Monday, November 5, 2001

Hello from Ocean Shores, Washington!

Start time: 0730

Start odometer: 23558

Weather: Cloudy, fog, some clearing, rain, sun, pretty much everything but snow, temperature 43 degrees F.

Had another great day of touring. I stayed along the coast for most of the day, with a side trip to Olympic National Park, Hoh River section. Towards the end of the day, I found myself in Ocean Shores, a beachfront community catering to tourism.

I started this morning with a drive to the beach south of Cape Flattery. There was nobody around, and I was able to enjoy the sounds of the surf for a bit. I returned to Neah Bay and ran into some rain and sunshine and their result, a beautiful rainbow. It was a stunning scene, with the harbor arched by the rainbow.

Leaving town on Route 112, I concentrated on the drive as the winding road hugged the steep hills along the coast. Another pretty, and also fun, drive along the coast. Soon, I turned south and began the second(?) leg of my trip!

Click on picture for larger image, hit back button to return to this page.

The harbor at Neah Bay, Washington.

The main street through Neah Bay, looking west from my motel. On the other side of the hills is Flattery Bay.

The pacific coast, south of Flattery Bay.

Interesting skies and reflections along the coast.

When I returned to Neah Bay, I was greeted by this rainbow.

The other end of the rainbow. It was a beautiful sight!

This is where I had dinner last night.

Heading south, I saw this road sign!

I visited the Olympic National Park again, this time from the west. It is a section of rainforest, with a drive along Hoh River. I stopped at the visitor center, then took a hike through the forest. It was an interpretive trail, and several panels were available to educate on different facets of the rain forest. I really enjoyed this trail, with magnificent scenery and wonderful aroma.

Entrance to the Hoh section of the park.

A small creek along the trail.

Being a rain forest, ferns were abundant.

The trail, bottom center, passing through the forest.

A moss covered tree.

A trunk formed by originally growing around another fallen tree.

A view of Hoh River.

Moss on the trees along the trail.

A close up of a fern leaf.

A water droplet hanging from the moss.

Another close up of the moss.

This is the moss used in the previous pictures.

Descriptive panel along the trail.

The tree discussed in the previous panel.

This panel describes the next picture.

Tree fall along the trail.

The moss on the tress was quite a sight!

The visitor center.

After returning to the coastal highway, Route 101, and a stop at a large cedar tree, I visited at another section of the park on the coast, Ruby Beach. The shore was littered with incredibly large logs washed up by the waves. It was also covered with many rocks, including small ones at water level. I was again reminded (as I mentioned yesterday) of the beginning of the trip in Maine, at the eastern-most point of the contiguous U. S. Both there and here, I could hear the same sound made by the rocks rolled by the water returning after a wave crashed on the shore. (There has to be a better way to describe that!!!)

Standing in front of a very large tree!

The opposite side of the tree offered a very interesting trunk!

Ruby Beach from the access trail.

Located at Ruby Beach, a seagull rests atop the rock.

Another view of the rocks on the beach.

I continued my drive south and drove around Ocean Shores before I decided to stop. Driving on the beach is allowed here, so since I have traveled on most other surfaces, I drove the beach!

Parked for a beach shot.

Hoping for an early start, I plan on visiting another park tomorrow, and get further down the coast. Thank you for visiting the page! And for those who sent me e-mail, I plan on catching up with my responses very soon. Thanks for your notes, and your patience!

Routes traveled today: Wa 112 - Wa 113 - US 101 - Olympic Park Road - US 101 - Copalis Crossing Road - Wa 109 - Wa 115

Lodging: The Sands Resort -

This page accessed times.

Page created by: igorn@igorn.com

Pictures may be used with permission.