Stick to the Itinerary

Thursday, August 18, 2011
We set out once more for the Dungeness Spit, taking a few wrong turns in and around Sequim but, eventually, reaching the park via a little off-road adventure on Kitchen-Dick Road. This would be our first real glimpse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Looking to the west, along the strait-side trail, were the outlines of the mighty Olympic Mountains, rising out of the clouds behind Port Angeles. To the east, the spit itself, which was barely visible far below, between the twisted limbs and peeling orange-bark of the Madrona trees.

We hiked west along the sandy trail as it wound down to the beach, stopping to chat with park volunteers and pay our entrance fee: a whopping $3 for the “family”. We paused to peek at the lighthouse through the viewfinders and determined we hadn’t enough energy to make the 11 mile round-trip trek along the beach to see it up close. We settled for a leisurely walk (about a mile or so) towards the point; inspecting driftwood, kelp, and stone stacks as we went.

Our exploration worked up an appetite. A few curvy roads later, we were seated at the Dockside Grill, in the John Wayne Marina on Sequim Bay. After a rather long wait, both for our food and bill, but a relatively tasty meal (complete with crab cakes, oysters-on-the-half shell, soups, pasta and more), we continued on to Port Angeles.

We checked-in at the Downtown Hotel and found our “apartment” suite, with its living room, bedroom and kitchenette, to be just perfect and a mighty improvement from our first night’s accommodations. From our second story window, you could see the Olympics towering above the city and hear the crashing of the waves, calling of the gulls and occasional blast from a ship’s blow horn.

There was time for a nap and to ready ourselves for dinner before walking the few blocks from our hotel to the restaurant. We admired the historical murals, sculptures and enchanting flower-strewn streets of Port Angeles and passed a lovely courtyard with hanging baskets and a fountain. Our reservation was at Bella Italia, noted not only for being the best Italian restaurant on the Olympic Peninsula, but also for being host to Bella and Edward’s first date in Stephenie Meyer’s, Twilight.

Our dinners (and the accompanying wine) were superb. But a cold wind blowing in off the strait chilled even us Wisconsinites and we hurried back to the hotel, eager to rest up for the following day’s activities.

Friday, August 19, 2011
Bright and early, after pastries from Cock-a-Doodle Donuts next door, we packed and drove “up” (the mountain, that is) to the Olympic National Park Welcome Center. After purchasing our park permit, we had planned to hike to the natural hot springs but learned from a ranger that the road to the hot springs was closed due to the removal of the Ehlwa Dam. So we opted to continue up the mountain to Hurricane Ridge instead.

The views from that height were breathtaking. And even though the sun was shining and it was well into August, we still hiked through patches of snow and ice along the narrow, winding trails, looking out for aggressive goats and trying not to bother the black-tailed deer.

While traversing the steep switchbacks on the lone road up or down the mountain, we stopped at a wayside to admire the waterfalls of snow-melt. Further down the slope, we also stopped to take in the expansive view of the coast from even half-way up (or down, in our case) the mountain.

Back in Port Angeles, we stopped at the Safeway to pick up groceries for the next few days of our adventure. We were bound for Sekiu that evening and Neah Bay the following day... both of which are places with limited gas stations, let alone restaurants, so the plan was to pack our coolers. We stumbled upon a fellow Wisconsinite behind the meat counter who recommended the fresh King salmon and gourmet hamburgers. We’re pretty sure she hooked us up too!

On the way to Chito Beach Resort, our home base for the next two nights, we first traveled to Lake Crescent, a glacially carved lake of pristine blue with depths in excess of 600 feet. We took a brief tour of the historic lodge, nestled on its shores, which first opened nearly a century ago. Then, we meandered along the “Moments in Time” trail, which ushered us along the lake’s shore and through the massive, moss-draped trees... some as old as a 700-years.

Climbing back into the VW, we continued down Highway 101 until it met with Sol Duc Hot Springs Road. Here we veered off, taking the semi-treacherous 14-mile road (under repair for multiple washouts) toward Sol Duc Falls. About half-way down the narrow, winding road, we needed a lunch break and stopped at the salmon cascades planning to enjoy the scenery and listen to the Sol Duc River gurgle as we snacked.

However, when we reached the rocky shore, we found a ranger staring at the cascades (which are basically small waterfalls). She beckoned us to join her and explained that the Coho salmon were making their summer run up river from the Pacific. And sure enough, as we sat munching cheese, sausage and crackers, salmon began leaping from the crystal-clear pools trying to make their way up the river’s falls.

The color of the water was amazing, like blue-green glass. Whether it was the lure of the beautiful water or a true desire to “swim with the fishes”, it turns out that watching the salmon swim wasn’t enough for this crew. Someone (likely Nate) got the brilliant idea to actually dive in the river. And like lemmings, we all followed suit! That might not sound too adventurous, until you realize that the Sol Duc is made up almost entirely of snow-melt. The water, even in August, couldn’t have been more than about 40-45 degrees. Needless to say, our swim did not last long (but was rather envigorating).

We changed into dry clothes and, ready to get our blood circulating, continued down the road until reaching the head of the Sol Duc Falls trail. We trekked the mile through towering forests from the parking lot and stared in awe at the majesty of the falls. We couldn’t see the sun through the trees, but we could tell that it was falling toward the horizon as only scattered rays of light broke through the canopy. We headed back to the car, glad we had made the journey!

We reached Chito Beach shortly before sunset. Our strait-side cottage was equipped with a complete kitchen and all the comforts of home. We grilled burgers and fish on our deck facing the water; the cottage-keepers even donated a few fresh-cut pieces of cedar as make-shift salmon planks. After dinner, we visited with other guests and the owners around the communal campfire and, for the next two nights, were extremely happy to call the resort home.

Saturday, August 20, 2011
To Be Continued...