Summer Vacation Trip - Day 9

Olympic NP - Day 1! We were awake by 0700 and, after breakfast at the hotel, we went for a walk. It was a great morning for a walk by the seaside! Our hotel, "Hi Tide” was located right on a paved pathway called the Promenade and, as a result, we got to easily access the amazing tidal flats and weather. First, we walked back and forth on the path, looking at the many picturesque homes with an oceanfront view. We then took off our shoes and walked out into the shallow water, where we found some good sand dollars. The tide was out and we walked happily for over an hour in the bright sun. Mollie said she was sad to be leaving the Oregon Coast... We departed Seaside at around 1000 and stopped at Walmart in nearby Warrenton for supplies (1035). Back on the road again soon afterwards, heading into Astoria. While we were driving, Mollie told me she had been elected president of the Book Club. She also emailed with my Dad (to tell him about our trip in Oregon). She talked a lot about possibly attending Oregon State University in the future... After crossing the Columbia River and making a few short stops (Washington's oldest fish hatchery, chasing elusive seals that were popping their heads up and down in South Bend), we took a break in a pretty seaside town (Westport) on Grays Harbor and explored the waterfront. My friend, Eileen, had told me about this place since she had done contract work there for the Army Corps of Engineers. When we arrived, we ate lunch (snacks) in the car and then took a walk. It was a bit overcast but the pleasant temps (60s) were still awesome. Some of the highlights we enjoyed included: walking the docks to watch crabbers and fishermen, climbing the overlook to see the ocean and across the whole bay, searching for souvenirs in a huge gift shop and watching the sneaky harbor seals who were "stealing" crabs from the traps. They were very clever and we had fun watching them pop their heads out and then appear elsewhere, leaving behind nothing but frustration for the crabbers. Some of the humans got lucky with Dungeness and Rock catches but others were clearly annoyed (we silently chuckled at the whole scene). We could have stayed for hours but decided to continue north for more fun. After passing Grays Harbor, I asked Mollie about going for a horseback ride but she passed on the opportunity. We used US-101 to get to the southeastern corner of Olympic National Park. We explored the National Fish Hatchery area near the Quinault Indian Reservation (again, didn't see any fish...) and then enjoyed some time on the beach near the Pacific Coast entrance of Olympic National Park. Mollie got her Passport Stamped just as they were closing the Ranger Station there (1700). The scenery along the coast was beautiful and the extended day of driving was worth the effort because it set us up for a new base of operations. In Forks, we picked up dinner, "gas station sandwiches" from Queets Trading Post, while filling up the gas tank (1630) and ate our meal as we continued north. As a result of our morning beach walk, we were not able to visit Hoh Rain Forest (because of limited time) and weren't allowed to stop at Lake Crescent due to significant road construction. Still, we made it to Port Angeles with clear skies and lots of plans for the following day. We checked into our hotel (Super 8) and ended up watching TV until going to bed (2300).