9/26/12–Forks to Hoquiam, WA

We left Forks, WA on 9/26/12 and drove to the Elks lodge in Hoquiam, WA for a one night stay.

Along the way we saw this lighthouse in the distance.

We stopped in a pullout where there was a good ocean view and were pleasantly surprised to see a large pod of orcas (killer whales).  Unfortunately, they never did surface long enough to get a decent photo.

A rock to rest on for the local birds.

We arrived at the Elks lodge in Hoquiam, got set up and then caught up on things:  laundry and grocery shopping followed by a quiet evening doing our computer and tv thing in the motorhome.

9/25/12–Hoh Rain Forest–Olympic National Park

On 9/25/12 we returned to the Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park to take the Spruce Trail.  Here are several photos from that trip.

The Spruce Trail covered the lower elevations of the Hoh Rain Forest and we’re glad we came back to do that walk as it was quite a bit different from the Moss trail we walked a couple of days earlier.

9/24/12–Neah Bay and Sekiu, WA

Our trip for Monday 9/24/12 was to Neah Bay and Sekiu in the northwest section of the Olympic Peninsula.

Before even getting out of Forks, we hit construction areas…must be Monday.

Rather than seeing totem poles, these wood carvings were in Neah Bay on the Makah Reservation.

Ken said that this structure out in the bay by Neah Bay was once a section of the old floating bridge across Lake Washington.

The ocean beach off a side road in Neah Bay.

On one of the side roads we drove on in Neah Bay, Ken spotted this man working on a boat in his shop.  Ken took some time to talk with him and get a short tour of the boats he was building and was very impressed with his work.

On our way back into town, we stopped to watch this kayaker.  He started out just sitting on the sand waiting for the right wave to launch him into the water.

After a few waves, he was headed out into deeper water.

From Neah Bay, we headed back east to Sekiu which is a very popular salmon fishing area.  We stopped at a local café for lunch then drove around for a photo of the marina.

From the time we first arrived on the Olympic Peninsula during this trip, we had both been remarking on the fact that we hadn’t been seeing any bald eagles which seemed very strange to both of us.  In Sekiue, we finally had our bald eagle sighting!

It was our lucky day as we also got to see spawning salmon.

It was another great weather day for playing tourist, but after a long day we headed back to the RV.

9/23/12–Hoh Rain Forest–Moss Trail

We drove south from Forks on 9/23/12 to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

After looking around and studying the maps of the trails, we decided to eat our lunch then take the Moss Trail.

Some of the trees in this area are over 200 years old and can be over 220 feet tall.

It becomes pretty obvious why it’s called the Moss Trail.

The trunks of the trees in here are enormous.

More moss on the trees.

Often the new growth of trees start their formation on the fallen trunks of trees and form a line and the root systems grow together.

A resident squirrel.

9/22/12–Chimacum to Forks, WA

When we pulled into the Escapees campground in Chimacum, we paid the weekly rate which was equal to 6 nights at the regular rate.  That being the case, we were ready to move on after the six nights and explore some new country.

We drove along Crescent Lake for a few miles.

We could see a fire lookout tower up on a hillside.

We arrived at the Forks, WA Elks lodge which was to be our base camp for the next 4 nights.

After lunch, we had good weather and decided to drive to LaPush which is on the Pacific Ocean.  Needless to say, it seems to be a favorite hangout for seagulls.

As we drove into LaPush we saw this sign.

And this is the sign heading out of LaPush.  The Forks area really picked up in tourism and popularity after the Twilight books became popular.

From LaPush, we drove around to Rialto Beach which is on the Pacific Ocean on the north side of LaPush across the Quillayute River.

Some pelicans flying over the ocean.

On our way back to the Elks lodge, we caught this view of Mount Olympus.

9/21/12–Fort Flagler

We spent the day on 9/21/12 exploring the bunkers at Fort Flagler.

We also took a brief tour of their museum.