Olympic Peninsula

Olympic Peninsula We spent a weekend driving around the Olympic Peninsula, staying overnight at a bed and breakfast in Forks

I just had to get a picture of the Lake Sylvia State Park sign...		I think this was in Aberdeen. It looks like an old high school for which they're going to a lot of trouble to save the fascade. Strange.


At Pacific Beach. This was the first time in a while that we've smelled the ocean - wonderful! You can drive up to this point in your car along the beach.		I climbed on top of a massively huge gnarled rootstock, root side up.


This particular spot is known for the huge burls that the spruce trees are burdened with.


		Everywhere you look, the trees had massive tumors bulging out.


The coast


We brought some lunch, and ate at the top of the cliff.





The stones at this beach were ideal for skipping. Unfortunately there was a really steep bank, and heavy surf, so it wasn't easy to skip stones.		Squinting into the sun next to my cairn


		At often-photographed Ruby Beach


		Eric jumping streams and fording rivers


		Eric writes in the sand


		These sea caves reminded me of the ones we saw in New Zealand


Eric took a surreptitious picture of a lady at the beach doing headstands		At the Hoh Rain Forest. The air was very damp and cold there, even though it had been sunny everywhere else, and carpets of moss covered most visible objects.


		This is called a nurse log - where many saplings grow in a line, having derived their nutrients from a large fallen tree that then disappears.


Sunset through the trees		We stayed at the Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast, with very friendly hosts Bill & Susan Brager


At Lake Crescent. We stopped here to take this picture because I have a very similar one taken from the same spot, 3 years ago.		At Fort Worden, an old pre-World War I fort with many abandoned concrete bunkers. It stretches over many acres - you could spend days wandering around here. Unfortunately, we forgot our flashlight.


		Here's a map of the fort. Most people only visit the area right next to the road, but there's much more there.


Eric sitting in his throne (actually some modern art, we found later).		We met a guy who was taking large format photos, using a camera that I've only ever seen in photos.


This is what he was photographing.


Climbing up the ladders that were everywhere.


There were funny round lumps of minerals all over the ground. They came from stalactites in the ceiling


The old military jail.		The inside of the mortar batteries. We were going to walk around the loop inside, even without a flashlight (it was pitch dark) but stopped after I stepped into one of the drain holes you see on the floor.


		Fort Worden from the hill.


On our way home