Push. The beaches with the huge weathered logs and the sea stacks were incredible.

We then moved to a cabin on first beach in La Push because we were told there would be a potlatch and a drumming/dancing that night. We took a contribution to the Potlatch - ice cream - and ate dinner there and met some of the people. One group had come from an Indian community about 100 miles south of La Push and with them was the guy who would lead the drumming - singing - dancing event. Marco Jacob Black. He has been working for years to build and maintain the traditions among the Quileute people.

The Quileute creation story says that they were a wolf pack turned into humans thousands of years before. Their sacred dance was the wolf dance with the traditional masks - no photos allowed - complete with howling from members of the Indian community. As we walked back to our little cabin the wind was really blowing hard and it was raining. There was something in the village that caught the wind and made a howling sound all night. It rained so hard on our metal roof that Susan said she could hear barking sounds in the rain. A wonderful and strange night all the way around.

Indians fishing at the mouth of the river in La Push.

Sea stacks off Rialto beach with a neat cloud pattern. I think sailors say that salmon scales and pony tails foretell of bad weather coming. I think this can be called pony tails. It did storm a couple of days later.

This is the bottom of a huge tree on Rialto beach. Beautiful and amazing. In storms and high tide the waves roll these logs around. Warning signs say people are killed by rolling logs every year.

Cooking on the fire at Morah. Corn on the cob, potatoes and fresh crab cakes - compliments of Carolyn and John. Really good. We're cooking over the fire because we couldn't get the propane stove to work and it was late so we just cooked the old fashioned way. The next day I figured out the stove and fixed it -- all is well with the stove now.

Sea Stack at the end of Rialto Beach. Always amazed to see trees coming out of these rocks.

Waves coming through one of the sea stacks.

View from up on the headland at the end of Rialto Beach

I thought to take a photo of the camp site after the tent started coming down. This is the Morah camp site.

Third Beach near La Push was incredible. The storm was moving in and the waves were getting large. What a place.

A Japanese bottle we found on the beach. But there was no message in the bottle - darn.

A trail out to second beach.

Second Beach slot in a headland that the waves would wash through crashing out this side of the hole.

Second Beach sea stacks a waves.

In a circle of rocks this was carefully placed. Evidently Ben's coffee pot is buried here. Sacred Grounds? These beaches are available for backpacking camping in knock down beautiful settings. Just stop at the ranger station and get a wilderness permit and go. The next trip we will be sampling the beach camping.