August 22, 2015 Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington

Our second adventure of this day Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, a place worth visiting multiple times.  This is our second time here.  We were horrified at the amount of smoky haze in these mountains;  the Paradise Fire was blazing on the southern side of the park.  Quite a difference from our visit two years ago.  But still, we went for a short hike and loved every minute.

Mount Olympus is in this picture, but you can't even see it because of the smoke haze.

Yellow-bellied Marmot.  They live up here. 

Marmots use the hiking trails, too.....

Mount Olympus is the three pointy peaks just right of center.
Best we could do, with all the zoom our camera has.

See anyone peeking out from behind a tree?

Mr. Strongman, bends a big sapling way over with brute strength!

At an overlook coming down from Hurricane Ridge we came across a small herd of deer.
Not the least bit afraid of humans, and actively looking for handouts.

The End!

August 24, 2015 Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park, Washington

Today's first adventure was a short hike up to yet another beautiful waterfall, one of our all-time favorite pastimes!  This one is Marymere Falls.

This trail had it's very own human-sized tunnel under Hwy. 101.

Devil's Club.

August 22, 2015 Ancient Groves Nature Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington

On our way back down the Sol Duc Valley, we stopped at the Ancient Groves Nature Trail to see some more great big ol' trees.  Much of this area was logged before it became a national park, so we enjoy seeing the granddaddy trees in these untouched little pieces of forest.

Plenty of moss here, but it's not spanish....

These trees are mighty determined, growing over and around a huge boulder.
(which we walked underneath, see the trail?)

Classic "nurse log".  Notice the many seedlings sprouting on top of it.

Can you stand yet another straight-up picture of these giants?

Here's Bubba, to give a sense of the size......

And again....

This little fella was smiling at us!

August 22, 2015 Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park, Washington

Today we started out with a visit to a part of Olympic National Park that we skipped last time, driving up the Sol Duc valley to the Sol Duc Falls.  The drive was, of course, twisty-turny, but we always enjoy that sort of thing (when we're not pulling the camper!)  There was a .8 mile hike from the final parking lot up to the falls on a well-worn path through a forest that included massive old Grandfather Trees that have been alive 300+ years.  Due to a long dry spell, the falls weren't in full flow, but they were still falling nicely!  We sat on a split-log bench and ate our lunch listening to the water.

I hope you click on this image and enlarge it so you can read it....

This one explains the name Sol Duc.

Off we go......

One of the many Grandfather Trees we passed on the trail.

This picture just doesn't reveal the sheer massiveness of these trees.

View of the falls from upstream.

View of the falls from downstream.

A Grandfather Man and a Grandfather Tree.

A shelter beside the trail, originally built by the CCC, but under restoration.

August 21, 2015 Ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend, Washington

And here we are, on yet another ferry ride!  This was a short one, only 40 minutes, from Whidbey Island over to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula.

Enlarge this picture, and you will see that our camper on the right is about inch away from
the rear-view mirror on the motorhome on the left.  Bubba might've gotten us a bit close!
(this was in the waiting line for the ferry)

The ferry captain veered to the left and back, and we wondered why.

Here's why:  a pod of orca whales!
Another first for us, seeing them!