The first was to stop near Beach 4 on our way to the Hoh Rain Forest to get a clearer picture of the lighthouse out on the island. I had seen it the day before but it was so hazy that we couldn't get a clear picture of it. The lighthouse is on an island some distance from shore.
After that stop, we continued on to the Hoh Rain Forest. It was only about 12 miles from the beach to the turnoff for the rainforest but then it is an 18 mile drive in to the Visitor Center. On the way in the temperature got down to 36 degrees (F). There was a little ice on the road in spots and snow along the side of the road. I really didn't expect that on the way into a rain forest.
As we approached the visitors center, the car ahead of us was stopped and we soon realized it was because of a herd of female elk. The one in the first picture was on the right side of the road and the rest were on the left wading through water. The one by herself made a loud squeaky sound as if to ask where the rest of the herd was going and leaving her behind. However, she did not leave the tasty grass where she was.
There were at least 4 or 5 more in the swampy area.
After we checked in at the visitors center and started our hike through a portion of the park, we crossed a foot bridge. This is a picture of the water from the bridge. It is crystal clear. Everything you see in this picture is in the water on the bottom of the creek.
Once we got on the trail we saw a lot of rich greenery and some dead trees waiting to become nurse trees to new growth. Here is Diane next to one that looks like a creature is coming out of it with a wing behind Diane and a little head next to hers.
There were little ferns covering large areas of the forest floor, along with a lot of large ferns and moss.
The moss was also all over the trees and every other growing thing.
While walking along, Diane suddenly said "Tom" but I didn't know what she wanted until I looked over my left shoulder and saw a bull elk just a few feet away feeding. Fortunately, he walked the other direction and kept eating.
We continued up the path and when we rounded the next bend, we came across another bull elk eating shoots of a bush.
He slowly moved up the trail away from us. Eventually he moved off the trail into the underbrush. We probably waited 20-30 minutes while he meandered along and finally got far enough off the trail that we felt comfortable walking quietly by.
The forest was lush even though it winter had not fully ended. The ranger said it had been a cold winter with snow in December and January that was very unusual.
Diane under a mossy tree hanging over the trail.
A neat old tree with large holes underneath it. I tried to get Diane to climb in there and stick her head out so I could get a picture but she didn't think that it was a very good idea.
Just as we were getting near the end of the trail and starting to relax after encountering the elk, we came around another bend and I realized that there was another bull elk eating next to the trail where we were standing. I whispered to Diane and we both quickly moved past him and he then moved off into the brush.
Ferns on the rocky hillside along the trail as we were coming off the hill.
Not sure what these are but the shapes made them look like two tall woods creatures (Maybe ent-like creatures from the old forest in Lord of the Rings)
The signs say you might see signs of elk, they don't tell you that you will be sharing the trail with them up close and personal.
On the way out of the Hoh Rain Forest, the herd of female elk had crossed to the other side of the creek and were feeding and drinking.
After we left the Hoh, we drove up to the coast of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. This is the body of water between western Washington state and Canada, more specifically Vancouver Island.
We drove out as far as we could along the straits to the north western most point of the Continental United States to Neah Bay. The road continued on into an Native American Reservation but we didn't have a pass and I wasn't sure if the road would take us any farther northwest.
Along the way, we passed this this coold rock that reminded me of the Monitor submarine from the Civil War battle between the Monitor and Merrimack.
After Neah Bay, we drove on to Port Angeles where we would spend the night before catching the ferry the next morning to Victoria on Vancouver Island.
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