In and Around Sequim, WA

August 5, 2021

We were in Sequim from July 22nd to August 2nd. As described in my last post, two of those days were spent hiking in Olympic National Park. The rest of the time was spent cycling, walking, and a little bit of kayaking in Sequim Bay. Yes, and doing some boring but necessary tasks like grocery shopping and laundry. When you're on the road as long as we are, you need days to do the mundane chores and to take a break from sightseeing.

We found that the Olympic Peninsula has a bike trail that goes from Port Townsend on the northeast side of the peninsula to Port Angeles further west. It's a paved trail, mostly off-road. We rode two different sections on two different days.

 

Our first ride started just east of the Railroad Park Bridge. The bridge was built in 1915 and is now part of the Olympic Discovery Trail. 

The bridge crosses over the Dungeness River.

On our way back, we stopped to look at a lavender field. One of several around the town.

We rewarded ourselves with a stop at the Peninsula Taproom for a pint and some nachos. 

On our second ride, we started a little further east of Sequim and rode to Port Angeles. A good portion of the trail ran along the water. 

Port Angeles Harbor

A little covered bridge on the trail. 

The trail passes by the Port Angeles waterfront and through a portion of town.

A few miles east of town we reached Ediz Hook, the eastern barrier between the Strait de Juan Fuca and Port Angeles Harbor. This aerial view was taken from our hike on Hurricane Hill days after our ride. It was neat to see the whole hook  from above.

We rode out on the Hook as far as we could go. We had to stop when we came to the entrance of the Naval Station which is at the very end. 

 

A selfie at the end of our ride, looking out at the harbor and the mountains.

After our ride, we stopped at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm.

We had to try the lavender ice cream we had heard so much about. I had a white chocolate-lavender cone. It was delicious!

One afternoon, we drove to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to take a walk out on the Dungeness Spit, a 5-mile long sand spit jutting out from the Olympic Peninsula into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is the longest natural sand spit in the United States. This is an aerial view I took from Hurricane Hill on a later date.

It was slow walking in sand and rocks, so we didn't go all the way out to the lighthouse. We turned around after about 3 miles. That was plenty for us. 

A Western Gull

Heermann's Gulls - a new one for me. I like their red beaks.

The lighthouse appeared through the fog.

The lighthouse's beacon shining through the fog

A Sandpiper among the rocks

A view from the opposite direction on our way back.

When we got back, the fog had lifted and we were able to see the lighthouse much more clearly with Mount Baker in the background.

Another view of the spit. Walking is only permitted on the ocean side. The righthand side is a closed area for the protection of the wildlife in the refuge.

Next stop, Whidbey Island. After three weeks, we're finally leaving the Olympic Peninsula, but not going very far.

Olympic National Park Part 3: The Mountains

 August 4, 2021

On July 22, we left Forks and continued to follow Rt 101 to Diamond Point RV Resort in Sequim (pronounced Skwim), WA in the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula where we spent the next ten days. In this post, I'll focus on the days we spent at the Hurricane Ridge section of Olympic National Park.

The road that takes you to Hurricane Ridge starts in Port Angeles, about a half-hour west of Sequim. Once you reach the entrance station, you have a 12-mile long, winding, and steep drive to reach the Visitor Center. 

  

Driving from sea level to a mile high on a steep, winding road did make me feel dizzy for a little while. I heard another person in the gift shop ask if they had Dramamine. I guess I wasn't the only one.

From the Visitor Center, you have beautiful views of the glacier on Mount Olympus and the whole Olympic Range.

After soaking up this view, and going into the gift shop to buy our traditional Christmas ornament, we set out on a couple of short loop hikes.

A view of Mount Angeles

A foggy view north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with Victoria, BC in the background

One of several patches of snow that were still on the ground

The second hike of the day was the Hurricane Ridge Trail, a short, but very steep climb on a dirt path to a great view.

The trail that you see in this picture was a rugged 12-mile hike to Mount Angeles. We did not take it!

 There were lots of wildflowers along the trail. These are Subalpine Lupines.

Red Mountain-Heather

Black-tail Deer are often seen in the meadows around the Visitor Center. This one was there when we returned from our hike.

A few days later, we returned to Hurricane Ridge to hike the Hurricane Hill Trail. This trailhead was 1 1/2 miles from the Visitor Center. The parking lot is small, so you need to get there early to get a spot. We got the last one! The trail is paved all the way, which was a pleasant surprise. It's an out and back trail of about 4 miles roundtrip. It's described as moderate, but it is straight up, with each switchback getting steeper and steeper. It was definitely a workout, but well-worth the effort for the 360-degree breathtaking views. 

The picture below shows one of our views from the top. You can see our trail in the foreground and in the distance.

View of the Dungeness Spit in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Sequim

View of Ediz Hook in Port Angeles harbor

A foggy distant view of Mount Baker

More gorgeous views

The wildflowers along the trail were in full bloom and they were beautiful. Here's a sampling.

And last, but not least, a butterfly and a chipmunk on the trail. We were hoping to see a marmot, but no luck.

That wraps up our visit to Olympic National Park. In the next post, I'll tell about the rest of our stay in and around Sequim. 

Olympic National Park Part 2: Beaches

 August 4, 2021

There are several beaches along the Pacific coast that are within the boundaries of Olympic National Park. Some are south of Forks and some are north. 

We started by going north to Rialto Beach. On the road leading to Rialto Beach we passed the Mora national park campground. 

The beaches are nothing like the Jersey shore. Instead of sand, there's stone and large pieces of drift wood. Instead of a boardwalk, there is a wall of large conifers. Out in the water there are large outcroppings of rock, or sea stacks. The water is very cold, so most people walk on the beach rather than swim. 

To get to the far point, you have to climb across the rocks. I didn't get very far.

When we left Rialto, we drove to La Push Beach. It is next to Rialto, but not part of the national park. It is within the Quileute Indian Reservation. The reservation land is in the middle of the northern national park beaches. As we drove into La Push, we passed the other national park beaches, labeled Beach 1, 2, and 3. 

La Push was smaller and had the same stoney beach. I found the scenery to be more interesting and there were lots of pelicans to entertain us. Every time a wave broke, they would leap over it.

From another vantage point, the views of the Pacific were beautiful. The sea stacks were closer than could be seen from Rialto Beach.

We returned the next day when the sky wasn't overcast. It was much better.

On our last evening in Forks, we drove south to Ruby Beach, another of the national park beaches. I was told that the sunsets here are beautiful. So we packed a picnic supper and sat on the beach and waited with tripod and camera ready.

It turned out not to be a spectacular sunset, but it was pretty and it was fun spending the evening on the beach. 

As a bonus,  we turned around and saw that there was a full moon that night.

Coming up next, the mountains of the Olympic Range. Stay tuned.