My next stop was the Elwah Valley. Here I learned that rivers make V-shaped valleys, while glaciers make U-shaped valleys. This is a fun fact I hope to use often. This valley has lots of large trees, all of which are covered in mosses and ferns; however, it is lowland forest, not a rain forest. Whatever they call it, its glorious. As I hiked along the trails here, viewing endless valleys of forest, I kept thinking "It would be so cool if I were a vampire, or had a vampire, and could run through this at super speed." Then I would think about slapping myself, because there's no such things as vampires, and no one can run through the forest at super speed without running into a tree, or at least spraining an ankle.
I spent a good deal of time bush-whacking my way through the forest, and feeling like an Ewok everytime I struggled to climb over a downed log. Then I would wonder why climbing over logs made me feel like a cute, yet fictional furry creature from another planet.
The plan for my last day was to check out the Hurricane Ridge area, then ride a ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. And I completed half of my plan. There were some nay-sayers around before I left on my trip, saying things like "You'll be cold." and "You won't see much, all the roads are going to be closed." To these nay-saying ninnies, I say "Ha Ha!" Once on the peninsula the sun was shining the whole time, and all the roads were open (I know, I know, central Washington was a different story). Hurricane Ridge was full of glorious views. I had intended to do a little snowshoeing there, but I had bigger fish to fry, so I just took in the view (and it was quite the view). (Plus the trails were like 10-30 miles, and I just can't do that with my snowshoes).
My next stop was Port Angeles, Washington, where there is a ferry to Victoria. Unfortunately, the ferry left Port Angeles at 2:00, then returned at 4:00. If I had waited a couple months there would have been more trips, but not during March. I was so bummed. But I decided to take advantage of what I could find in that cute little coastal town. I saw some really cool birds, and had good Indian food. I also saw the biggest black dog I've ever seen, and wondered if it was Sirius Black. Seriously. I'm a little scared for what will happen when I go to New Zealand, I'll probably spend the whole time thinking "If I were a hobbit..." Or "If Gandalf were here..." I've read so many books and watched so many movies (and loved them all so much) that I can't function in natural systems without bringing them into the dialogue.
Then I decided it was definitely time to head home. On my way I got to stop along the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam. Then I got locked into the project area and once I got out I decided it would be a poor choice to stop by all the other Columbia River dams. However, I did get to see them. The drive along the river is so gorgeous, I just couldn't help but think how much cooler it would be without all the those stinking dams turning it all into one long river. Eh.
The rest of my journey home merits some commentary, but its time to go to bed, and I've posted a lot to day, so I'll leave it until tomorrow. The moral of this entire story is that I had a ton of fun exploring the Olympic Peninsula, I want to go back again, immediately, but I'll wait until I'm done with this silly school thing. I recommend everyone visit, I think its good for your health to touch the ocean and the rain forest. Hmm. More dialogue to come soon. ----------------
Now playing: Ben Harper - Burn One Down
via FoxyTunes
2 comments:
Yeah! I've been waiting for your travel journal. Sorry if I was a nay-sayer, but I just worry about you. I'm very glad you had fun. When you can't tell the difference between fiction and reality, we'll have you institutionalized, but until then all the comparisons add depth...and texture...to your descriptions. I think it's funny that the verification word is tactestr, that sounds like someone who tastes tacks, which would be a very bad job indeed.
It looks like a light house in that last picture. Super cool. I definitely want to explore more, and now is my summer too. We'll see what I can manage with super busy Young Women's.
There will definitely be some really cool trip I'll go on.
Can't wait for more.
I like all your pop culture references too.
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