Road trip journal #5: Come as you are... to a magical forest

Summary

• Start: 12:40 (Tillamook, OR)
• Finish: 20:35 (Olympic National Park, WA)
• Distance: 240 mi (384 km)
• Mood: road trip

No rush, road trip mode

Given that the day before was impaired due to being tired, I had decided to sleep in. Sure enough, I woke up refreshed and feeling well rested. The setup got a bit optimized from last time. Welcome to an edition of Road Trip Car Pads. The back seat is down, and there is an inflatable mattress at the bottom covering a small picnic table, to make everything level and soft. I can stretch with room to spare.

The day started very late. I used my LTE signal to update and upload my journal update from the day prior. It took longer than expected, even though I optimized parts of the process. It’s a constant work-in-progress. There wasn’t a plan for the day, other than the rough goal of reaching Olympic National Park in Washington state. I didn’t do any breakfast (no cheese), nor prepare anything. Rather, I just started driving. Today was going to be a proper road trip day with lots of driving. But first, I had to visit the petting zoo. The donkey and goat I had pet weren’t all to much interested in me. They were more than enthusiastic about small children providing food. I ventured out in mild disappointment.

Goodbye Oregon

Along the way was the (apparently famous) Tillamook creamery. I guess they make cheese or ice cream or something. It looked pretty packed with visitors.

There was a lot of traffic. Maybe that is why Google Maps took me from the 101 to OR 53. I don’t regret listening to directions this time, as it was a very scenic drive.

From there it was on to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock. I was surprised by how full of tourists the town was. What pandemic? I parked and walked to the beach to get a shot of the beach and rock, not interacting with anyone.

My final stop in Oregon was Bowpicker Fish and Chips in Astoria. They are served from a boat on the street. No, the street isn’t flooded. Yes, it was worth waiting in line for. Their taste makes up for the lackluster appearance.

Welcome to Washington

Highway 101 passes over a bridge between Oregon and Washington. It is quite a sight.

Once in Washingthon state, I ventured out to Cape Disappointment. It is not called that because it is disappointing, but because the settlers that discovered it were disappointed that it wasn’t what they were looking for. The top of the cape offers views of the mouth of the Columbia river.

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge

From there on it was back to the 101, which passes through the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. The views of the ocean wetlands are quite stunning. I had apparently frightened some elk when I stoped to take a photo. Sorry, elk.

The road was clear from then on, with scenic scenery.

Aberdeen

The scenery brought me to Aberdeen, WA. I had visited it 3 years ago and rembember it in a much grimmer mood. Maybe because it was a dark and gloomy early October. It still seems like a somewhat depressing town, its best feature being the bus station because it lets you leave the place. This also happense to be the place where Kurt Cobain grew up, which might explain his general mood. I visited the Kurt Cobain Under the Bridge Memorial.

And I also drove by the house he grew up in, which is about a block away from the bridge he used to hang out at growing up, the location of the memorial.

Sand beaches

The goal was Olympic NP, but I wasn’t going to give up Pacific views just yet. I took WA 109 to get some Washington coastal views.

There wre a couple of beaches along the way, and I was surprised that there was no parking near the street. Then I realized tire tracks going to the beach, and cars parked on the beach. This reduced my surprise level, and increased my “awesome” level. So I took a couple of beack commercial shots. There were a bunch of seagulls chilling on the beach concentrated on one spot. No trash in sight. Odd.

The final spot on the beach that I visited was in – drum roll – a place called Pacific Beach. Car parking is also literally on the beach. The sand looks similar to Oregon beaches.

Olympic National Park

Finally, I drove eastward to reach Quinault Lake in Olympic National Park. There is a small village called Quinault with some shops, restaurants, and campgrounds (all of which were full). I just drove through, not interacting with a single person. It was already getting late, so I needed to figure out a place to sleep. My goal was to reach Bunch Falls because they were on the far end of the lake, and go from there. But first I got some shots of the lake during sunset.

I then drove down the road to Bunch Falls. I seemed to be the only person there, dumb enough to drive at dusk. The views didn’t disappoint.

I reached an unpaved road in the rainforest. It is also somewhere along this road that I found a perfect secluded and protected parking spot where I could sleep if need be, and not bother anyone. The spot is also outside of the national park.

But, there was still sunlight and sights to see, so I ventured out deeper, having the peace of mind of a place to sleep. The views of the Quinault River at dusk were quite something.

North Fork

From there on I drove forth on the road towards North Fork trailhead. There was a campground marked on google maps.

I checked the campground, not expecting anything. However, luck would have it, it seems to be a walk-in campground, and I found the last remaining spot. I felt really happy and excited to find a spot in the forest. I checked in, and stayed the night. It is so peaceful and secluded, in the middle of nature. Planning to get up early tomorrow, in order to get the most out of the day. This update still took a really long time to prepare and write, so it’s almost midnight again.