Duckabush River

Pictures are from this past weekend's hike to Duckabush River.

Since getting here just over 3 months ago, here's what we've hiked so far. We're posting this as a reminder to ourselves. S0, as we continue to lose brain cells, we'll have the blog to jog our memories. Of course, that's if we don't eventually forget we even have a blog. So, here it goes...

Day Hikes

Duckabush River (Brothers Wilderness Area): 6.5 miles / 800 ft.

Fort Flagler (near Port Townsend): 6.5 miles on the beach

Deer Park to Grassy Mountain: 6.5 miles / 1,200 ft

Hurricane Hill (twice): 5.0 miles / 700 ft

Lake Crecent (Spruce Tunnel Trail): 4.0

Rica Canyon and Goblins Gate: 4 miles/ 1,000 ft

Sol Duc Falls: 4 miles

Ho Rain Forest: 4 miles in the pouring rain

Backcountry Hike/Camp

Obstruction Point (Grand Lake Trail to Gladys Lake, returning through Badger Valley: 11.5 miles / 3,500 ft.

Chevy Chase Country Club?...

We were on our way to Port Townsend a few days ago, and noticed a sign that said Chevy Chase Country Club. We were going to stop on our way back home and take a picture, but forgot.




Next time we head that way, we'll stop by and see what's going on. Maybe, we'll run into Rodney Dangerfield (RIP), or Bill Murray trying to kill gophers.

Here's Ben and Star profiling their new rain gear.

What goes down must come up

Started hiking early Saturday afternoon from Obstruction Point on an overnight
backpacking trip into the Grand Valley looping back through Badger Valley. You reach OP going up a 7.8 mile gravel road, which is quite an adventure in itself. The first 2+ miles are breathtaking as you hike along a ridge line at close to 7,000 ft.

Almost 2,000 feet down to the Grand Valley. The last part drops 1,400 ft. in 2.4 miles...a jarring experience.

The Grand Valley...

Now, what they didn't tell us. After leaving the Grand Valley the next morning, we dropped another few hundred feet to get into Badger Valley. In the last 3.5 miles, we climbed over 2,100 ft. with this 600 ft. scree slope standing in front of us and a return to our vehicle. If you enlarge the picture below and look closely, you can see the switchbacks. This was the second most extreme climb I have ever completed. And while this hike is one of the most beautiful we have ever done, we have decided it will NOT be a repeat. Total distance=11.6 miles Total Elev Climb and Drop=3,500ft.

<--On the ferry to Victoria

Pictures from the Hoh Rain Forest and Sol Duc Hot Springs area

I named this one "Big A$$ Tree".

The arrow points to our room in Victoria last weekend

Star is wired from that Ferry coffee!





Our first look at the Pacific Ocean at Flattery Point.

Ben did a good job reducing the last month into a few pictures. Just for extended information, the first trip is to Neah Bay and Cape Flattery. We drove out one Saturday with our friends Roy and Denise, who came to visit all the way from Clemson! We're hoping to see more of you people from the South. After a picturesque drive along Lake Crescent, we found ourselves eating lunch in a little town on the Strait of Juan de Fuca called Seiku. Beautiful view, but cold, as were Neah Bay and Cape Flattery. Neah Bay is the tribal territory for the Makkah Indians, whose native traditions have remained unusually pure because of the remote location. The hike out to Cape Flattery took us along cliffs to a high, wind-blown view.

The trip to Victoria was a great success. Our hotel was a grand one overlooking Victoria Bay, and I think they gave us the best room in the house because I told them it was my birthday. It was also the occasion for Fringe, a play festival held more or less constantly at 13 venues around town. We saw three plays on Saturday. One was a spoof (where the lead character ended up sitting in Ben's lap), one was a drama where the actress played six parts (including two sisters and their mother), and one was a musical train ride across Canda, vintage 1969. We skipped the festival on Sunday, but had a great time listening to music and wandering through the street fair. Amazing, amazing weather.

We have also taken two day trips to standard tourist destinations in the Olympic National Park. The trip to Sol Duc was mostly watching people lolling around in a collection of hot tubs fed by the Sol Duc Hot Springs. We decided to hike to the less popular Olympic Hot Springs next time we want to soak our feet. The trip to the Hoh Rain forest was. . . rainy, very rainy. But we managed a short exploratory hike, ending with a sojourn on the rocky river bed. The primeval forest, the ground vegetation (moss, ferns, and fungi), and the hike up to glaciers are worth returning for.

Day 35: Busy with work and fun...

(Sorry, but the pictures loaded in reverse of tonight's narrative, so just follow them from the bottom up.)

We broke away from work this weekend, and had a weekend of fun.

We went to the Lavender Festival, which draws people from not only different states but different countries as well. Let's just say, it makes for some interesting "people watching."

This morning I received a call from a co-worker telling me there was a herd of elk in town! So, Star, Alex, and me got into the truck and drove across town. There was a herd of at least 25 in one of the City's well fields. We were within about 100 yards of them, when some of them starting standing at alert. When the male started eyeing us, that was as close as we ventured. Well, except for Alex. As he started heading towards them and away from the vehicle, I reminded him how quickly one of them could run his little rear end down. He heeded my advice :-)

Later in the day, we took Alex up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park and went on a hike to Hurricane Hill. This time we remembered the camera. We had just finished our hike in the picture with Star and Alex. The mountain we climbed is in the background behind them. If you look closely in the other picture, you can see a piece of the trail. Alex was able to play in some snow up top, and we saw bunches of wildlife today. The close up picture is of Mount Olympus in the distance. I had the zoom at about 8X for that shot.

We just wrapped up our weekend roasting some oysters on the grill a friend dropped by for us.

I'm quickly getting spoiled by the weather around here. Another weekend in the mid to upper 70s with lows at night in the upper 50s. We have had 3 rains since arriving, and all of them were just drizzles. Sorry, but I'm not missing the heat and humidity at all.

Take care,

Ben and Star

Day 20: Happy 4th!

Yesterday, we took a trip over to a wonderful little city next door to us. Port Townsend is an eclectic place with a really laid back atmosphere. There are plenty of shops, restuarants, and bars along the waterfront with little outdoor eating areas everywhere. We didn't know it before hand, but it was also the filming location for the 1981 movie, "An Officer and A Gentlemen". We were able to get a couple of decent pics of Fort Worden, where most of the movie was filmed. The old Fort is now a vacation destination, and an area where artists live and work. I thought the concert area was really cool. It's an old hangar converted into a stage.

Today, we have been mostly hanging out close to home. Later, we are headed to Port Angeles to listen to some music and watch the fireworks.

Hope everybody has a great 4th!!!...Ben

Me, too. Ya'll enjoy those fireworks! Star

Day 19: Miscellaneous...

TOP: On the ferry, headed to Victoria BOTTOM: Star enjoying the roses that grow like weeds in Victoria.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Alex next Wednesday night at the Seattle "TAC"

Airport. Suddenly, the Rankin's are covering the globe. Hopefully, Adrienne has reached her destination at Oxford. If you are reading this, Star and I are thinking and talking about the two of you almost constantly.

On a side note, I found the Sequim Crime Report listed in the newspaper this past week to be highly amusing...

Loaned car to person who will not return it

Requested call regarding speeding vehicle

Flashing bright lights in alley behind Prairie St.

Horse accident, DNR Road

Deat cat in front of home

Dog pacing, laying in roadway, Towne Road

No voice, just loud humming on phone (???)

Cars parked in road near beach

As you can tell, it's extremely dangerous to be on the streets of Sequim. Dead cats, dogs pacing, and cars parked in the road ;-)

So, I've only been at work 7 days and already get to enjoy a holiday...nice. It couldn't come at a better time. Yesterday afternoon (Thursday), Star and I decided to go explore a new area after work. We drove to the Hurricane Ridge area of Olympic National Park, which is about 33 miles or so from our house. The road steadily climbs upward the entire way from the park entrance to 5,250 above sea level. Along the way, there are incredible views looking back down on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island, and Mount Baker. As you go deeper into the park, however, you are suddenly looking face to face on the big snow capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains. We both decided quickly that Hurricane Ridge rivals anything Star and I have seen in our journeys, including the Teton Mountains last summer. None of the peaks are over 8,000 ft., but the elevation gain is as drastic as any mountain range in the lower 48. For example, the Tetons are as high as 14,000 ft, but they start rising from Jenny Lake at around 6,700 ft. Here on the Peninsula, the mountains start just above sea level and rise to almost 8,000 ft.

At the Hurricane Ridge parking lot and observation point, we saw glaciers in the distance, deer wandering the ridge, an incredible display of wildflowers, deer, and SNOW. Yes, there was snow piled up in one shady corner of the parking lot. Considering it was about 8:00pm, the 59 degree temperature on the ridge wasn't too bad either.

Sorry, we forgot the camera, so there are no pics. Honestly, I don't see how a camera could possibly catch it all anyway.

It has really warmed up this week. The thermometer topped out at over 80 degrees for the past two days, and today is shaping up to be even warmer. For the first day since our arrival, I walked outside into a warm early morning sun. Every morning prior, it has been somewhere in the 50's.

Yesterday, we had an on-site meeting for an upcoming project to replace a small bridge along Sequim Bay. As I stood there looking around, I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe I'm working in such a beautiful setting." You could see the boats out in the bay, and the squawking of two hawks flying overhead. Sometimes, all of this beauty makes it tough to focus on the task at hand...Ben

Luckily, Ben's meeting was not at 8:30, since I got up to answer the phone about that time and ripped open my leg. Fortunately, he was calling and, when I said I needed stitches, was home quickly. They put in 14. (Kudos for the Urgent Care here--they took me right in, perhaps because I was bleeding all over the waiting room.) I still can't look at it, but it doesn't hurt. It just keeps us from hiking this weekend. I guess we'll have to take the top down and go for a drive. You can go in almost any direction and play tourist, so I'm good with that...Star

Day 13: Work and Play Saturday:

Here are some pictures from our Saturday venture. We worked on the house today, went to the Sequim Open Market, and did a little tour down to Dungeness Point and Railroad Bridge Park at the Dungeness River. The weather was the best since we arrived, and it couldn't have come on a better day. We soaked up some low 70 degree sun listening to some music at the Market, and made a few new friends in the process. As you can see from the pictures, the coastal area is (to use S.C. Governor Mark Sanford's words) magnificent ;-)...Ben

Day 12: Weekend!!!...

Both Adrienne and Alex called today, which always makes it a special day :-)

Here are some pictures before I head off to bed. Can't wait to get some "catch up" sleep. We just took these, so you can get a feel for the house and our progress so far. It's still a mess, but much better than the empty house we slept in our first two nights. Star took the photo with me in back of the house at about 9:15pm (no flash). It's now 9:40, and the sun is just about to set...Ben

Note the warm clothes. We took a picture of the 101 Diner from the back stoop too. Lavendar grows along the road and in beds all over town, and all the lamp poles in town are topped by big hanging arrangements of flowers. In the early morning, city employees come by in a truck and water them. That's probably the only way I could keep one of them alive. Instead, I hung a huge bronze star that Monica sent me by the front door...Star

Day 11: Busy...

The Olympic Mountains from our bedroom window. Yeah, there are some power lines, but it's a view.

We arrived in Sequim around 2:00pm on Tuesday. We picked up some fast food, and went to the rental house to eat and take a look around. We didn't even have keys, but knew it would be more than satisfactory by looking through the windows. After shoveling down our Arbys at the house, I immediately went to a meeting. Meanwhile, Star searched for the realty company to get us into our rental home.

Since Tuesday, I have worked about 1 1/2 days, and we have slept on an air mattress in an empty house for two nights. Star has done a wonderful job taking care of all of the usual tasks of moving into a new home in a new city. The movers arrived this morning at 7:50 and quickly filled the house with our "stuff". Even though we only had an opportunity to see pictures prior to renting our home, the furniture fit almost perfectly with just a couple of small exceptions.

We have ventured out to buy some food and other items for the house, and everybody has been so welcoming in the community. We have been told to watch the speed limit, directions for getting around, the best places to eat, and many other tidbits of various information. The people we have met around the community love their jobs, and are proud of what they do.

Supposedly, the weather was in the upper 80s one to two weeks before we arrived. We have been wrongly accused by some of bringing the return of Spring to Sequim upon our arrival :-)

For example, today started out nice and warm, but by the afternoon it was cloudy, in the mid 50s, and windy.

That 's all for now. I need to go help Star unpack boxes...Ben

I'm not sure he's really going to unpack boxes. I've taken to it with a vengeance. It's a bit

like a treasure hunt. Yay! today I found everything to make coffee except coffee filters! It's also a reminder of how many useless things we still have: why would anyone need 12 metal mixing bowls of various sizes, 39 pictures (all painstakingly packed by Ben), and 40 dinner plates?

Right now, we're both tired, which seems to happen pretty early out here in the West. Tonight we're especially drawn, since the bedroom really does look familiar, just more spacious...Star

Day 8: Portland, Oregon

It's been a tough day on the road. Almost 500 miles through the mountain passes and construction zones of I-84 have brought us to Portland, Oregon. We decided to splurge tonight, and are staying at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. We saw more beautiful sites today, such as the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Saint Helens as well as multiple waterfalls. At this point, however, we are just ready to reach our new home.

The number of sights, people, and places we have seen are incredible. From our new friend, Robert, at the Turquoise Bear in Santa Fe to the incredible vistas at Mesa Verde, and the lady from Raleigh, NC we just met on the elevator, this has been the experience of a lifetime for the both of us.

Our original plans had us taking coastal highway 101 to our new home of Sequim; however, we have decided at this point to turn straight up the interstate in the morning. We are tired, and ready to start with our new life together in the Great Northwest.

We will continue to keep the blog going once we settle in Sequim. It may not be a daily posting, but we will endeavor to keep regular updates to everybody back East on what is going on in our new home.

Finally, I received word yesterday morning on the loss of a lifelong friend, Sammy Generette. Even though we parted ways after high school, Sammy always made a point of keeping up with me throughout our adult lives. He would keep me updated on what had happened with some of our classmates, and in turn, would always want to know how my parents and family were getting along. I love you, Sammy. For what it's worth, this blog is dedicated to you....Ben

Today's trip led us to and through the Columbia River Gorge. It, like much of what we had seen, changed significantly over the many miles. At first, we were still in the relatively arid territory we've grown used to in the West. That part was tough driving because there were mountains, traffic, and construction--always a bad combination, especially for me. Once we hit the river gorge, we followed it for miles and miles. The pictures indicate the breath-taking beauty of the river. Frankly, however, we were both too tired to enjoy it. We tried to stop for the night at Cascade Locks, but, since they were full, drove on to Portland,where we'll spend our last night on the road...Star

Day 7: Provo, Salt Lake, Ogden, and Idaho

Western slopes of the Rockies crossing I-70

Put many miles behind us today. We left a warm morning in Green River Idaho, and ended up at the first rest stop in Idaho at 3pm. When we got out of the car, the thermometer was reading 48 degrees, and the wind was blowing like crazy. Anyway, I was sure glad I didn't wear the shorts and flip flops again today. We didn't get many pictures, because it rained most of the way through Idaho today.

We DID, however, make a little side trip this afternoon to fill a special request from Mom. Just 3 miles off of I-84 in Twin Falls, we found the site of Evel Knievel's infamous attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon back in 1976. I want you to know, we drove down some poor soul's private driveway to sneak a couple of these pictures. I'll bet they have been cursing Evil ever since that day 33 years ago. We also snapped some pictures of the bridge that crosses the Snake River Canyon going into Twin Falls. It is supposedly the only bridge in the United States that permits legal "base jumping" 365 days of the year.

We ate lunch at a great restuarant in downtown Ogden, Utah called "Roosters." We were sitting there eating lunch when I noticed a man walk in wearing a Clemson University shirt. Come to find out, he served as a consultant for one year on campus. We had a nice conversation with him, and how his 9 year old son now wants to attend college at Clemson. Later in the day, we were cruising west on I-84 in Idaho when this pickup comes by us with South Carolina tags and a big Clemson sticker on the back windshield. They noticed us and made some funny arm motions as they flew past us. Not sure what that was all about, lol.

To top off a huge day, Star and I finally located the "Garden of Eden" after 2,400 miles. I always thought it would be in some mystical location, but much to my surprise, it was located inside a tacky truckstop off of I-84 in Idaho...Ben

We thoroughly enjoy our GPS, Clara. She gets extremely upset when we exit or Ben decides to go chasing after Evil Knievel. Since I vetoed a detour to take pictures of the football field at Brigham Young, I had to let him go take pictures of where the idiot tried to jump the Snake River. (After all, it is Father's Day.) It's an incredibly long distance across the Snake River there and even further down. Clara did lead us nicely, however, to Mountain Home. I think it's the first day we've actually ended up at the destination we decided on in the morning.

The final destination is getting pretty close, and we're practicing calling it home. We might even camp out there on our air mattresses if we beat our stuff to Sequim. We decided that a United moving truck in Utah had to be ours and almost called our truck driver, Fred, to see if he'd stop and let us find some warm clothes and clean underwear. Tomorrow, we're going for Portland. I hope we don't have to stop in Boise to take pictures of the blue astro turf on the football field...Star P.S. You might want to inspect carefully the picture at the Garden of Eden to see what has really attracted my attention. It was the only truck stop I ever saw with a food court.