Port Angeles & Port Townsend WA

We settled down in Port Angeles for a few days to explore the area but first visited the city and the Victorian town of Port Townsend.

It was also a time for oil change and this was a good place and time to do it, after a few calls I found a garage that was ready to take me in the next day and use Ford original filters.

At the same day we had two beautiful on 4 legs visitors that did not mind us getting closer to take a picture.

Port Angeles is close to the Ocean and has a ferry line from the Port to Vancouver Island , the down town has many shops restaurants and beautiful murals.

The sceneries from the uptown is breathtaking especially during the sunsets.

Just an hour driving East the most special Victorian town of Townsend, a vibrant downtown ,beaches, coffee shops combined with large beautiful houses make this place a great place to spend a day in good weather and watch the ferries to Victoria go by.

Ice-cream soda is one of my favorites and not found very frequently so we were happy to have a cool glass of this tasty stuff.

Spending time in a city was a change from our last outdoors days,it was good but in the next  days we are going back again hiking and exploring waterfalls in the area.

Sol Duc Hot Springs & Falls WA

Olympic National Park has many entrances ,we made a point to circle the whole park from South West clockwise and use the entrance closest to our C.G.

But first I have to share this sunset from yesterday night at Clallam Bay and as my grandughter says “Oh my gooshness”….

And by the way if you have an immediate erg for a book, you can get it here in Clallam Bay near the Coop Store.

We enterd the Olympic Park  from North West towards Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and Falls.

Close to the entrance we stopped next to the Salmon Cascade exhibit to see where the Salmons come jumping up stream in early Autumn.

Then drove till the end of this road to the Sol Duc Falls, it was tough finding a parking spot and ended parking on the side of the main road with few other cars.

It is an easy .75 mile hike one way ,mostly in the shade and with very small elevation gain.

We hiked with hiking sandals that made it easier to cross the river and walk on the shallow water banks.

The falls were not in full swing but still the hike and the falls are very impressive .

The hike continues along the river for 4-5 miles to Deer Lake but we went another mile or so and turned around.

After a short picnic in the shade we entered the Sol Duc Hot Springs for a soak, there are 4 pools : A big one with regular cold water and 3 smaller ones ,each with a different temperature and depth, bathing suites is a must and it coast $15 for an adult and $10 senior and child.

You can use a locker ,towel that will be added to the bill.

The surroundings are great and it was nice to soak after a hike, recommended.

Cape Flattery & Shi Shi Beach WA

Today we hikes both hikes one on Cape Flattery Trail and the second to Shi Shi beach.

Cape Flattery is the North West point of the US in the Makah Tribe territory and requires a $10 permit to park on their land, the permit can be issued at the Tribes Museum which is worth a visit.

This easy hike is 2 miles round trip to glorious vistas and can be hiked with hiking sandals or hiking shoes.

It is mostly shady and uphill from the parking lot to the end of the hike.

Shi Shi Beach hike is 3 miles round trip ,the trail is along the ridge and flat all the way except the last portion that takes you down to the beach, this short section from the top of the ridge to the beach is very steep and has a rope to help hikers to get down and up without slipping.

In the summer the sand is very hot and the rocks are coved with sea shells so it is advised to hike with tennis shoes or hiking sandals.

We arrived in low tide and could explore the tide pools that are full with beautiful underwater living creatures, it sure was worth the effort.

The beach is a part of the Olympic N.P and dogs are not allowed on the beach , we did see people walking their dogs there but it is better to know and do the necessary preparations.

The beach is also known as a bonnie camping place (there is one pit toilet in the bush) and this is the lost and found board we found on the way out.

we stopped for a picnic on the way to Nea Bay where we bought some great smoked Salmon ($14 a pound) from a small place owned by a tribe member, the place looked very authentic except the TV with a football game on the screen.

We ate the smoked Salmon on the same evening and it was gooood…..

Bald Eagles in Sekiu WA

We found a great small C.G in Clallam Bay WA with full hookups,WiFi,clean bathrooms and very close to the beach, it sure beats all the C.G in Sekui where the RV's are almost touching each other.

The price was reasonable and only 25 Miles from the NW point of USA- Cape Flattery.

I have never seen a small town like Sekui with so many RV's, they all come for the fishing season and use every inch of the town, some with hookups and some use dry camping.

Everyone and everything is about fish, we strolled along the main drag to the marina and met the person that is processing the fish as the fisherman bring.

We had a great chat and made plans to meet again on the next day for a beer, as we are talking he says " there must be a bald eagle around because the seagulls are all in the air and cannot be caught " so we look around and found two bald eagles waiting for chance ...

Accordingly to the locals the town awakes at 4AM when the fisherman go to the sea and goes to sleep after 10 PM , so we plan to come over tomorrow evening to check it out.

Vancouver Island (Canada) can be seen from any place in town but no ferries cross from Sekiu only from Port Angeles 70 miles East from here.

On the way home got some smoked Salmon that coast 3 times more than fresh fish…

Will have dinner and watch the sunset ending this another fantastic day.