Day-08: Olympic National Park From The Outside

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Woke up around 7 AM; after showering, started a fire to take the chill out of the cabin. With coffee in hand I walked out and surveyed the beach scene, again with a low tide, razor clams and tons of drift wood.

Salmon Hash

Had breakfast in the lodge inn this morning; the Salmon Hash with 2 eggs over-easy, bacon, toast and coffee was a winner.









Looking out over the beach, we saw Bald Eagles flying in the distance along the beach and back into the tall trees.

With the midday forced closure approaching we checked out of the lodge. We were able to get a park stamp in the lodge along with other park info and cards.

Along the coast we could see an island situated light house. Don't know it's name or the island's name, need to do some Google Map research.

The Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic NP is touted as one of the great hiking sites for examples of the flora of the Pacific Northwest. Arriving at the rain forest park gate, as expected we encountered road blocks, tourists in the parking lot wondering what to do, and a port-a-john that still had TP but likely was not to receive cleaning attention until the government holiday is over. Phew!!!



We did at least see a few examples of the moss, ferns and other rain forest type greenery.

Continuing on around the northwest coast we passed by Lake Crescent, a long glacial type lake with crystal clear water. The lake is located within the park and as before, the off-road attractions were closed. Good thing the legislative gridlock can't take away the visuals, views and occasions for meeting other travelers.

Lake Crescent

Port Angeles was a nice city along the northerly coast. Looks to be a good size port and a large Coast Guard Station.

With several days ahead of us before heading for the next park, Cascades National Park, we decided to camp out for the night in the Bremerton, WA area. This is an area with a large U.S. Navy presence including a shipyard, a submarine base and a naval museum. Some of our Navy friends have had the pleasure of living in the Bremerton area during days of active duty and ship repair.

Entering Bremerton, we quickly found a Hampton Inn, located on the waterfront just next to the naval shipyard. This will be a good opportunity to sit back, review our travel options, get caught up on work and laundry.

In the hotel & convention center complex, we found Anthony's, a noted local seafood restaurant of the Pacific Northwest. This presented an opportunity to watch the Bills vs Browns football game and reminded us that we have not been managing our Fantasy teams as well as we should. Looks like "what's-his-name", my Buffalo running back helped me with some yardage and touch-down points.

As for the restaurant, we sat briefly at the bar awaiting a window table. The bartender turns out to be from, you guessed it, Massachusetts. At the table we were served by Naya, aka Natalie; she would actually become part of the dining experience, offering local information and a humorous approach to waiting tables. While at dinner we watched the various ferries coming from and going to Seattle, about an hour away.

Tonight for dinner, I started with a Dungeness Crab Cocktail followed by an "indecision" solver pairing of Salmon and Haddock, served with Jasmine rice and sugar snap peas. Sheila had Ahi and a "loaded" spinach salad. The huckleberry deep dish pie with ice cream was a delectable final offering.

Well, at 9 PM the ferries were still running. The waterfront was cool but offered a pleasant setting for the short walk to the hotel.

Caught up on some reading, worked on the backlog of puzzles and followed with some general Internet research. Late, now, time to sleep!