Our first stop in the state of Washington was Mt St Helens, which is now a national monument. It is hard to believe this eruption happened 30 years ago! We didn't think it was that far in the past. The actual eruption started with an earthquake that moved the earth under the active volcano, causing a build-up of steam and pressure and the collapse of the first 1300 feet of the mountain top! The valley below was instantly destroyed by heat, wind, ash, and rocks, and the landslide went on for 13 miles, forever changing the landscape of the area. Although the areas near the volcano are starting to come back with plant and animal-life, the volcano itself and the immediate land around it look gray and barren. There have been minor eruptions in the past 6 years and a lava dome is visible in the crater of the mountain. We were hoping it wouldn't explode while we were visiting!!!!!!
After Mt St Helens, we made our way to Sequim, (pronounced skwim), in the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. We had heard how beautiful this area was, and it did not disappoint us. The peninsula is made up of rugged mountains with glaciers, alpine mountains with millions of pine trees, subalpine meadows with wildflowers, and the coast. It is unusual to have all of this topograghy in one area. Olympic National Park and Forest fill a large part of the peninsula. The park maintains much of it's wilderness, so there are no roads that go all the way through the park. However, there are some special spots that can be reached by driving.
The Hoh Rain Forest, named after a native American tribe, was spectacular! We didn't realize there were rain forests in the USA. This is considered a "temperate" rain forest, unlike the "tropical" rain forests in South America. To qualify as a rain forest, there has to be at least 80 inches of rain a year, although this forest gets above 140 inches! The temperatures also remain moderate, usually between 32 and 80 degrees. As you can imagine, with all that moisture, the forest was lush and green. There were huge Douglas Firs and Sitka Spruce, and in many places the trees are covered with hanging moss, hence the "Hall of Mosses" trail. Because the floor of the forest is so full of ferns and plants, when the seeds from the trees try and take root, they often start growing on fallen trees, since they can't find space on the ground. These trees are referred as "nurse trees". Being a nurse, I appreciated that name!
"Hurricane Ridge" was another special area in the park. This is at an elevation of 6500 ft. Here there are fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains, including alpine valleys and sub-alpine meadows. We felt like we were in the "Sound of Music"! After conquering an uphill trail, we were also afforded views of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan De Fuca! While at the top we ran into a deer. As you can tell, this deer was very domesticated, although they live in the wild. Someone must be feeding them although there are warnings not to!
Cape Flattery is the northern-most point of the 48 continuous states. In order to reach it, we had to drive through the Makah Indian Reservation. While there, we visited the Makah Indian Museum, which houses relics of the tribe. 500 years ago there was a huge mudslide at the Makah village, and the entire village was buried. Hundreds of years went by with the Pacific Ocean splashing against the mud, and eventually Makah relics were exposed and in relatively good shape, having been preserved by the mud. The items and history of the Makah people were very interesting.
After our trip to the museum, we finally made it to the cape. We had to walk one-half of a mile through the woods to reach it. At the end, there were boardwalks leading to 3 different look-out points. I hate to bring up scenery again, but WOW!!!! We saw jagged cliffs, sea caves, an isolated island with the Cape Flattery Lighthouse on it, sea lions, and bright orange starfish clinging to the rocks. Art also managed to spot a seagull nest in the middle of one cliff with 3 furry babies in it! Although a long, winding, and narrow drive, it was worth the effort!!!!!!
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