Sequim, Washington Dungeness County Park 7/18 - 7/23

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

Dungeness County Park RV Park.  Located along the Straight of San Juan De Fuca, Sequim, Washington.

Tim re-filling the water tank with the 5-gallon jug.   Tim is looking to do some future plumbing modifications which will eliminate the use of the ladder!

Washington Lavender Farm

The areas of Lavendar at Washington Farm is so beautiful to stroll through. 

 

Dungeness Harbor Spit is just a mile walk from our rv site!

Walking Path to the spit from our RV site.

Nature abounds at our RV Park,  The Dungeness County Park.  I highly recommend a stay here at this RV park while visiting Sequim and Hurrican Ridge, Olympic Mountains!

Sequim, Washington street corner while walking through the sunny town, 

the population of 6,600.

Sequim is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains.

This upright piano is along the sidewalk for any and all to play !

We met our Mazatland friends, Mike and Celia, at the John Wayne Marina.  While dining at the Dockside Grill we discovered the land was donated by the famous actor's family in recognition of John Wayne's vision of a marina in the scenic Sequim Bay where he frequented the waters aboard his family yacht the Wild Goose.   We had a great visit and shopped around the Lavendar Festival grounds.  Mike and Celia prompted up to visit Poulsbo, Washington to see a boating community.  We will when we venture north.

John Wayne RV Park is located across the street from the Marina.
A very pleasant place to spend a couple of hours walking around the Sequim Bay marina and green space.

The Dockside Grill, lower level of the Harbormaster building.

Vehicles are lined up at the toll booth to the Olympic National Park, just 18 miles from Sequim, Washington,.  Hurricane Ridge is open to hiking, skiing, and snowboarding and our favorite sites in the national park.

Tim stamps our National Park Passport at this year-round destination. 

Re-furbished Beaumont Log Cabin.   As early 1887 homesteaders, the Beaumont's lived in this cabin for nearly 40 years!  It has been restored to display furnishings of the pioneer days 1850-1900!

The road is open during Summer; must carry chains in the Winter.   We drive up on the Mount Angeles Road to the ridgetop 

Visitor Center with spectacular 360-degree views!

Olympic Mountains. 

The majestic  Mount Olympus at 7,980 feet is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. 

We hiked up Sunrise Point and the views were stunning with the Strait of Juan de Fuca (we could see where our RV site is located) beyond we could see Victoria and Mount Baker (near where my brother, Mike, and Paul live).  We plan to hike around Mount Baker when we visit Mike next month! 

Snow country in the winter,  Hurrican Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area has been operating since the late 50s.  A steep rope tow, still in use, takes a lot of work to hang on! 

Hurricane Hill, about 2 miles near the Visitor Center.

Deer hiking in the 'Restricted' area ....is very capable!

Returning from Hurrican Ridge on the highway. 

Back to our final day during the Lavender Festival in Sequim.  Very pleasant and beautiful walking about the Farms in the area.  Visitors and guests are welcome to come view and stroll around acreas of fields of Lavender.

Visitors and locals 
come for food and dance and being in the warm sun with happy people.

Tim walks around the fields and the seedling area too.

Lovely fields of Lavender.  We are glad we timed our stay in Sequim during the Lavender Festival we have read so much about.  The Farms are all around the county and our choice which of the many to visit.  We chose Washington (the white mansion) and this field demonstrating all the growth aspects (Victors Lavender Farm).  Each delightful in their own way.

Time to leave this sunny land.  The town mainstreet is charming and the farms are well kept and green where irrigated, and the pastorial atmosphere is in contrast to the Olympic Pennisula to the West. 

Next stop is north to our Family Reunion.  We are staying in Chimacum, CA at the Escapees Evergreen Coho SKP RV Park.  Available exclusively to Escapees members; managed and maintained by individual members of the op-ops.  Escapees members may purchase an SKP Co-Op membership, when available which entitles the use of a specified lot until sold back to the cooperative. 

RVing is about freedom, discovery, new places & friendly faces.

Olympia National Park, WA Kalaloch Campground 7/7 - 7/12 2019

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

We continue our 2019 North Pacific Travel Tour north of my cousin's beach house in Ocean Shores.  We also had a meet up with SYC Bruce and Susan Moneymaker and Jim & Kay Montgomery, and Sam & Kathy, and Monique & Matt, and Stacy, and Bob & Nancy, friends on the Puget Sound, Pennisula Key at Longbranch Marina.

We have arrived at Kalaloch Campground in the Olympic National Park located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

"Looking Out Our Back Door"

 View of our Campground Beach!

 Unique, assorted means of travel vehicles 'in our 'Hood'.

 

We set off on the neighbor trail {Bear Country??: No, Campground...Dog.]  
We cross over Kalaloch River Bridge (constructed in 1930) to explore the Campground to find a 'mini-mart', restaurant, and the Kalaloch Lodge....for those utilizing another unique overnight accommodation travel option.

 Welcoming Entrance to Kalaloch Lodge.  

There are many Beach Access areas along this portion of the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park.  We choose two of the six beach access points to hiking the beaches, each with their own offering.
Beach 4 is Olympia's best locations for exploring tide pools.  A short trail and a bridge made from driftwood lead to this marine wildlife preserve part of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

Destruction Island Lighthouse built in 1889, now its Fresnel Lens is housed at the 

Westport Maritime Museum.

 We walked for miles in this sanctuary of sandy beach for as far as one can see.   

 A worthwhile and pleasant afternoon.

Next day we visited the famous Ruby Beach.  A favorite for those who come to observe.
The access is from a bluff with a trail that leads to driftwood that has been washed ashore at a high tide

I brought a Rock to Sandy Connelly from this famous Ruby Beach; look for it in her circular rock garden border (looks like a potato!)

Notice visitors get their feet wet at this beach.  

The tidepools call for those to remove their shoes to explore.   Hiking shoes removed, this is a place flip-flops are optional where water shoes or old tennis shoes that can get wet.

Although Ruby Beach is a rocky beach, we notice shoes an option exploring the shoreline.

 

Tim and I enjoy the tranquility of the beach walk.  We are destined for the mysterious, outcropping at the far end of the beach, where there is no one else.

As the fog blows in it adds a texture of a floating pathway along with the

 sound of the surf.

 We set out and make our own 'life circle' in the sand several miles to the rocky cliff.

 It is clear the rock stands to the pounding Pacific Ocean winter storms.

 We have met with great accomplishment; now head back several miles and several hours of being.

The Quinault Rain Forrest  Nature Trail: Road Trail Tour.
From the Ranger Station, we drove Northeast on South Shore Road to see the open view of Quinault River.

  We enjoyed this unique area driving the rainforest.  The Scenic Loop Drive provides excellent opportunities to see a wide variety of features within a short period of time through the temperate rain forest.

Western Red-cedar.  the bark is too acidic for lichen, fungi or moss growth.  Indigenous peoples referred to this as the "tree of life".  Lewis & Clark found the cedar canoes excellent crafts.

Quinault River

 Sunny and warm at Quinault River.  We drove down the dirt, sloped boat launch onto the gravel river bar.

Cedar Tree branches and foliage where the sword ferns are abundant on the nature trail here in Quinault.  Elk eat the tips of the fern leaves.

Sorrel

 Western Cedar alongside a Western Hemlock is a common understory tree. 

 The Hemlock is Washington's state tree.

Merriman Falls Creek.

Quinault Valley Homesteaders remain.

Red Alder, lichen grows on the bark.  Alder fixes nitrogen in its roots and adds nutrients to the poor soil it initially invades.

 S
Douglas Fir

Large Cedar Tree near our Kalaloch Campground. 

Drive back to Ranger Station in Quinault 

Fuel Station

Items we found most interesting (had to narrow) inside the Quinault Museum

 Sears Robuck Catalog (First Mail Order Retail)

 My grandma Alwood (Hilda, born in England, came to Canada and met my Grandpa Harry Alwood) wore an apron as this.....everyday around her house kitchen.

Grand Lodges of the National Parks

Grand and Rustic Quinault Lodge built in 1926.

 Cozy antique ambiance                                                  It is alright to play this upright piano in the alcove.

 

Home Away From Home Comfort.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt dined at the lodge in 1937 while touring the peninsula.

 Robert Reamer, Architect of Quinault Lodge; Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Frank McNeil dine at the Roosevelt Dining Room here at the Quinault Lodge built in 1926

The cozy charm of the 1920 era. 

Quinault Lodge Boathouse, handmade details.

Lakeside view

Quinault Lake

Lakeside view with lawn sports; croquet anyone??

Lake Quinault

 Patio at Quinault Lodge

 Front entrance from the road.

 At the front entrance, these trees are even more famous here than the Lodge: Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, and the Western Cedar!

California Redwood Trees are grown in the front Valet Garden.

Time to rest.  We are moving on the north to the 'city' of Forks to provision prior to our travel out to the Northwesternmost Point in the contiguous U.S,: Cape Flattery.