Driving back to MD

I had wanted to take the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC, Canada today. Even found a parking spot near the ferry terminal so I could go as a pedestrian and check out Victoria. Given that my RV's doors would not lock, I felt uneasy leaving it in a busy public parking lot the whole day. I called around, hoping to find a RAM dealership that could work on the van. No luck, everyone I called, as far as Tacoma, had no availability. I gave up the rest of my travel plan and decided to start driving home directly, scraping the itinerary for the return journey that had included the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, SD. In any case the weather was getting hot, and I was tired of being on the road. Went to a Panera Bread for breakfast, used their wifi to plot my new itinerary that involved a lot of driving. I spent the first night of my return trip parked next to my friend Judy's house in Tacoma, then left early the next morning.

Was anxious to get home to take the RV to my local dealership, so did not spend much time taking photos. But I did find an interesting rest area (photos above) in WA. Overnight on the road mostly at Cracker Barrel or Cabela parking lots. In MT, I passed the Lolo National Forest and saw signs for the Quartz Flat Campground. Since it was getting late and I needed a place to camp, I turned around and got a FCFS site. Cost me only $7.50 (with my senior pass); it was a quiet and safe place to spend the night.

Took 4 days of driving, was back in Bowie on July 2.

Rialto Beach and Hurricane Ridge, Olympic NP, WA

Checked out of Bogachiel State Park early to drive to Rialto Beach, 30 mins away, just to dip my hands in the Pacific Ocean. It was a foggy drizzly morning. Parked at the top of the beach, near the restrooms. The beach below was an amazing sight, there were pieces of drift logs all over but not as extensive as Ruby Beach. As I walked down the pathway to the beach, I saw some people picking and tasting orange berries from the bushes along the path. Picked a few to try, they were tart, a bit like raspberries. I found out later that these are sea buckhorn berries, which are nutritious and used for juice and jams. The beach area was quite big, there were a lot of pretty colorful stones.

On the way back to Port Angeles, I took more photos of the beautiful scenery and vegetation.

Stopped back at the ONP Visitor Center, wanted to take the shuttle up to Hurricane Ridge ($1 fare) but there was not enough time to go up, walk around, then take the last shuttle down. Decided to drive up instead. Talk about a heart stopping experience!!! The paved road was in good condition but steep, with a lot of switchbacks. The photo below showed the fog at the midway pull-out/shuttle stop. From there, the fog got worse; I could barely see the road. I slowed to a crawl and turned on my hazard lights, hoping there were no vehicles coming the other way into my path. Fortunately there were very few drivers foolhardy enough to try to drive up to Hurricane Ridge on a cloudy foggy day at 3:30 in the evening.

The summit was about 18 miles from the Visitor Center and the drive felt really long. At last, we emerged from the clouds. Stopped at a pull-out, could see the thick clouds I had to drive through below. It was clear ahead to the summit!

Amazing views at the top! I parked the RV at the designated parking lot, then hiked three trails: the Hurricane Hill, Circque Rim, and Big Meadow Loop. Saw deer, took a lot of photos. Unfortunately, the clouds came in again and everything went foggy, so it was time to get back down. The drive down was about as harrowing as going up, visibility was challenging. If I ever return to Hurricane Ridge, I'll take the shuttle.

What a relief to be back at the base. I turned into the Heart 'O the Hills Campground at the bottom of the road and managed to find a campsite (first come first served, non-electric). It was then I discovered that my RV doors would not lock, again! Fortunately, the campground was very quiet and I felt safe spending the night there. Will have to call another Dodge Ram dealership to check out the locks.

Hoh Rainforest and Ruby Beach, Olympic NP, WA

After a very comfortable night at the RW Services and RV Park, I made my way to the Hoh Rainforest early in the morning. I read there could be long lines to enter later in the day. Indeed, as I got closer to the entrance, there were signs at specific spots on the narrow road that displayed the wait times from those spots. This particular morning, there was no line, traffic was light. I found my way to the visitor center and got a parking spot in the RV section. I noticed that more cars were arriving and the parking lot was filling fast. Got information at the VC, viewed exhibits and listened in to a ranger presentation for kids on rainforest ecology. All very educational. Then went on three hikes that started near the visitor center: the Hall of Moses Trail, the Spruce Nature Trail and part of the Hoh River Trail. The rainforest was surreal, hard to describe, one has to be there to experience it. I felt like I was in the valley of the dinosaurs. Photos could not do justice to the scenery.

After lunch in my RV, I went to check out Sol Duc Hot Springs. Unfortunately, I could not even get near it, there was no place to park. After driving around twice, I gave up, it was starting to drizzle. Decided to check out Ruby Beach nearby instead. Easy drive despite the fog and drizzle, parking was on the road on top, with a steep path down to the beach. There was a lot of drift wood and logs and views of the Pacific Ocean were partially obscured by fog.

I spent just a short time at the beach as I wanted to get to Bogachiel State Park before it got dark. Arrived there just in time to make camp, there was electricity at my site. Unfortunately I found that power will be cutt off at 10 pm due to scheduled construction work, but will be restored in the morning.

Hiking waterfall trails, Olympic NP

My first full day in ONP! Decided to hike some easy trails to waterfalls, beginning with Marymere Falls. Passed Lake Crescent on the way there, beautiful and serene scenery. Surprisingly quiet, not many people around. I guess the summer crowd has yet to arrive.

Next up were the Soleduck Falls; this trail had a few more people. The entire park was lush and green, the weather was mild which made it ideal for hiking.

Earlier in the day, I found some places to camp nearby. The Bogachiel State Park had a spot but only for tomorrow night, which I reserved using my phone. For tonight, Hipcamp offered a spot in the RW Services and RV Park in the town of Forks. Non electric but it was near the Hoh Rainforest entrance, so I took it. I headed there, found that it was partly a construction camp next to the main road past Forks, but there were spaces for a few RVs further in, next to a creek. In fact there were two spots with full hook ups next to the workshop. There was even wifi access! The owners were very nice, when the lady heard about my coach battery problem, she upgraded me to the vacant FHU spot for free even though I offered to pay the full rate. There were modern toilets but no showers in the park, so I took a shower in my RV. Spent a very comfortable night in the RV hooked up to power. This would be my first choice for camping if I ever come this way again.