Northwest Coast

After being home for a couple of weeks I took off again, this time for a fall trip up the Northwest Coast and North Cascades.

One of my favorite places is the little town of Yachats on the Oregon Coast. There's a forest service campground just north of town call Tillicum Beach which is especially nice. It is right on the beach and during the off season you can usually get a spot that overlooks the ocean. North of town is a several mile long beach, great for riding bicycles. The beach in town and south is rocky coast line with bounding waves, spray and blow holes. There is lots of variety which is why I like it, usually spending several days there.

I then headed up the coast. Passing the small coastal town of Pacific City, I remembered that some old friends of mine had a time share condo there. There was about a one in ten chance of them being there, but when I called, they were there. We had a great evening catching up on our respective families, which wasn't difficult since all out kids were active on facebook.

The next stop was Cape Disappointment State Park. No beach view from the campsite here but it was only about a 150 foot walk from where I was camped.

There are two lighthouses in the park. This is the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.

The other lighthouse is North Head which is just above the beach by the campground.

Next I stayed at the Kalaloch Campground which is part of the Olympic National Park. Again, since it was off season, I was able to score one of the campsites overlooking the beach and ocean.

Whenever I'm on the western side of the Olympics I have to visit the Hoh Rain Forest. The mosses there are just unbelievable. It is just an amazing place.

From there, it was onto Port Townsend, where I camped for several days at the Fort Worden state park. Once again I was next to the beach with a nice view. In case you haven't figure it out yet, there are some benefits to doing this trip in the off season. I was lucky too with the weather. While there wasn't a lot of sun, there was very little rain.

After three days in Port Townsend I went across Puget Sound and up highway 20 to my old stomping grounds in the North Cascades National Park. While in college I spent my summers there working as a tour guide for Seattle City Light. It was a great job for someone who loves the outdoors as much as I. Just about all my spare time was spent hiking and exploring. This was before it was a national park and before the highway was completed across the mountains.

There is a rather spectacular series of waterfalls behind the first powerhouse called Latter Creek Falls. City Light has build a nice garden through the area. At night the falls used to be lite with lights that changed colors. City Light just completed a renovation of the lighting system and had just turned the lights back on after several years of not having them. They are one of the best kept secrets in the park. They are no signs showing where they are. I suppose that's because there is very little parking available. It sure brought back memories wondering around the falls. That was a great time in my life.

One of our favorite hikes was Sauk Mountain. I couldn't resist going back up after so many years. The views are beyond words. You can see most of the Northern Cascades, Mount Baker,Mount Shuskan, and on a good day, Mount Rainier, along with distant views of the Skagit Valley and the San Juan Islands.

Another favorite is the hike up to Cascade Pass. Like Sauk Mountain, the trail has a ton of switchbacks until you get high, then everything opens up and the views take your breath away.

When I was working as a tour guide the highway across the mountains was under construction so we didn't get to the east side of the mountains. It was a really long drive back then. In recent years I've come to enjoy exploring there too. Maple Pass is an especially rewarding hike but I was told that there was quite a bit of snow already up high and I was really prepared for that. I did spend some time in the Washington Pass area taking pictures of the Tamaracs, a fir tree that isn't an evergreen and looses it's needles in the fall.

Now I'm in the motor home with another view of the water, this time Rose Lake, Idaho. Michele, Stan and the kids are still living in my house. They bought a new home and are just waiting for all the paper work to be completed so they can close and move. I have mixed feelings about them moving. It's been nice to have them in my house. I can travel and not worry about the place, which has been great. But, I'm sure I'll miss the company and the daily contact with the grandkids. The move though will be wonderful for them. The house is perfect and in a great location. So, all in all, life is really good.