ABOUT DAY 2

Of all the places we planned to see, Olympic National Park was the one I was the most excited to see.  I love being in the forest and the forests of Olympic National Park are not like any other.  Mountainous forests transcend into beautiful rock lined beaches.  Rushing river rapids suddenly explode into majestic waterfalls.  These forests are home to the the largest cedar trees in the world.  Most of the western side of the park is temperate rainforests covered in lush vegetation and beautifully colored mosses.  I have always been fascinated with temperate rainforests.  They are wonderfully enchanting.  Every story I truly loved, from when I was a little girl until now, seemed to be set in forests like these.  I could hardly wait to submerge myself in this beautiful place! 
We only had one day in Olympic National Park.  So, the plan was to drive to Quinault Rainforest first and hike the 5 mile trail from the Graves Creek Trailhead to the Pony Bridge and back.  After the Quinault hike, we planned to eat lunch at Lake Quinault Lodge and then drive to the Hoh Rainforest to hike the 2 mile Rainforest and Spruce Tree Trails.  From there, the plan was to drive to La Push Beach to see a little of the Washington Coastline and then drive through the town of Forks to look for signs of vampires and werewolves.
                (Yes.  I admit it!  I was an adult and liked Twilight.  After kid number 3, you feel old, fat, and ugly, so a story about being
​                young and beautiful forever as a good vampire was an intriguing idea!  You know you liked it too and if you didn't like it,
               then you have obviously not hit your mid 30s or had kids yet!  Ok.  End of soapbox speech and back to the plan....) 
From Forks, we would drive to Sol Duc Falls and do the short trail to the falls and then hike the short trail through the Ancient Groves.  At the end the day we planned to have dinner at Bella Italia in Port Angeles.  Then, enjoy a nice drive back to Lake Cushman to relax in the hot tub.
We did not plan however, for the amount of time we would stand awestruck or the amount of time we would spend taking pictures of every beautiful thing we saw.  This did alter our plans some, but we did not regret it for one minute!  We did not see La Push, the vampires and werewolves in Forks, Sol Duc or the Ancient Groves, but we were not upset.  It just gives us the excuse to come back again to see these places! 

DAY 2 MAP

The map below shows where we traveled on Day 2. 
Starting Point: Lake Cushman (Hoodsport)
​Stop 1:  Olympic National Park Entrance
Stop 2:  Graves Creek Trailhead in Quinault Rainforest
Stop 3:  Hoh Rainforest
Stop 4:  Forks, Washington
Stop 5:  Port Angeles, Washington
​Ending Point:  Lake Cushman (Hoodsport)

The Starting Point
LAKE CUSHMAN, WASHINGTON

We stayed in an Air BnB on Lake Cushman for two nights.  It was late when we got in on Tuesday night, but the stone pathway down the steps to the door was illuminated with outdoor string lights.  We had to leave early the next morning in order to have time to hike in Olympic National Park.  When we returned, it was nice to sit in the hot tub under the stars, and the next morning to wake up to the beautiful view you see in the picture below.
Click on each picture below to enlarge the picture and view the whole photo

The Road
LAKE CUSHMAN TO OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK DRIVE

Most of the major entrances to Olympic National Park can be accessed from the Scenic Highway 101 that surrounds the park.  It takes about 7 hours just to drive all the way around the park, so we had our work cut out for us.  We left around 7:00am on Wednesday morning and returned around 1:00am that night.
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Stop 1
​​ENTERING OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK  

I could not wait to explore Olympic National Park for several reasons.  First of all, it is just beautiful.  I can identify the beautiful and unique scenery of this area whenever I see it in a movie, television show, or photograph. Secondly, this area has a history that combines two of my favorite topics of discussion as a former history teacher, Native American History and Teddy Roosevelt.  The Hoh, Queets, Quileute, and Quinault Tribes have rich histories and strong cultural roots in Olympic National Park.  And, Teddy Roosevelt played a major role in protecting this area's beauty.  I really wanted to visit some of the tribal museums in the area but I knew time was limited.  - This is just one more reason to visit Olympic National Park again in the future.
Our one day journey in Olympic National Park began at the Graves Creek Trailhead in the Quinault Rainforest.   It is a 2 hour and 45 minute drive from Lake Cushman to the Graves Creek Trailhead.  After hiking to the Pony Bridge and back in Quinault, we stopped for a bite to eat.  Then made made the 2 hour and 30 minute trek to the Hoh Rainforest.   At Hoh, we walked through the Hall of Mosses Trail and a portion of the Spruce Nature Trail.  We cut the Spruce Nature Trail a little short because we knew it would take us some time to get to Forks and the Sol Duc Trail and we were losing daylight.  We drove through Forks, Washington.  Because it was after 5:00 PM when we arrived, nothing was open.  So, we pressed on towards Port Angeles to the Sol Duc Trail. 
Unfortunately, it got a little darker than we hoped when isolated thunderstorms developed so we decided to just enjoy the scenery as we drove back to Lake Cushman.  The weather turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  I started to get a migraine headache after Port Angeles.  Because I caught it before it really started to pound, I took some Excederin and a little nap on the way back and Lorna took over driving.  When we got back to Lake Cushman, we soaked in the hot tub!  Medicine, a nap, and a hot tub!  Who knew that was the cure for migraine headaches!  I think I will pitch the "medicinal hot tub" idea to Don.
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Stop 2
QUINAULT RAINFOREST
The Graves Creek to Pony Bridge Trail

I chose the Graves Creek Trail because it was everything I love about hiking a trail.  First of all, it is more remote and has much less traffic than the easier to get to trails.  This means less people on the trail and the nature along the trail is less disturbed.  Secondly, it was the perfect length and elevation gain.  To stay on schedule, we could not choose a ten mile long trek or one with a steep elevation gain, however, we still wanted to experience a good hike.  The trail we chose at the Graves Creek Trailhead was called the Pony Bridge Trail.  It is 5.5 miles round trip with a 950 feet elevation gain.  It is considered an easy to moderate hike, meaning it is not a flat, groomed trail, but it is not a hard "Everest-like" trail either.  It has all the fun things of a good hike: beautiful scenery, incredible natural features, steep hills, rocky paths, and water to hike over....  But the main reason I wanted to do this trail was the Pony Bridge. 
Below is an informational trail map of the Pony Bridge Hike starting at the Graves Creek Trailhead. 
The Pony Bridge is a wooden bridge situated 25 feet over the south fork of the fast moving Quinault River.  It was built in 1890 when the area was first mapped by an expedition group.  In the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt (best president ever!) set aside what is now Olympic National Park as a protected National Monument.  Then, in 1938, FDR declared it an official National Park.  So, the bridge is in mint condition because it has been maintained by the National Parks Service.  The river and bridge are surrounded by towering Sitka Spruce, Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Western Hemlock trees.  The ground near the river and under the tree canopy is covered in lush green ferns, epiphytes, and lichens.  Nurse logs sprout new life everywhere.  A variety of brightly colored wildflowers pop up in the most unlikely places.  Natural rock walls covered in vividly colored mosses cut a path for the rushing turquoise waters of the Quinault River.   
If you ever get the chance to come here, you will see how drastically clouds and sunlight play a part in your photographs.  In my opinion, my best shots were taken when the sky was cloudy or when a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing.  However, there were times when the sunlight beamed through the tree canopy just perfectly and allowed me to get some amazing shots. 
 I can honestly, and without exaggeration, say that the Quinault Rainforest was one of the most beautiful and enchanting places I have ever been!  I would love to build a home there and live until the end of my days in this enchanted forest.  The Quinault Rainforest inspired my imagination and made me feel truly happy and alive!  
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Lunch on the Road
QUINAULT LODGE & MERCANTILE

After our hike in Quinault, we wanted to eat a late lunch at the Roosevelt Dining Room in the Lake Quinault Lodge.  Unfortunately, when we got there, they were closed and would not reopen until 5:00 PM.  One of the servers told us about a little diner restaurant in the Lake Quinault Mercantile.  He told us that they were not always fast, and the seating area was minimal, but the food was delicious. 
We decided that we would order food from the Mercantile to go.  We knew we had to stay on a schedule to see everything and we were running behind anyway.   The main entrance of the Mercantile is a convenience store.  On the right, a room broke off into a small gift shop.  On the left was an area with a window to order food.  At the window, there was a very small self - seating area to the left. 
​It reminded me of the Walk Up Food Window Restaurant I used to go to as a kid.  In my experience, these types of places may seem like quite a dive at first site, but the food is almost always incredible.  This place did not disappoint.  The staff was very matter of fact and to the point.  I mention this because, if you are from the South, you might consider them a bit rude.  This is not the case.  They were all business and prepared everything to order.  The food was absolutely incredible and worth the twenty minute wait!  When considering that the food was made to order, a twenty minute wait, didn't seem so bad.  In my opinion, it was also an excellent marketing strategy, because while you wait, you can look around at the gift shop and buy things you really don't need from the convenience store area.  ​​
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Stop 3
THE HOH RAINFOREST
The Hall of Mosses & Spruce Nature Trail

The Hoh Rainforest Hall of Mosses/Spruce Trail is a flat, easy to hike trail.  It is one of the most trekked trails in Olympic National Park.  I highly recommend going when there is a rain shower.  The colors are the most beautiful during and after rain.  The tree canopy and a light rain jacket will keep you dry during your hike.
Below is an informational trail map of the Hall of Mosses - Spruce Tree Trail starting at the Hoh Rainforest Trailhead.  
So, I waited for almost a decade to see the Hoh Rainforest!  I really had to work to keep "uber-excited April" under control so that Lorna did not think I was absolutely nuts!  This place has magical qualities.  It is incredible how rain and sunlight change the colors of this forest.  When we arrived, it was partly sunny and the forest seemed to have warm colors.  The green hues had slightly yellow tints that I would describe as olive, sage, and chartreuse.  The mosses had yellow and orange overtones and the earth seemed to have subtle brown, orange and red nuances.  When a light rain shower passed through, and the forest became saturated with moisture, I swear the colors of the forest changed right before my very eyes!  The warm hues transformed into lush greens and there was such an obvious contrast in colors.  The yellow and orange hues in the mosses and brush morphed into shades of pink and teal and the brown, orange, and red earth tones changed to pink, purple, and blue tones.  In the gallery below, you may see a picture of the same thing twice.  One was taken before the rain and one after.  
I also tried an experiment while I was in the Hoh Rainforest.  It appeared that my phone camera was capturing the colors of the forest better than my Nikon.  So, I took some pictures with my camera and some with my phone.  What I learned is that my Nikon took high resolution pictures that captured better pictures at a distance.  My camera took better pictures close up and in low light.  Weird.  But now that I know, I can choose the right device for the different types of scenes when taking pictures.
Click on each picture below to enlarge the picture and view the whole photo.

Stop 4
FORKS AND PORT ANGELES
The Twilight Trail

Well, we made it to the town of Forks, but it was after 5pm, so most everything was closed.  Sadly, without anything open, there was not much to do there.  It also seemed more impoverished than I thought it would be.  Maybe when the vampires and werewolves leave, the economy takes a dive.  I think they should come back soon.  We all know their secret now.  We knew it would take some time to get back to Lake Cushman, so we decided to get a snack in Forks and enjoy the scenery on the drive back until it got dark. 
Below is the Twilight Tour Map for Forks found on the Forks, WA Website.  This was the tour we intended to do but did not get too.  If you are interested in doing this, you need to arrive before 5:00 PM because most things are closed by then.  
Click on each picture below to enlarge the picture and view the whole photo.

End Point
LAKE CUSHMAN AIR BnB

 It was a pretty drive while we could still see.  One thing we did notice at night was that there were no street lights on on the east side of Olympic National Park driving down Highway 101.   It was very dark!  Luckily, Lorna is an excellent driver and graduate of defensive driving.  She drove us back to Lake Cushman safely!  There we enjoyed a soak in the hot tub under the stars after hiking and driving all day.  It was very relaxing!