Mas Aventuras in National Park Land: Olympic, Crater Lake and Redwood National Park

Since leaving Squamish and its gloriously perfect weather, Marco and I have made a beeline for the south and hotter temps! As I write this (which, for those who haven’t realized, is typically a few days before I post this, so whatever I write is already said and done by the time you read this), we are currently cruising through Arizona and it is a nice, balmy 100 degrees outside. No, Marco and I have not suddenly chosen to roast in the deserts of Vegas because we are gambling fiends…actually, we both have a strong and genuine distaste for the heat. Rather, we are heading to a wedding in Corrales, New Mexico and, thus, have had to endure some hot temps along the journey to New Mexico. Fortunately, the weather in Corrales looks much milder than the heat we’re currently traversing through. In addition to scorching temps, the jaunt south has provided us with some very cool pit stops. I’ll start the story back up in the cooler and greener lands of Squamish, British Columbia.

1. OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

After leaving Squamish, Marco and I embarked on part two of our national park tour! Our first stop was Olympic National Park in Washington. I must admit, after falling in love with Grand Teton and Glacier National Park, it is difficult to get as fully enveloped in and enchanted by the beauty of a national park. Those two parks were on another level. However, that said, Olympic was quite captivating and breathtaking in its own way. We explored Olympic over the course of one and a half days. First, we drove along the northern border of the park with the purpose of checking out the hot springs in Sol Duc. Based on what we read and given the cool temperatures during the evening we arrived, the hot springs sounded amazing after three straight weeks of climbing. On our drive in, we passed by Lake Crescent, a beautiful 600-foot deep lake that is as blue as blue can be.

We arrived to the hot springs around 8:00PM and were informed at the entrance gate that the hot springs close at 9:00PM. This struck me as a bit odd…if these were natural hot springs sitting around in the forest, how could they “close” them down? But, seeing as we were already late, I annoyingly rushed Marco to find a parking spot so we could hurry up and get in. The approach to the hot springs was a bit odd—we had to enter through a resort, the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. I spoke with the man at the front desk and was informed that the hot springs cost $12.95/person, but, since we were arriving so late, we could get the “twilight” special, which was only $9.95/person. I was a bit bummed about the additional charge for use of the hot springs…we have found that once in a national park, we can do most anything free of charge. And, the things that we have had to pay for in the past, have not been worth the money—$12/person boat ride across Jenny Lake in Grand Teton (the boat ride was less than five minutes, not very scenic, and the hike around the lake is only a couple of miles…we should have saved the money and hiked), $40/person one hour horse ride through Yosemite (a cool way to tour Yosemite, I suppose, but the horses were like drones…they just traipsed along like zombies and you didn’t get to enjoy the actual horseback riding part of the tour…not worth the $80 we shelled out). The charge for the hot springs should have been a tip off that they were going to be similar to previous fee activities. After paying, we were directed to the changing rooms. The smell of sulphur was very strong, so my interest was re-peaked and I was getting excited again. We missed the hot springs in Thermopolis, Wyoming, so I was excited to get another chance at the experience. Excited, that is, until we stepped outside and saw the alleged hot springs. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture, but just think of the last swimming pool and hot tub that you were in and that is exactly what the hot springs looked like. There was a large swimming pool and three smaller hot tubs…as in an actual hot tub…all overflowing with little kids. The only bits of the whole experience that actually exuded a sense of outdoors and nature were the mass swarm of bugs that encircled the hot tubs and the offensively strong smell of sulphur that leaked into every crevice of your body. We lasted just over 12 minutes and then decided to rinse off and find a campsite for the night. When on a tight budget (read=unemployed and counting every dollar), $20 for 12 minutes in a hot tub overflowing with little kids is not exactly a way one wants to spend his/her money. Oh well, lesson learned. Always be skeptical of the additional fee activities at all national parks!

Our second day at Olympic proved to be much more fruitful. Starting north at La Push Beach, we checked out the coastal stretch of Olympic. It was pretty spectacular. Long, endless stretches of rocky coast. And, the best part, we saw two bald eagles! They were perched in the weeds along the coast. The beaches were not very crowded and were very serene. In addition to La Push, we explored Ruby Beach and Beaches 1 through 6. The beaches were all very reminiscent of the Oregon coast and that whole Goonies vibe I described in my earlier blog entry. As much as I love the east coast and 100% of my loyalties lie with New England and its beaches (I am through and through a die hard Cape Cod loyal), I have to admit the Pacific Northwest beaches are far and away the most majestic beaches I have ever visited. They are my kind of beach. Chilly, intermittent sun, rocks galore, and they impress a sense of mystery and adventure upon each visitor…as if a hidden treasure lies around every corner. I loved them.

La Push Beach

Bald eagle #1!

Bald eagle #2!

Ruby Beach

Beaches 1 through 6 (I don’t remember which picture was taken at which beach…)

Marco spotted a seal!

Seals!

In addition to checking out the majestic coast, we spent our second day in the Hoh Rain Forest. We explored the rain forest via the Spruce Natural Trial and the Hall of Mosses Trail. The forest was so lush and green. It was equally as enchanting as the coast, but in a totally different manner.

During the evening, Marco cooked our best meal yet! We lucked out by finding a picnic area with grills, so we were able to grill some steaks and potatoes. The entire meal was incredibly delicious. And it didn’t hurt that the picnic area overlooked a beautiful lake!

Finally, on our drive out of Washington, we cruised through Kurt Cobain’s hometown, Aberdeen, WA. I have never seen Marco so excited! We tracked down the famous welcome sign and, of course, Marco had to get a picture with it (despite me freaking out over the “No Parking” signs on the side of the road…we were quick!)

2. CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

After leaving Washington behind, we made a quick pit stop in Portland to spend the night with Lindsey and Anan. This time, we managed to hold a photo session on Lindsey’s balcony to make sure we got a picture together!

After a delicious dinner cooked by Lindsey and a night of wine & Sharknado (I can’t believe this is what has become popular since our departure in April!), we set off to check out Crater Lake! Crater Lake is one park I was extremely excited for—I had heard great things about how shockingly beautifully it is from many people, including my parents who recently visited. For those that are not familiar with Crater Lake, it is a lake in the middle of a dormant volcano called Mount Mazama. Mount Mazama last erupted in 5700 B.C., which caused the summit of the mountain to collapse in on itself, thus creating the foundation for Crater Lake. We arrived around 10:00AM and scrambled out of our van to the first overlook we came upon to see the beauty of the lake for ourselves. Ready for what we saw…

 What!? I was so confused. We couldn’t see across the lake and we could just barely see the lake below us! It was crazy. I thought maybe it was clouds and they would burn off as the day went on. So, with that hope in mind, we found a picnic area and made a large breakfast…I wanted to kill as much time as possible so that the “clouds” would burn off. Well, unfortunately, my cloud theory didn’t hold water. Nothing burned off and in fact, the mist seemed to thicken and grow. Since we couldn’t see the lake from above, we decided we would take the “strenuous” hike down to the lake along Cleetwood Trail to get a closer look. I emphasize the word strenuous, because the guidebook had an extreme warning about the hike, noting it should only be attempted by those in good physical condition. There were also ample warning signs at the trail head regarding the strenuous nature of the hike. I was a little spooked, but assumed I must be considered in the “good physical condition” category, because there were much older people and little three and four year olds all attempting the hike. The hike winded us a bit on the way back up, but I would hardly categorize it as strenuous…it was no worse than a brief hike up a canyon to approach a climb, and, even better, I didn’t have a 30 pound pack on my back. I highly recommend the hike if anyone is checking out Crater Lake and wavering on whether to do the hike.

Fortunately, we got incredibly clear views of the lake from the base of the hike! And, after speaking to a local, we found out that my so-called “clouds” were actually smoke due to the forest fires in Oregon. So, unfortunately, our experience of Crater Lake was smoked out, but we still managed to have a great time exploring the shore of the lake! And, as always, Marco got in some rad cliff jumping. I, after overhearing a fight between the couple next to us, decided to borrow Marco’s bathing suit and get in the water myself. I didn’t bring my suit down with me, because I assumed I wouldn’t want to go in. The air was cool and I wasn’t that into cliff jumping. However, while sitting on the rocky shore while Marco was swimming, I overheard the couple next to us fighting. The man (roughly our age), who had just jumped off the cliff into the water, was pressuring the woman (also roughly our age) to go in the water. She kept refusing. And the bickering ensued. Finally she said something along the lines of, “Listen, I don’t want to go in the water. It seems like you really care whether I go in the water, but I don’t really care about going in at all. So I am not going in.” He replied with, “You’re at Crater Lake. You hiked down to the edge of the lake. You’re only going to be here once. Don’t you want to be able to say you swam in Crater Lake?” As soon as he said that, I found myself thinking “I am at Crater Lake! Who knows when I’ll be back here? I want to be able to say I swam in Crater Lake!” As soon as Marco got out of the water, I stripped down to my sports bra, threw on Marco’s board shorts and went in (via an easy approach, not a cliff jump!). The water was unnervingly cold, but so incredibly worth it. I mean, come on, I swam in Crater Lake. How many people can say that!?

Finally, a clear view of the lake! The water was impeccably blue and clear!

Marco trying to climb the rocks...always, everywhere.

Check it out…Marco started taking pictures with the Super Vivid setting on the camera so that we could actually capture what the lake would have looked like if it had been smoke-free!

To give you an idea of what we actually saw due to the smoke, compare this picture, taken with the Super Vivid setting turned on, with the next picture, taken with the Super Vivid setting turned off. The next picture looks like it was taken in Black and White!

Check out all that smoke!

Phantom Ship, an island made of erosion-resistant lava.

Wizard Island, through the smoke.

After checking out Crater Lake, we took a little detour to view The Pinnacles, a valley of spires made of hardened volcanic ash. They were very cool to view. I recommend this short detour for anyone checking out Crater Lake.

For anyone that is in the Crater Lake area, we highly recommend trying Beckie’s Restaurant. It’s southwest of Crater Lake on Route 62—so delicious and the pie itself is reason enough to visit!

3. REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK

After Crater Lake, we drove out to the northern coast of California to check out Redwood National Park. Note, the smoke continued during our drive through Oregon. It was very eerie! It was hard to even see the road or the mountains surrounding the road…the smoke was thick. There were signs all along the road thanking the hundreds (probably thousands) of local firefighters that were constantly fighting the fires. Everyone should take a moment to recognize and appreciate all of the firefighters that keep them safe and fight fires to protect all of us…whether or not you live in an area prone to forest fires, your local firefighters are working hard every day to keep you safe. I know I’m biased—my dad is a retired fire chief—but I do believe firefighters tend to be under-appreciated. So, just remember to thank your local firefighters when you see them!

Smokey streets due to forest fires.

The smoke fortunately cleared as we entered California, which allowed us to take in the ridiculousness of the Redwood trees that spotted the highway as we entered northern California. The drive itself (199 south to 101 south in Crescent City, CA and further along 101 south to Klamath, CA) was picturesque. The trees were incredible and the coast, which would peep out now and again, was gorgeous. I got to experience my first black sand beach! We camped out in Klamath during our time in northern California. For the first couple days, we explored Lost Rocks, a bouldering area on the beach. It was definitely the most scenic bouldering I have ever done—it’s on a gorgeous beach, which, for the most part, is not populated with anything except for osprey, pelicans, seals, and (on one occasion) a bald eagle! No crash pads necessary due to the sandy landing. The camping was also stellar…an overlook view of the ocean. It doesn’t get much more serene and peaceful than that.

Marco scoping out the beach...that's Little Bunny on the left of the boulder!

Finally, after a couple days of mist, the sun came out! We only had one afternoon of sun during our five day stay in the Redwoods. Fortunately, Marco and I were able to catch the most stellar sunset I have ever seen! We viewed it from our overlook while enjoying Marco’s delicious fried rice! YUM!

On our third day, we moved our camp to Mystic Forest RV Park in Klamath (I highly, highly recommend this campground!) because…drum roll…one of my best friends from childhood came to visit! The notorious J.Blo. Yup, Ms. Jennifer Bloom herself. We spent two and a half days checking out Redwood National Park and the surrounding area. I suppose the best way to explain Jen’s visit is via pictures.

Day 1: Exploring Klamath Beach

Fishermen along the mouth of the Klamath. We saw some guys walk out with some huge salmon! We spoke with the authority that was measuring the fish and the largest one of the day was 98 cm long! Almost a full meter. Apparently we were in the area during the prime fishing season.

Day 2: Hiking Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Foothill Trail, & Prairie Creek Trail

Jen and I dwarfed by a Redwood!

She may be hard to see, but that's little J.Blo in between two mammoth trees!

Old man face in the tree.

Top Model. Booty tooch! Yeah Jen.

Heart shaped leaves.

Marco found a little fort!

Big Tree--that is literally the name of this tree. I mean really, every single tree we saw could have been named Big Tree. You think the park could have been more creative.

Banana slug! Jen wanted to eat it.

Troll face, with hair and all, stuck in the tree!

Day 3: Hiking James Irvine Trail, Fern Canyon, Gold Bluff Beach and Miner’s Ridge Trail

Fern Canyon.

After exiting Fern Canyon, we came upon a couple elk catching some sun on the beach. I’ve seen a lot of elk this trip, but this was definitely the coolest elk sighting yet. We were on a beach!

And that concluded our time with Jenny! I should note, though, Jen’s favorite part of the trip was definitely our neighbors at the campground—a little family of adorable gray foxes that lived right behind the tent Jen was sleeping in. They came out every night, just after the sun set, and they would wander around our campground. On our first night there, I flashed my headlamp at the tent and caught three sets of eyes peering out from behind the tent, all within ten feet of me. Jen FREAKED out! Marco and I initially thought they were cats—they were so tiny! Then Jen made us realize how incredibly weird it would be for a family of feral cats to be hanging out in the woods. A few minutes after our first sighting, we got a better view (huge tail and little fox ears!) as one of the foxes slinked up next to the van and sniffed around for food. Jen ultimately warmed up to them after she saw how harmless and adorable they were. The camp host informed us the foxes have became so accustomed to some of the long term campers that they will curl up next to their fire pits and they have become friendly with their dogs (how crazy)! Our favorite fox, Petey, had a particular fondness for Marco. While Jen and I were in the bathroom one night, the fox walked right up to our picnic table, sniffed around, then jumped on the table, sniffed around, and finally jumped down and went right up to Marco’s feet. Sadly, we didn’t snap any pictures of Petey or his friends.

Jen, thank you for the visit! We miss you and hope you had a great time exploring the rest of the Pacific Northwest!

Marco and I left the coast to start our trek inland towards New Mexico on Monday, August 5. Stay tuned for an update on our adventures in Tahoe, Nevada & Arizona! As always, we miss everyone lots. Every day I think about all the friends and family we left behind and every day I miss everyone!

Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse in Trinidad, California, next to Trinidad Bay Eatery & Gallery, which serves some of the best clam chowder I have ever had!