My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So for Sunday the plan was to hike early because temperatures were expected to be in the lower 80's. Unfortunately the park road was closed to vehicles until noon for the bicyclist. Pretty cool idea but it spoiled my plans. We drove down to the pier / port in Port Angeles for the morning. The dogs got some swimming in in the Strait and we walked along the shoreline and through the old part of Port Angeles. In the afternoon I was back in the park and drove to the trail head for Mount Angeles (6,454'). I had no problem finding the trail head but I had a huge problem finding the route up. I swear I'm always lost in this park. I met another guy hiking on the way up and he decided to tag along. We went up the worst route possible, something that should have been a class 1 or 2 climb turned into a low class 5 climb. It was also in the lower 80's with no clouds so it was a bit of a challenge to say the least. The dogs and I spent the remainder of the evening parked in the park under some huge shade trees. We also bathed ourselves in the icy cold pool of water once again. We returned to the Wal Mart at dusk after a fun day in the mountains.

Swimming Dogs



Large Tanker in the Strait of Juan de Fuca



Port Angeles

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Monday turned out to be the reverse of Sunday. I decided to leave the dogs in the camper at the Wal Mart and drive the Jeep into the park for some more hiking. I got an early start and this time I was going to hike up (2) peaks, Elk Mountain (6,764') and Observation Peak (6,450'). The weather had changed drastically overnight and it was cool and windy, with intermittent light rain. The first hike was Elk Mountain which was about (4) miles round trip and a fairly easily hike with awesome views. Next was Observation Peak which really was just a run up the side of a nearby mountain. I was back at the camper for lunch, then the sun came out and it warmed up considerably, so we spent the late afternoon and evening back in Port Angeles walking and swimming in the Strait.

Still haven't figured out where to go next so I guess it's here for one more night.

Mountain Views



Mountain Lake

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yesterday turned out to be a well needed rest day. We drove down to the Strait and walked along the water and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I wanted to do next. I really was at a crossroads with going into Canada or going west and then south. I finally made up my mind yesterday afternoon about traveling to Canada and have decided not to go to Canada on this trip (at least for now) and to go further west and south. Not much else to write about for yesterday. Last night I did my grocery shopping since affordable shopping will be limited or non existent on the next leg of this trip. So it's almost 8:00 a.m. and the truck and Jeep are loaded and the dogs are anxiously waiting in the cab as they just love traveling down the road. So here we go.........

Port Angeles Log Mill



And Another

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It was good to get on the road again. We were all in high spirits as today was the day we would finally arrive at the Pacific Ocean. As we traveled west out of town we drove by the animal shelter and you could see all the dogs tied to the chain link perimeter fence. There was a dog every 12', each tied to a 6' chain. It just killed me to see it and after about a mile down the road I turned around and stopped to visit with the dogs. I gave each one a rawhide chew, probably about (30) dogs. It was funny driving off seeing all the dogs chewing away. It also broke my heart to see dogs treated this way. It stayed with me all day.

But we continued west and made our first stop at Marymere Falls. It was a short hike in and really they weren't all that much to see or talk about. We also checked out Crescent Lake and hiked around the rainforest. Pretty nice place.

And finally we arrived....the Pacific Ocean.....Day #65. Really, really nice with all the huge rock formations jutting up from the ocean. We were in La Push, Washington which is part of an Indian reservation. We were able to sleep right along the beach and watch the sunset that evening. Since this wasn't a part of the park system, the beach was wide open for the dogs. They had a blast running and jumping into the waves. At night we walked along the beach and people had campfires going....pretty cool. We had a great time camped here.

Poor Dogs So Sad.............



Marymere Falls



The Pacific Ocean



And Another

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The following morning we got a late start since the beach was covered by a heavy, dense fog. Once the skies began to clear we left La Push and drove for only (5) minutes before I decided to stop at Beach #3. This beach is located in the Olympic National Forest so dogs are not welcome. So I left them in the truck and hiked the 1.4 mile trail to the beach. It was just as beautiful as yesterday's was. I hiked as far as I could before large rock cliffs halted my hiking. Beautiful rock formations everywhere and even a waterfall at the end of the beach.

After Beach #3 we headed south along Highway 101 and made our first stop at Ruby Beach. More of the same but the dogs were allowed on this beach so we spent a few hours hanging out here. Next stop was at the Quinalt Indian Reservation where I was able to get a hot shower for $4. Ahhhh....felt so good. After that we took Forest Service Road #21 into Olympic National Forest and camped along the Salmon River. It was unbelievably beautiful here and so quiet. Barely saw another vehicle for the remainder of the day.

Our Campsite



And Another



Yukon Washing Off The Salt Water

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Since it was so nice and peaceful along the Salmon River, I saw no reason to hurry our departure and we hiked and read, and hiked and read. I finished my third book of the trip and after a late lunch we packed up and hit the road. Today's goal was Aberdeen, Washington, a small town further south on Highway 101. We arrived here last night and stayed in the Wal Mart parking lot. I stayed here (4) years ago and as I pulled up I remembered that this is one of my least favorites. So here I sit at Starbucks knowing that I need to leave here but sure where to go once again. I keep thinking Portland but I know it's hot there so maybe 'll go for the Oregon beaches. We'll see............

My Buddies

 

[Mudder11]

Amaazing shots! Dogs look sooo cute! I miss alll of you!! Salmon river seems nice!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Woke up the following morning and decided to head south for Portland. I had a couple of things to take care of so it just made since. The first day was rather uneventful although the temperatures began to increase significantly as we drove east. We drove into Longview, Washington that evening and decided to spend the night there rather than continue into Portland.

The next day I woke up to find that I was camped next to a dog kennel. Oh my gosh it was unreal at 6:00 a.m. as the whole crowd began to bark together. Needless to say we didn't last long there and we were off to Portland, Oregon bright and early. I was surprised at the amount of traffic on Interstate 5 for a Sunday morning and also at how quickly temperatures rose. We drove into downtown Portland as I needed to visit an REI store. It's always quite an experience to drive this rig into a big city. The downtown area was pretty neat........lots of people trying to look different.......therefore they all looked kind of the same ? Anyhow when the thermometer hit 97 degrees, I'd had enough of Portland. Someone had told me that the Oregon beaches were very nice so we went west again. The highlight of that drive was the Krispy Kreme factory that we passed. Yahoo ! Got to love those doughnuts. Anyhow, we arrived at the beaches in the evening and drove north on Highway 101 looking for a spot to camp. Turns out that most good spots are marked "no overnight'' so we drove all the way into Washington and camped along the Columbia River. Woke up this morning to 58 degrees and cloudy skies........much easier to handle when living in the camper. And that's about it for now............

Portland, Oregon



Leaving Portland, Oregon



Columbia River



Bridge from Oregon to Washington (Astoria, Oregon)

 

[fisher205]

Jerry, Saw you pulling into La Push Wed as we were heading out to the Hoh rain forest. We were camped over at Mora and were at Rialto Beach that night. I think we were just a couple of days ahead of you all the way to Portland. We really enjoyed LaPush.
Brad

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hello Brad........too bad we didn't hook up. What are you driving ? I'm at the point where I'll talk to anybody who'll stop and listen. Maybe you just got lucky that you missed me........

Anyhow, yesterday I decided to stay along the beaches and also to stay in Washington state. I have to admit after spending over a month in Washington, I love this state. Most of the people have been quite friendly and it's definitely accommodating to people like me that are living like a bum. So, the weather cleared along the coast yesterday and we took a leisurely drive north along Route 101 (and a few other roads). We made numerous stops and visited several small towns. One of my favorites was ..... yikes, I can't remember the name of the town ! They sell lots of oysters there. Anyhow, I sure did like it ! Last night we camped right on the Pacific Ocean. The sunset wasn't spectacular but it was certainly a nice place to end another day.

We were up early this morning and the fog was incredibly thick. Everything that had dried out from our trip to Portland was once again damp. I felt like I needed to move on so we packed up and arrived back in Aberdeen, Washington this morning. I think we're going to try going east again and spend some time in the Cascade Mountains, maybe around Mount Rainier. Temperatures are expected to hit the 90's this week then they should cool after Friday so hopefully if I camp high it will be OK. I guess we shall see soon enough.

Sign in my Favorite Town...RV Friendly Town...Not Like Oregon



Another Sign in my Favorite Town...Undecided Today I Guess



Sunset on the Pacific Ocean Near Tokeland, Washington

 

[fisher205]

We left the Dodge and the Alaskan at home this year so I was driving a white Jeep Liberty it matches about every other vehicle up there so you probably wouldn't have noticed it. I looked around the Mora campgrounds for you. We headed back home from Portland Fri. morning.
Brad

 

[Awkragt]

Cool to see you boomeranging around Aberdeen. It's gonna get hot this week. I'm headed to St Helens for the weekend. Sounds like your plan to hit Mt Rainer is right on track. I'd do St. Helens, Rainer, Chinook Pass. Then down to Oregon, Mt. Hood and Bend.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yep......I'm sure we saw plenty of those Jeeps.........

As Awkragt put it, we are still boomeranging" around Aberdeen. It turns out that after we left Aberdeen on Tuesday, we only drove about (14) miles before we made our first stop. As we crossed over the Satsop Middle Fork River on Route 12, I noticed a large parking area with a boat ramp and great access to the river. It seemed like the perfect spot for lunch and a brief swim. Well, we just left this morning. The water was cold but so clear and clean. It just seemed like the perfect spot for two water dogs to hang out for a little and it just turned into (2) days before I knew it. I was still questioning my decision to go to the mountains with this heat wave moving in. Neither the dogs nor I enjoy being in that camper when it's hot. It just plain sucks. Yesterday we took a short trip to Montesano and stopped in at Fish, Game, and Wildlife to purchase a Discover Pass. This is a permit that Washington requires to use their facilities. I'd gone without it for over a month and I finally decided that I was pushing my luck. While we were in town we stopped by the local coop and filled the propane tanks and found a used book store where I bought myself a few travel books. So we've just been chilling, reading (finished my 4th book of the trip) and swimming. And that's about it for that.

The plan now is to hang around the beach until temperatures drop..........that's predicted for this weekend. So I guess we'll see what's next. Take care............

The Loud Bridge Over Sotsap Middle Fork River



Sotsap Middle Fork River

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I went with Plan "B" and bagged the mountain idea and turned around and went west. We made a brief stop in Aberdeen (once again) and did some shopping at the Safeway (sorry Wal Mart...but your Aberdeen store sucks) and we walked around the old part of the city. It's kinda cool to hang out around a city and get to know it a little better than just passing through. In the afternoon temperatures were rising (remember the heat wave ?) and when it 84 degrees with clear blue skies, we were ready for the beach and cooler temperatures. We took Route 105 southwest and I swear you could watch the thermometer drop as we left town. About (10) miles outside of town we stopped at Bottle Beach, a bird watcher's hangout along Greys Harbor. The temperature was 73 degrees. After walking the trails and a brief swim in the bay, we were back in the truck and our next stop was North Cove, my campsite right on the beach, just north of Tokeland. The temperature was 58 degrees and there was a thick fog that left us with very minimal views. Just amazes me how different things are in a drive of less than (30) miles. I got out my new to me (used) book "Fatal North" and what a great read. I couldn't put it down. If you like books about Arctic travel, check this one out. I loved it and finished my 5th book of the trip after only (2) days.

Our Campsite....The Ocean is About 50' From This Spot

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We woke up yesterday and the fog had lifted a bit but I knew that the heat wave had moved east so we were good to go. We headed back to Aberdeen (again) and made another stop at Bottle Beach (should be named Tire Beach-check out the picture below). We actually spent half a day here just hanging out and walking and reading. Yesterday was mostly a rest day although we did stop at a car wash where I washed the truck and camper (hate that salt water), found another used book store where I purchased one more used book, and then the high light of the day..........a FREE hot shower at the YMCA (I'm going back for seconds today !). I thought that the shower in Sequim for 25 cents was a good deal but the YMCA in Aberdeen beats them all !! And it's a really clean and modern facility with friendly staff. We spent last night at my least favorite Wal Mart. Up this morning to cloudy skies with the possibility of storms all day. So, now what ?

Bottle Beach



Bridge in Aberdeen.... Hitting a Bridge is Always a Fear of Mine