Day Five - Olympic Nat'l Forest

We were thrilled to wake up to blue skies on Friday morning. After a carb-inental breakfast, we headed up into the Olympic Nat'l Forest, specifically to the visitor's center in Port Angeles, and then on up to the VC at Hurricane Ridge. It was a long, windy drive, but it was breathtaking so we didn't mind too much. We were grateful for a clear day; we've heard tales of getting up to the top and then having it all socked in with fog. (Note: if you ask at the Pt Ang VC, they can tell you the conditions at the top, so you know if it's worth the drive or not.)






We reluctantly continued on our way; we could have easily stayed at Hurricane Ridge for several hours. We then went to Marymere Falls. The hike was pretty, but the actual falls were just ok.

Here's our tree hugger:




And pics of the hike and falls:




Next stop: Sol Duc Falls. Now THAT's what I call a worth-it-waterfall! It was also a .8 mile "hike" in; perfect for the kids.

Apparently, the bridge was just built as a suggestion?



All throughout the forest, we saw trees totally uprooted like this, which made us wonder what that must've sounded like, and if no one was there when it happened, did it make any noise?!



We drove on to Forks, where if I had wanted to buy any "Twilight" merchandise, I would have been all set. Instead, we checked into our awesome place (Olympic Suites...seriously, it was like an apartment and we could've lived there comfortably for awhile) and went to dinner. M was diligent about trying to eat w/chopsticks and had some success. Since we were in Forks, P & I used our regular utensils. ;)


We thought about heading to the beach, but it was getting windy so instead we hunkered down in our new "home;" the girls watched a movie, P read, and I took a hot bath to compensate for the fact that we didn't go to swimming Sol Duc hotsprings. (It was pricy for us and when we looked at it, it looked like an average swimming pool and two crowded hot tubs.) There was a stream of hot, steamy, egg-y smelling water running along the property that we let the girls put their hands, so they got the gist, and I said, "Now you also know what parts of Yellowstone Park smell like!" 2-for-1 experience!

And thus ended another fabulous vacation day!