Monday, April 20, 2015

The Olympic Coast


Part of the first day of our trip to the Olympic Peninsula and the whole of the second day was spent along the coast.  After leaving the Hoh Rainforest we drove a bit further south to Ruby Beach, part of Olympic National Park and one of the wonderful beaches along the coast.  We had our evening meal there and watched the sunset before heading back north to the town of Forks where we spent the night.

Ruby Beach
(the last picture is from a 2003 trip to the Olympics)

















Beach Strawberry










Ruby Beach Sunset
(the last three pictures are from our 2003 trip to the Olympics)



















After an early breakfast the next morning we drove west from Forks to the coast and hiked the trail to Third Beach after a brief visit to the town of La Push on the Quilete Reservation.  After spending a quiet morning at Third Beach exploring and taking photos we went to Cape Flattery on the Makah Reservation (not a part of the national park).  Cape Flattery is the northwesternmost point of the lower 48 states.

La Push, Washington










Trail to Third Beach



Red-banded Polypores




Common Horsetail


Third Beach

















 Anemones, Mussels and Barnacles





Beaver Falls
(along the Burnt Mountain Road, Highway 113)







Clallam Bay


Skunk Cabbage


 Cormorant


At Cape Flattery we hiked to overlook from which Vancouver Island on the other side of the Straits of San Juan is visible, as well as Tatoosh Island with its lighthouse.  Finished at Cape Flattery we meandered east along the coast, stopping occasionally for pictures and ending up at the town of Port Angeles where we had our evening meal and spent another night (we sleep comfortably in the back of our van when we are traveling).

Cape Flattery








Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery Lighthouse




Vancouver Island





 Lichens

2 comments:

Fizgig said...

So many marvelous photos!! Can't pick a favorite... I've been to all these spots and can appreciate how difficult it is to capture the sheer beauty all around! I'm even more impressed you found a clear day =) My luck usually doesn't hold out and I end up getting wet =\ Have you ever gone kayaking from La Push? Great fun ;) The surfing isn't half bad either.

Ron said...

You certainly are correct about the beauty of the area. There is so much to see and the beauty is far beyond anything a photo can accomplish. We had clear weather at Ruby Beach, but the Hoh was wet and so was the Sol Duc area the next day. Haven't gone kayaking or surfing in the area but it sounds like fun.