Thursday morning we enjoy a quiet wake up from our cabin on Lake Crescent. Mother Nature turned on her charm for us as we sipped our coffee.
We took a short walk to the lobby to continue to enjoy the morning sun. The lake is always clear and even clearer when the sun is shining perfectly for the right reflection. Our cabin is the second from the right.
After watching the beautiful sunrise, we assembled our hiking stuff and work our way to the Elwha River area. We stopped on our way to Forks early in the trip, to view Madison Falls. Perfectly lovely.
Did you see our shirts?
Back to the hike at hand… our hike to the view point was lovely and full of ferns and mossy trees.
As we ascended, I might have been crushing on some Dwyer calves. I mean… leg day!
We’ve all had these hikes. Seems like a good idea… but, yeah. Lots to look at along the way but no real view at the “top”. But, a 6 mile round trip hike is a delight in cool weather and more than we would see in Florida.
Another fun fact about the ONP is that they use mules to haul materials etc up the mountain to repair trails. No vehicles are permitted. Here are said mules.
After our morning hike, we relaxed for a bit. And then met up with Jennifer to hike to the Devil’s Punch Bowl.
And like a good girlfriend does… Jenn had prepared me that we should jump into the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Ok. Yes. But. Back it up. Lake Crescent averages 50-60 degrees. It’s so cold and nitrogen deficient algae doesn’t grow. Some places it’s 600+ feet deep. So, please respect- it was cold. And we jumped in. Twice. And the water was spectacular. I now have a new blue. Lake Crescent blue.
Be careful if you vacation with me… I’ll always say… Yes!!!!!!!! Let’s goooooooo!!!
Let’s close this out with a lunar eclipse. The moon could not have picked a better spot for us to view. Absolutely beautiful.
Thanks for reading and following our PNW adventures…
On Wednesday, we drove over to the south side of Lake Crescent for a hike to the Sol Duc Falls.
Along our journey, Alfred – our narrator from the GuideAlong app, encouraged us to stop for a short hike through an old growth forest. Trees over 100-200 years old with little human impact. Yes, please! It was quiet, peaceful and so beautiful.
The mossy ground cover so thick and a beautiful shade of green in the morning sun.
We parked by the Sol Duc Springs and Resort. We decided to hike to the falls via the Lovers Lane Trail and then loop back along the Sol Duc Falls Trail to the Loop B Trail. It was advertised as a 6.2 mile hike. But, like always, our watches said it was a little more than that. Clocking us at 6.5 miles. Every step was beautiful. The most congested part was the Sol Duc Trail. A well maintained 0.8 mile trail from the parking lot to the Falls. I’m glad we had the peace and quiet on the other trails!
Besides the beautiful trees, we saw several more banana slugs. And lots of mushrooms!! At one point during the hike, Dave told me we would never finish if I kept stopping for mushroom pictures. I agreed to only stop if it was one we hadn’t seen before!
We made it to Sol Duc Falls and the Falls were lovely. I had fun playing with the exposure of my waterfall photos.
After the falls, the first part of our hike was well marked. The second part was through a couple campgrounds and not clearly marked. Fortunately, the camp host was more than happy to give directions and help us on our way. We had a couple deer sightings as well.
As we approached the resort, there was a hot spring bubbling along the trail. It was warm and had a strong sulfur smell. Just like a hot spring should!
After our hike, we stopped at the restaurant for a bevvie. Then drove back to our cabin. The view driving back was stunning.
And so was the view along the shores of Lake Crescent, from our cabin.
Dave and I booked a whale watching trip aboard the Puget Sound Express.
Our boat
We left from Port Angeles and sailed through the Juan de Fuca Straight. The water was calm and created a perfect day to view whales. First sighting was a bald eagle. He’s in the tree to the right of the trunk and above the brown branches. Look for a white spot. That’s his head.
We also saw one in flight but I wasn’t quick enough with my camera. Our second sighting was of a “bird pile.” A highly technical term to describe a group of birds sitting together in the ocean.
We continued cruising around the straight and eventually got close to Canada. We had to switch our phones into airplane mode so we didn’t get charged for international usage! As we were going along, we had sightings of orca fins in the distance. The captain steered us towards the pod. There were three total.
Orcas will surface to breathe for about 3-5 minutes and then dive to eat for about 5-8 minutes. The three we were watching continued this pattern for about 30 minutes. They were absolutely beautiful to watch. As much as I wanted the boat to get closer, regulations require boats to stay 250 yards away from whales. The Naturalist on board who was informing us about the whales had a golf ball range finder he used to track the distance. We never got closer than the 250 yds. Also, this pod of Orcas are known as Biggs Orca. They are all “business” and don’t do a lot of breaching or jumping. They are all about feeding and patrolling.
It was such a beautiful day. We enjoyed our boat ride and wildlife sightings. And of course we enjoyed being chilly!
So chilly!
After our tour, we packed up from the Thompson’s house and headed to our next destination. We are staying on Lake Crescent for the next few nights at the Log Cabin Inn.
View from our cabin
We have several hikes in this part of the park planned for the next couple of days. More adventures await!
Dave and I flew to Seattle on Tuesday. We rented a car and drove to Port Angeles. We are spending the next week plus with our friends, Jennifer and Danny, who recently moved out here. To kick off the trip, we walked downtown to grab dinner. My request was a Dungeness crab.
Dungeness Crab FeastView from their house over Port Angeles
On Wednesday, Dave and I drove up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Our first stop was at the top of Hurricane Ridge to do a little reconnaissance mission for Thursday. We walked out to sunrise point. Yes, that’s our plan for Thursday morning – chase sunrise.
Parking lot selfieSki PatrolPort Angeles in the background
I really can’t get over how many mountains there are in ONP. There are mountains as far as you can see. The snow caps are Mount Olympus.
Our next stop was a little bit down the mountain. We parked at the Switchback Trailhead. From here, we hiked up to the top of Klahhane Ridge. It was a steep climb for these Florida Sunshiners.
Here’s some fun science information for you. This picture is of a tree with burls. A tree burl is a large round formation on the trunk of the tree it is caused by a disease, insect or injury. The cells of the tree become mutated and grow in a circular pattern creating the tumor looking burl. Woodworkers love them because they can make really cool bowls or furniture with them.
Tree Burls
We continued our climb. My legs and lungs were burning! The view just got better and better. This is what I expected when I thought of ONP. Mountains with lots of evergreen trees!
What I wasn’t expecting was how many different mountains would surround us!
The top of Klahhane Ridge didn’t disappoint. Just when we thought we couldn’t see anything more beautiful- we reach the top and see Port Angeles and water!
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, thank you, and you know I love to talk about rocks. This picture shows how the rock layer stratification has been tilted. Rocks lay down flat. When you see the horizontal layers become vertical, some sort of movement has occurred.
Vertical Rock Strata
We hiked back down the mountain and worked our way to the visitor center.
Tourist Picture
The four of us reunited, enjoyed dinner and a walk around town.
Delicious PizzaAll of usHarborMarcelous
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more adventures from ONP.
Sunday we explored Third Beach on the Washington coast. We set out relatively early to explore during low low tide.
The walk to the beach was just under a mile. The trail was so beautiful and unlike any walk to the beach in Florida. #westcoast
The morning was a little overcast and cool. The large sea stack created the perfect environment to see many sea stars and mussels.
Our time in Forks and exploring the area was a true delight.
One more usie from our Airbnb
We returned to Port Angeles and had Monday to explore downtown. We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at the Chestnut Cottage. My brother gave me the pro tip I’ll share with you – when you order, you have a choice of toast or cinnamon roll. Pick the cinnamon roll. We did. It was served as the appetizer. It was one of the best we have ever eaten. And honestly, mimosas on a Monday morning – is there a better way to Monday?
Cinnamon RollSalmon Scramble
After breakfast we went to the Fine Arts Museum and walked through the art garden. I’m not sure the weather could have been more perfect. The art was interesting and relaxing. Plus, mushrooms!
Our next stop on our Port Angeles tour was back at the ONP visitor center. We popped in because I wanted a picture of the Olympic mountains.
So many mountains!
We then walked a couple short trails near the center. One took us to Peabody Creek and the other was a handicap accessible trail. Short plug for our National Park Service. They truly go above and beyond to make the parks available and accessible to and for the people. We need to make sure funding remains available and protection continues. Just like the Lorax, I stand with the trees.
We also made a stop at Mighty Pine brewery. Have I mentioned how delightful the weather is here? Cheers!
Not to be forgotten, our puppy friends. Kitty & Penny.
Saturday we drove over to the ONP coast. It was also our first rainy day. The rain made the PNW coastal experience even more authentic. Our first stop was Kalaloch to see the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is a large Sitka spruce that is thriving despite having its roots exposed. The combination of tidal flooding and a small stream have washed away the soil underneath the tree, making it appear to be suspended within the coastal cliff. The tree is a true sign of resilience as it defies biological odds by thriving without soil and nutrients.
Tree of Life All of us
Another tree that deserves an honorable mention is what we named as the Lovely Lady tree. Take a look. See if you see what we saw…
Lovely Lady
The next beach on our coastal drive was Beach Four. This beach was recommended by Alfred – our GuideAlong companion – because of its cool rock formations and tide pools. check out those layers.
The tide pools were a delight. We saw purple and orange sea stars and light green sea anemones.
Our third stop was Ruby Beach. The tide pools here were amazing. The large rocks created the perfect tide pool environment during low tide. So many sea stars, mussels, and sea anemones.
We finished our day with a homemade baked ziti dinner and watched the second movie in the Twilight series. Because we are staying in Forks, Washington… For the record, we haven’t seen any vampires or werewolves (that we are aware of that is…)
We had another early morning start because we wanted to get to Hoh Rainforest before the crowds. It was about an hour drive to the rainforest. We left Forks at 5:30 and were ready for our first hike through the Hall of Mosses by 6:45. The early bird gets into the park without lines!
So, what is the Hoh Rainforest besides a nerdy tree loving science teacher’s dream come true? It is a temperate rainforest located in ONP. The rainforest receives over 12 feet of rain a year. The rainforest is full of old growth (over a 1,000 years old) Sitka spruce, western hemlock and maple trees. The trees are draped in moss because of the excessively moist environment. The Hall of Mosses trail is a short loop (.8 mile) through a dense section of moss draped trees and giant ferns. It’s one of the most enchanting places I’ve explored. Visiting during the summer means less rain and dryer conditions. I can only imagine how beautiful and perhaps chilly it would be in a steady drizzle.
I took so many pictures!! Before I show you more trees, how about a few mushrooms. The decomposing vibe in the Hoh is strong thanks to these guys.
We thoroughly enjoyed and savored our walk through the Hall of Mosses. A few more photos because it truly is one of my new favorite places.
Now time for a little more science. Part of what has made this area so interesting and unique are nurse logs. Nurse logs are fallen trees that provide nutrients and a protected area for young spruce and hemlock seedlings to sprout. The competition is still tough and only a few trees will last. Eventually, they form a line of trees along the decaying trunk. The new trees grow long legs as they stretch towards the ground. Science is cool.
A few more before telling you about the rest of the rainforest.
Our second hike of the day was the Spruce Trail. It was a 1.2 mile loop through more rainforest and more cool mossy trees.
Besides the trees & mushrooms, we saw three different banana slugs! Did you know, banana slugs can be a variety of colors? Not just yellow. They can be green, white and even black – aka rotten banana slugs! We also saw a funky caterpillar and a snake!
Our final hike for the day was along the Hoh River trail to Mineral Creek Falls about 6 miles round trip. The Hoh River trail is 17.5 miles total ending in Glacial Meadows. We saw lots of over night hikers heading out to the meadows. We were content with our short hike. That being said, by the end of the day, we hiked over 10 miles in the Hoh Rainforest.
Before I wrap this up, a few more mushrooms… I might have been a little obsessed with these cute “fun-guys”.
I know this was an extra long post. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Hoh Rainforest is truly a special place. Plan a visit – you won’t be disappointed.
Thursday morning started with an early 4am reveille to of course – chase sunrise! Again, if you’ve been following the blog, you know chasing sunrise is truly one of my passions. And if you’ve vacationed with us, good chance the Dwyer’s are going to suggest a chase! I brought up the idea of going to Sunrise Point on Hurricane Ridge to Danny and Jenn and to my surprise, they were all in! We were out of the house by 4:30am and drove the 45 minutes up to Hurricane Ridge. Our timing was perfect and we had the ridge mostly to ourselves. We had time to walk around and scope out the best spot. Sunrise didn’t disappoint. And watching the sun light up the mountains (including Mount Olympus) was spectacular.
If you decide to make this chase, I will look forward to seeing your pictures. We ending up not staying in sunrise point because the mountain was blocking the view. We think perhaps other times of the year, as the sun shifts in the morning sky the mountain may not have been in the way.
After watching the sunrise, we decided to take the mile drive out Hurricane Hill Road and hike up Hurricane Hill. It was a delightful morning to take a hike.
Deer FriendAnother deer friendHike selfieSun on the mountain Mount Angeles
We made it to the summit and had another amazing view of the mountains peaks all around.
We worked our way back down the mountain enjoying the view.
Once we were back at the Thompson’s, we rested for a bit and then packed up for our weekend adventure. We drove to Forks, Washington where we will be for the weekend. Giving us plenty of time to explore the west side of the park. Along the way, we made a quick stop at Madison Falls.
Our Airbnb in Forks is lovely and will give us a nice chance to explore the area. Thanks for reading. More adventures to share tomorrow! Thanks for reading.
After our trip was planned and booked and before we left, I realized one of my dear friends (and her family) from VA Beach was going to be in the Azores at the same time we were visiting! Our itineraries overlapped on Friday, we were both to be on the big island of São Miguel. Obviously, we planned to spend this day together! I found a lovely hike that started from a vista and went down to two lakes. The Blue Lake and the Green Lake in the town of Sete Cidades. From here we would enjoy lunch together and then take a guided kayak tour around the lakes. It sounded like a well planned day. I received a call from the Kayak company informing me the weather wasn’t going to be good to paddle. So, we canceled. The weather forecast predicted rain off and on all day. So, we decided not to hike. Instead we would just drive to visit the locations and enjoy our time together. Jeff, Sue’s husband, was our driver for the day. He did a fantastic job navigating the roads and climbing numerous mountains! Here is where we stopped at the vista for the view. This would have been where we started our hike. So many clouds!
What we should see…View of cloudsFriends! CloudsMore clouds & hydrangeas Start of hike…
Jeff drove us down the mountain to see the Blue Lake and the Green Lake. Again, the overcast skies prevented us from seeing the true colors of lakes. Also, the low clouds prevented us from seeing the mountains all around us.
Green Lake? Blue LakeCute flowers
We loaded back up in the car and drove around Sete Cidades. We stopped to see a church and walk around the town for a little bit.
Jeff, Sue & AllisonHappy Farmer & cowChurchGiant hydrangeaLittle gardenSwirly tree
The next spot on our tour was Ponta da Ferraria. Ponta da Ferraria is a place where the thermal heat from inside the earth is escaping and warming the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and fun to walk around on the giant lava rocks. Plus, Jeff and Allison both put their feet into the pool. My mom, Sue and I all decided we didn’t need the hassle of putting on our suits and then having to wait in line to shower etc… maybe next time!
FriendsArchThermal poolAllison plunging her feet
After exploring Ponta da Ferraria, we found a lovely restaurant for lunch. Finally, I had a chance to try limpets. I had low expectations, and they far exceeded them! The limpets, cooked in garlic butter, were delicious. I also ordered shrimp and French fries. Plus, a bottle of wine that was recommended by our driver, Carlos, in Pico. Frei Gigante is made with the three white grapes that grow on the island of Pico. It was delicious!
After lunch, we stopped at a cute park in Ponta Delgado. I had marked this park on my list of places to visit. My mom and I were too tired the first day and so it worked well we could stop and walk around all together. It was so fun to have a chance to spend the day together. The highlight was being able to give hugs!
Jeff, Sue, and Allison dropped us back off at city center. My mom and I went back to our hotel to regroup and then went out to do a little more shopping and have one final dinner. Pizza & wine.
Our flight back to Boston left around 6pm on Saturday. We enjoyed a leisurely wake up, breakfast and a morning walk around town before checking out of our hotel. A few more fun street view pictures.
After checking out, we found a nice spot for lunch and enjoyed our last cheese board and beers from Azores Brewery.
This has been a wonderful trip. The Azores are a beautiful place. The people are kind and welcoming. Their service and hospitality deserve all the gold stars. If you haven’t added them to your list to visit, I encourage you to! You won’t regret it!! As always, thanks for following along and sharing the journey. Until next time!
Sunday morning we had a chance to sleep in a little bit. This was much needed because jet lag hit me hard Saturday night. Quick side note about our first two nights on the islands. Granted, it was a Friday and Saturday night… that being said, the Azoreans LOVE to party – LATE and LOUD! Both nights the party wasn’t shut down until 2am. Last night even included at least 3 maybe 4 rounds of random fireworks at 11ish, 12:37, and 1:47. I think there was another one in there… They play the music extra loud and the drunk voices are sometimes even louder especially once the bars shutdown. Cheers, to island life! Live it out LOUD!
Now back to Sunday’s adventure. Our tour package included a whale watching tour with CWAzores. We were scheduled for the 8:20am tour. We received a very informative briefing about the types of whales we might see and a safety brief prior to boarding the Zodiac. It was so good even the former Oceanography Teacher learned something. Did you know – Sperm whales have suction cups on the roof of their mouth? Yes, they do! The main creature of the Sperm whale diet is giant squid. 🦑 Sperm whales are toothed whales and when they bite the giant squid it is all gushy. The suction cups help the whale “slurp” the squid into its mouth.
Pre launch selfieOur Zodiac
The tour was very well organized and the crew very knowledgeable and efficient. They helped us board the boat. We rode the zodiac as if we were sitting on a saddle. The ocean was a bit rough and we felt like cowgirls riding the waves! No doubt my sitz bones will be tender tomorrow.
To “find” the whales, the Captain uses the help of Spotters who are stationed on land. They use high powered binoculars to locate the blow (the whale exhaling). The Spotter then communicates via radio to the Captain with coordinates. Here are a few pictures as we left the harbor. This is the coast we hiked yesterday.
Yesterday’s hikeTop of Mt Pico
During our hike yesterday, Mt Pico was hidden in the clouds. We didn’t even know it was there! It showed out for us today!! Couldn’t help but think back to Mt Fuji – and how many times we heard “on a clear day.”
Boat selfieMy Pico SelfieMt PicoOn a clear day…
The Captain took us out beyond the islands and we sat idle waiting for directions from the spotters. Once coordinates were communicated, the Captain would race off in the direction of the whale’s blow. It was quite exciting!!! And then he would position the boat for us to watch the whale. These are pictures are of the first Sperm whale we spotted. It was a mature male.
The Sperm whale can dive 800m and hold its breath for 45 minutes. It has to dive this deep to find the giant squid. Before it dives, it fills its lungs and a portion of its head with air. When it is on the surface it takes big breaths for about 3-5 minutes before diving. Pictures of the whale taking its last breaths before diving.
The Captain and Guide were experts at alerting us when it was about to dive. They would say “get ready” and then “tail” – it was so exciting!!! Here’s my first ever whale tail! By the way – all images are captured with my iPhone.
Here’s a video of the dive.
The collective excitement happened each time
Once the whale dives, we move on because it won’t be back if a while and probably not in the same spot. We idled for a bit. Then the Spotters alerted us again and off we went. Turns out, we saw science in action. We spotted two juveniles and two mothers. The juveniles are too young to dive and are still nursing. The mothers take turns diving (to eat) or watching the juveniles. The juveniles are able to nurse from either mother!! The Captain didn’t get too close to the juveniles because he didn’t want to scare/ stress them.
Juvenile blowAnother juvenile Get ready! Mother about to dive Tail! My second whale tail!
Another video…
We idled again… and then we were off! This time to see a pod of dolphins! And there were so many!! They were so cute swimming and playing in our bow wake. The Captain said when they show their white belly they are mating. They were giving us quite the show!
Unfortunately, the idle time made one of our passengers quite sea sick. We felt terrible for them. In my dolphin video you can hear them retching in the background…
We stayed with the dolphins for a while. The guide then informed us that we were going to start our return to port and maybe see things along the way because one of the passengers was so sick. They were so compassionate. Several dolphins swam with us as we sped away. They were faster!!!
Along the way, our Captain spotted a Portuguese Man of War floating on the ocean. They are extremely dangerous jellies. Their tentacles can reach lengths of 20-30 meters! He told us “don’t try this at home” as he reached over and grabbed the top of the creature! The Portuguese Man of War is a staple in the sea turtle diet. It looks like a piece of plastic floating on the surface. It’s easy to understand why sea turtles mistake plastic for jellies and end up dying with their belly full of plastic.
Top of Portuguese Man of WarCaptain holding the Portuguese Man of War
As we continued to port, the spotters alerted us to another Sperm whale. Our Captain steered the boat in the direction of the whale and again we watched as he filled his lungs preparing for his dive.
One final video of another Sperm whale diving. They are so graceful and majestic.
We had one final sighting before we reached port. A young Loggerhead Sea Turtle. The captain again kept his distance because he did not want to scare the turtle.
The trip was another Science Teacher’s dreams come true. A picture as we return to port. Notice the church in the foreground bottom left. That is the church where we started yesterday’s hike. We couldn’t see Mt. Pico yesterday because of the clouds. Honestly, we didn’t even know it was there!!
Pico Island
We had the afternoon to enjoy. We went to get lunch at a delightful burger restaurant overlooking the harbor. My cheeseburger was amazing. The island of São Jorge (we travel there Monday) in the Azores is known for their “happy cows.” They produce delicious cheese and obviously burgers. All washed down with an Azores IPA.
After lunch, we did a little shopping and then wine tasting. Pico island, as I mentioned yesterday, is known for their grapes and wine. The grapes are mostly used to make white wine. I tasted 4 whites and 1 red. The final white was unexpectedly delicious. So good, I want to ship some home… but, tariffs. Instead, I bought a bottle to enjoy over the next couple days.
Julia in her natural environment The tall bottle in center was my favorite
The Azoreans have been nothing but kind, gracious, and happy to assist us. They speak English very well and much better than I speak Portuguese. Several times they have used extra words to say or ask a question because they don’t know the exact English word to use. For example, one cute story. I was purchasing bevvies at the hotel bar and the bartender asked me, “would you like the little paper that comes out of the machine?” I smiled and said, “yes, please.” I will do my best to always refer to a receipt as “the little paper that comes out of the machine…” so, cute.
The streets on Pico also have the cobblestone decoration. Pictured here are Sperm Whales.
If you made it to the end of this long post – as always, thank you for reading!
