Olympic National Park - Part III

2009-07-25: This is Part III of the photos from Olympic National Park. The last one is where I felt I was being watched.

Olympic National Park - Part II

2009-07-25: This is Part II of the photos from Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park - Part I

2009-07-25: The Olympic rain forest was everything I had expected, and then some. The trees here, regardless of species, grow to tremendous size. Everywhere where something could grow, it did. I encountered trees growing out of other trees; in one instance a sapling was growing straight up out of a stump. Many trees had hollows underneath them where the tree they grew on top of had lain before rotting away. Mushrooms and moss grew upon the trees. Ferns and other small plants claimed any remaining open soil. The air here was slightly cool and damp - it would cool dramatically at night. The scent of the trees and the earth was very thick. Many parts of the forest were quite dark. The trail I took followed a clear and cool river. I walked quite a distance on this trail - 7.5 miles, and then back another 7.5. Unfortunately, I wore through the pads in my boots and ended up with some very painful blisters on my soles. Oddly enough, in one particular part of the forest trail, otherwise unremarkable, I had a strong feeling that I was being watched. I continued on, watching and listening for movement. Nothing came of it, but when I was on the return hike, I felt the same sensation. How strange!

Later, in the evening, the temperature dropped dramatically. I was exhausted and the cold may have been less tolerable because of that. While driving, I caught a glimpse of a cloud of fog pouring rapidly down the side of a mountain and looking like an enormous plume from a melting block of dry ice. Soon the thick fog filled the air, and was present until I had come out of the high mountains. Along some parts of the highway, the huge trees of the rain forest lined both sides of the road, creating the appearance of a gargantuan hall lined by massive pillars. At one point, a great horned owl swooped across the road in front of my car, its wingspan six feet wide, or possibly more. I stopped to capture some photos of a brilliant sunset. That night, again behind schedule, I had to find somewhere to stop and sleep. The city of Aberdeen, WA looked much like Chicago in many ways - not somewhere I wanted to stay. So as before, I found a rest stop to park at and there I slept.

Travel Notes: Port Townsend » Olympic National Park, WA

I was very much anticipating my visit to Olympic National Park. Kanaskat-Palmer State Park had certainly given me a preview of what I was about to experience. Olympic is a very large park, and I noticed several different areas could be accessed. I was not planning to camp here, so any of them were valid. I stopped at a tourist information center in some random small town and grabbed a vacation guide. I decided that Hoh Rain Forest would be the best place to go.

The hills and rivers of Washington were on a smaller scale than I might have expected along this route, though they were many. Small lavender farms could be seen along the road, though none were photo-worthy in my opinion. It looks like one had to stop and pay for a guided tour to get anything good.

Nairn Falls Provincial Park » Port Townsend, WA

2009-07-24: On this morning, all of southern British Columbia were enveloped in fog. My goal was to reach a park on the coast of Washington. I drove with leisure as the distance was not too great. Unfortunately, the ferry crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca had been delayed by an hour or more earlier on, so the entire schedule was off. I had missed the most recent by a matter of minutes and had to wait about another ninety minutes for the next one to arrive. By the time I had crossed, I was too tired to drive and I had to stop and sleep. Though it was all too mundane, a 24-hour grocery store's parking lot was my stopping place.

Nairn Falls Provincial Park

2009-07-23: Canada's Sea to Sky Highway had a uniquely wild look to it. As I drove along it, following the winding road back and forth, going up and down the hills, black storms thundered across the region. I looked up at a high, rocky precipice and saw a bolt of lightning viciously strike a tree. Smaller rocks tumbled down the slope. It seems that it is a constantly changing landscape. Chinook helicopters, some with buckets attached, constantly flew overhead. CBC radio reported that firefighters had been battling a massive wildfire; luckily it was not a threat to the area I was in. I watched one of the helicopters dip a bucket into a lake and fly away over the mountains. About 50 miles north of Vancouver, I found a small provincial park called Nairn Falls, and decided it would be a good place to camp. I walked along a noisy, cold and fast river to visit the falls here. Minerals dissolved in the river gave it an odd, milky appearance. The forest trail opened up into an area of solid rock, which had to be climbed to get to the viewpoint for the falls. I made my way forward and took a few photos, taking care not to slip on the smooth rock. The drinking water here was excellent; I enjoyed it so much that I dumped out what I had and filled up my bottles with it.

Porteau Cove Provincial Park » Nairn Falls Provincial Park

2009-07-23: Just north of Vancouver, I arrived at a small provincial park named Porteau Cove. This park is located in the Howe Sound, on North America's most southern fjord. Sometimes the winds here become so severe that the park is closed! This was my first view of the Pacific Ocean. The campground here was full, and seems to be so perpetually. I travelled north along the Sea to Sky Highway looking for vacancies in campgrounds along the way. All along the way, preparations were being made for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Travel Notes: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park » Porteau Cove Provincial Park, BC, CA

I was now ready to make a major step on my journey - crossing the border into Canada. I had never done this before and I did not know what to expect. It turned out I had a bit of a hassle at the crossing due to long-passed legal issues, but I was eventually able to convince them that I was not there to cause trouble.

Once past the crossing, I encountered some of the legendary Canadian hospitality - people would go out of their way to help you if you asked. It was almost unsettling. When I asked a gas station clerk where a certain building was, he came from behind the counter and outside to the lot to point it out, not worrying that anyone would steal things from his store. Canadians in general seem patient and polite in all things.

Kanaskat-Palmer State Park

2009-07-22: This was a pleasant introduction to the more lush western Washington. A clear and shallow river ran through a small forest where ferns and other dense underbrush filled in the space between trees. I was able to walk in the river for a bit before standing on an unstable stone and falling in, waist deep! This was not an issue on a warm summer day.

The Lurid Details

2009-08-25: For those who are curious as to what exactly happened in North Carolina, here is a  photographic record!

This is the Google Maps street view of the approach to the crash site. It happened in front of that red building to the north. When I was there, the was more roadside vegetation. If you scroll northward, you can see a black or grey SUV turning into the driveway. That is where I rear-ended the Yukon. I tried to stop in time, and apparently I hit it at a low enough speed that neither of our airbags deployed. Unfortunately, I hit the other vehicle as it was turning right and it spun around then tipped on the driver's side.

In retrospect, it does not seem that a collision should be likely there, but, according to the local tow truck drivers, accidents on this stretch of highway are quite common.

An Interruption

2009-09-20: For my readers who wonder why I haven't been posting, here's what happened. A few weeks ago, I was in North Carolina, on the outer banks. Unfortunately, near the town of Kill Devil Hills, I ended up in a car accident. Luckily, I wasn't hurt at all and the other person was taken to the hospital and subsequently released. Sadly, my vehicle was not driveable. I had to stay at a hotel (at resort-town prices, of course!) that weekend, while I waited for the appraiser the insurance company had hired to come and inspect my vehicle. He was very slow to get it done, and after a couple days of waiting and camping and some nasty insect attacks, I decided to come back to Illinois, expecting my vehicle to be considered total loss, which it later turned out to be.

I was fortunately given a rental car (the pitiful Dodge Caliber) and I drove it back to Illinois. I'd gotten a replacement Jeep, plus my insurance check, so I was just about ready to get back on the road. Or so I thought, but then I somehow caught a vicious cold/flu! Now I'm just about ready, again, and I must say that visiting New England at this time of year is going to be sweet.

In the future, I'll do a better job of keeping you all up to date. I will also, at a later time, change the date on each entry to the actual day that I am describing.

Kevin

Travel Notes: Palouse Falls » Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, WA

The way to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park was literally desert until I crossed the Columbia River. I began by climbing up high hills descending down to the river, then climbing and descending another range of hills, and then, finally, I had reached the green part of the state. Many of the crops growing there were labelled, and included large fields of potatoes, sweet corn, spearmint, and peppermint.

Eastern Washington » Palouse Falls State Park, WA

2009-07-21: When one thinks of Washington, I would guess that one envisions lush temperate rainforests, foggy coastline, and cool mountains. These were my expectations. I was going to be camping at a place called Palouse Falls, so I assumed that anywhere with a waterfall would have to be cool and verdant. I came out of the mountains and drove into Spokane, where I was confronted with a temperature of 100° F. I considered not buying another blanket, but where I was going, I thought, it will be cool at night. My GPS guided me down an empty state highway lined by dusty fields, some of which were bare earth, while others produced a golden crop of wheat. I was ready to second guess the directions, but I continued on. The temperature was not getting any cooler. Massive dust devils could be seen in all directions. I actually drove though a couple of them! This area resembled the wastes of Wyoming. How could a waterfall be anywhere near here? It seems that the Cascade Mountains stop much of the rain and cool air coming from the west.

Eventually I did reach the park, and as can be seen in the photos, it was much different from what I had expected. The river had cut its way through the arid steppe and spilled into a circular canyon, its spray creating rainbow patterns as the sunlight filtered through it. In the photo with the waterfall, fishermen can be seen near the bottom of the falls. The canyon opposite the falls reaches to the edge of vision. I strolled around the unfenced clifftops surrounding the falls for a short time, keeping watch for rattlesnakes, before I began to feel tired and weak, which I knew was likely from being dehydrated. I went back to camp and relaxed. There were many noisy birds, which I had not previously seen or heard, darting around the campground's few trees. I saw a number of yellow-bellied marmots as well. The heat finally abated some time after sunset.

Travel Notes: Salmon Lake » Garnet, MT » Idaho

I was at a crossroads here. The signs were telling me I could go north, to Glacier National Park, about 225 miles distant, but if I did that, I would also have to go to Banff National Park in Alberta, as missing it when being that close would be inexcusable. Neither had been in my plans…and I made the difficult decision to head for Vancouver, as I had originally planned. I recalled seeing a sign for a ghost town on the drive to Salmon Lake, and I decided to visit it right away. The drive up to the mountaintop was not difficult, though it took around 25 minutes. I explored the deserted town for a half-hour or so. There were a few old buildings and many artefacts - utilitarian things, as well as mining and logging tools. Tattered wallpaper still hung in places. Old furniture, the most recent dating from 1912, could be found in some rooms of the hotel and its surrounding buildings.

I left the town to head west, and some signs pointed me in the direction of the Interstate. I assumed this was the "recommended" way back - perhaps it would be shorter. But it wasn't! Instead, I made my way down a narrow, one-lane mountain road through the misty forest. It was unsafe to turn while travelling any faster than 5 MPH in most places. Sometimes the road was muddy, while other times the gravel was very loose. Eventually I caught up to a cement mixer, though I have no idea why it was on this road. The dust cloud it generated was nearly impossible to see through. Eventually, after something like 15 miles, I was back on the interstate and bound for Missoula.

I stopped to rest just before crossing into Idaho and was confronted by a swarm of hungry rodents! I tossed them some bits of my lunch (radishes and crackers) and found that they were brave enough to run up and grab these things from my hand, if offered. One fat creature bullied the others but then refused to take the radishes; the others were not so picky. I stopped again briefly to take a photo of the Idaho mountains. The highway took me past Coeur d'Alene; I was satisfied just passing through. I then began descending into eastern Washington. That was to be another surprise…

Bozeman » Salmon Lake, MT

2009-07-20: I experienced a bit of a mountainside adventure between these two points. This day started well. I found a local business that was a laundromat, car wash, and small cafe, with wireless Internet access and a large television, all at reasonable prices with well maintained equipment. I cleaned some laundry as well as my car, and was off to Salmon Lake. 

My GPS receiver told me to exit off of the interstate near a state park named Beavertail Hill. I complied, though this was about 30 miles ahead of where I planned to exit. The paved road (Cramer Creek Road) quickly turned into rutted and potholed gravel and dust. The turn I was to take was around 3 miles ahead, so I made my way slowly down the road. I came to the turn, and found it was a steep upwards slope (I would guess 20% grade), but it was only supposed to be a mile or so until the next turn. I assumed this was a shortcut, and decided to try it out. I crept slowly up the steep road as my engine put all of its torque into hauling me up the dirt path. About a quarter mile in, I came across a locked gate informing me that the road was closed. I did not want to attempt going back down in reverse, so I very carefully turned my Jeep around and went back. It was so steep that I could not use the brakes much, or I would begin to slide. There were, of course, many trees and rocks to collide with. Taking it slowly, I made it back onto Cramer Creek Road and back to the interstate.

I took the exit I had originally planned for and eventually arrived at Salmon Lake State Park. I set up camp and got a shower and went to sleep just after nightfall. I woke up sometime late that night to find the temperature had dropped to around 50° Fahrenheit. I had not been expecting that and I did not have enough blankets. That morning, a friendly Minnesotan camping nearby gave me a cup of much-needed coffee.

Travel Notes: Yellowstone National Park » Bozeman, MT

2009-07-19: I emerged from the storms that were raging through Yellowstone and found myself in Montana. The air temperature had fallen dramatically. The fragrance of pine was thick in the air left damp by the passing thunderstorms. Montana's valleys, in many places, reached as high as much of Yellowstone, but their slopes were considerably more gradual. Some of the valleys I passed through were narrow and likely dark most of the time. The beautiful Gallatin River ran alongside the road much of the way. This part of Montana is an epic place. Within Yellowstone, one often travels up close along massive walls of rock, high, dense, forests, or winding river canyons. This is impressive, of course, but in many places a bigger, wider, macroscopic overview isn't always easy to get. In Montana, one can see alpine meadows lying at the feet of mountains, and behind those mountains, more mountains, and behind those, a wide open sky. The state is sometimes nicknamed Big Sky Country, and appropriately so.

Bozeman's downtown area was quiet when I arrived on a Sunday evening. It was a pleasant place, but the big-box retail strips on he edge of town hinted that it was not long before Bozeman was assimilated into the American corporate hegemony.

I stayed there for the night, and loosely planned the next part of my journey.