The following day we set out to visit Crater Lake National Park. It was a beautiful tree lined drive and as we got to higher elevations the snow started to appear on the side of the road. Once we got all the way up to the Steel Visitor Center the piles of snow left by the plows were still quite high and hiking was limited, unless of course you had snow shoes. We were still able to get good views of the lake and a section of the West Rim Drive had been cleared of snow up to Discovery Point. The park averages about 44 feet of snow each Winter. Obviously, the best time to visit is in the Summer months, because it may take until early July to open the entire Rim Drive. Just in case you didn't know, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It is fed by rain and snow and is considered to be the cleanest and clearest large body of water in the world. They say it was formed about 7,700 years ago when the 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed following a major eruption. Why didn't I like this kind of stuff when I was in school? Anyway, on our return trip we stopped at the Rogue River Gorge to view the rushing water at a point where the river narrows to about 25 feet in width. After that, it was still early when we got back to camp so we hiked a bit along the Lost Creek Reservoir trail before having dinner and settling in for the night.
On Monday May 6th we continued North and were planning a side trip to Seattle. We stayed overnight at the Gettings Creek Rest Area and after breakfast drove to Potlatch State Park,near Hoodsport, which was not far from Bremerton where we could catch a ferry to Seattle. We set up camp, always looking for the sunniest site, and enjoyed the view of the Hood Canal right across the street from the campground. The next morning we were up early and took the ferry to Seattle and spent about half the day walking around the Pike Place Market area. The forecast was for sunny and warm so I wore shorts and sandles, well that didn't happen! Welcome to Seattle! Good thing I took a fleece with me. We had some great pizza at De Laurenti's for lunch and we each had a Boston creme filled donut for desert from the Pike Place Bakery. We also saw the very first Starbuck's coffee shop located on Pike Place. We stopped by some of the shops along the waterfront on our way back to the ferry terminal. All in all, it turned out to be a nice day and it got better when the sun came out while on our return ferry to Bremerton.
On Thursday May 9th we arrived in Port Angeles and stopped at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center before setting up camp on a sunny site at Heart O'the Hills Campground in Olympic National Park. It was still early in the day so we took the drive up to Hurricane Ridge for views of Mount Olympus, glaciers and the wilderness. There was still quite a bit of snow up there at this time of the year, so again, unless you have snow shoes you have to stay in the plowed areas around the visitor center. This is another location that should be visited in the summer months if you have that choice. But still, spectacular views! The following day we moved the RV to the Fairholme campground at Crescent Lake and hiked the Marymere Fall Trail. The day after that we drove to Sol Duc Hot Springs, hiked the Sol Duc Falls Trail and then took a dip in the Hot Springs Pools at the resort.
On Sunday May 12th we moved the RV to the Kalaloch campground, which Rene says is her favorite National Park campground that we have been to since Padre Island National Seashore. It is right on the Pacific Coast and we got a site right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. We spent the rest of that day on R&R collecting driftwood and shells on the beautiful beach. The following day we visited the Hoh Rain Forest in the rain. We geared up in our rain suits and hiked around a bit. There's no better way to experience what the trees and plants feel like than to be in a rain forest in the rain! By the time we were finished there the sky started to clear and we were able to do some beach-combing in the afternoon. The next day was an R&R day with more beach-combing. On Wednesday May 15th we started heading South and stopped overnight at the Dunes RV Resort in Copalis to meet up with Jeremy & Hazel who had been driving North on Highway 101 on their way to Port Angeles to meet some friends. We shared a bottle of wine and had a nice evening with them.
We said goodbye to Jeremy & Hazel the following morning before heading to the Cape Disappointment State Park campground, which was only a short distance from where we were. We visited the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on the grounds and took a hike to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse where we met a young man from Stony Brook, NY. He was in the Coast Guard and stationed there. We had noticed the New York License Plates on a Jeep parked at the lighthouse, so we knocked on the window of the weather station and spoke with him briefly. He was a very pleasant young man. The next day we crossed the Columbia River and drove to Fort Stevens State Park to camp for the night. Nearby we visited Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park. This is where the Corps of Discovery set up camp for the Winter of 1805-06, after reaching the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. It was an amazing accomplishment and they only lost one member of their party, due to what was believed to be appendicitis, during their journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Why didn't I think this was cool when I was learning about it in grade school? If you ever have a chance you should check out the Ken Burns film about their journey that he made for PBS. Rene and I saw it when we were in St. Louis visiting the Arch.
On Saturday May 18th we continued South along Highway 101 and stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Seashore area and set up camp at the Lagoon campground. Lagoon has no hookups, but it does have fresh water. It does not have a dump station. It is a National Forest Service campground and is patrolled by Forest Service Rangers, so when you are driving around the park use your directional signals so that you don't get pulled over like I did! No ticket, just a warning! Whew! Anyway, we hiked some trails while we were there and spent some time at the beach. FYI - For the general public to get to the beach from the parking lot you have to climb over an enormous sand dune. There is no wooden staircase, just sand... on the way up and sand... on the way down. Getting to this beach would be difficult for some and there is no handicap wheelchair access. We would have liked to stay here longer, but the weather forecast was indicating rain and cloudy weather and that's not good news for our solar panels. It seems the Pacific Northwest is not the ideal place for boon-docking or dry camping, just not enough consistent sunshine to keep our batteries charged! We did great when we were down in the Southwest!
On Tuesday May 21st we departed the Lagoon campground and headed South on Highway 101, which, by the way, has spectacular views of the rugged Oregon coastline. It's a little nerve wracking driving a 29 foot RV towing a jeep along this curvaceous coastal road, but still spectacular. At least Rene was able to enjoy the view. We arrived at Shoreline RV Park in Crescent City, which is a city owned RV park, where we will probably stay until Rene has her pesky appendix removed on the 28th. It's not far from Sutter Coast Hospital. After her surgery we will consider what our next destination will be on our Endless Adventure!
Regards,
Frank & Rene
PS: To view all of our travel photos please use the link below to Frank's facebook page.
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