Transcontinental Trek 2001 Day 6: Forks - Abbotsford, BC

Up at 6am, and ate leftover corned beef hash from the Brown Bag Café and Tully’s coffee from the Thriftway across the street. 40F and hazy. Today we are going to the rainforest! I am so excited! I love the idea of being able to visit a rainforest without leaving the US. Not that I’m against travelling abroad, I love it, but with all of the turmoil in Mexico we’ve had to cancel our Birds Without Borders workshop. We used to travel every Spring with our students to El Cielo Biosphere Reserve which houses the northernmost cloud forest in North America. But, we haven’t been down there since 2008. It’s just too dangerous to be in Tamaulipas right now. So, that is why I am so excited to go to the rainforest today. I love the diverse plants and mosses.

7:40am left for the Hoh Rainforest about 19 miles southeast of Forks. With its 12 ft of precipitation a year, the Hoh is a magnificent example of one of the few remaining protected temperate rainforests in the world.

Moisture-laden air from the Pacific brings an average of 140 inches of annual rainfall to the Hoh Valley in addition to condensed mist that contributes another 30 inches.

At the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center we took the Hall of Mosses Trail and saw moss-draped maples, magically green in the spring sunlight.

 I was able to get a Hoh stamp for my Park Passport here, too! I am so excited!!!!!  Their stamp is of a slug!

Which we just happened to see...

 I love this program, I want to go to every National Park and get my Passport book stamped!  I hope the following photos will give you a sense of how amazing the Hoh Rainforest is.

Worlds largest sitka spruce.

and a Sooty Grouse.

After tearing ourselves away from Hoh, we stopped in Forks to get souvenirs for the girls, and were on the road to BC at 12:30pm. As we approached the northern coast of the peninsula, we found out that the ferry we wanted to take into Canada from Port Townsend was booked up until 8:30pm. For a few minutes, we couldn’t decide whether to wait, or to drive around Puget Sound, down to Tacoma and then back up to Seattle. But, that would take at least 4 hours. Either way, we were not going to make it to our next hotel without driving through the night. Then, we found out that the same ferry we came over on from Edmond would leave at 4pm, so we hopped on it.

Granted, we were back in Seattle, but this ferry cut off about 3 hrs from our drive around the Sound.

I think this is Mt. Ranier in the background...

So, now we were way behind schedule and there was no way we’d make it to Lac La Hache tonight. We booted up our laptop and were able to find a hotel in Abbottsford, BC, just across the border for tonight. By modifying our schedule, we’ll be back on schedule by the time we hit Tok, AK.

We crossed the border into Canada at 7:20pm. Our border agent was grumpy, but she let us through without examining any of our things. We got the last two rooms in the Super 8 in Abbotsford. The town is hosting the boys national volleyball championships, and all the local hotels were full. The registration clerk suggested we have dinner next door at Sammy Pepper’s because it was more of an adult restaurant and wouldn’t be full of volleyball players. Well, he was right. Sammy Pepper’s is definitely designed to attract male customers! The waitresses wear miniskirts and strapless tops, 80’s and 90’s rock blares from speakers in the ceiling and large screened TVs displayed the NBA playoffs, a current MLB game and some other sport channel. I think I was one of only 3 other female patrons in the entire restaurant. Outside in the parking lot, high end, sports cars were lined up like a showroom; corvette, BMW, etc. The food was surprisingly good. I had the Jamaican Seafood skillet with jerk spices and it was excellent.

We were in bed by 9:30pm. Exhausted and happy.

Transcontinental Trek 2011 Day 5: Kirkland, to Forks, WA

The weather forecast was for rain, but it must have passed over us in the night, because it’s a bright sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, 51F. Today we got to see one of my most favorite people in the whole world, Dr Sukk!

We were a little early when we arrived at the Brown Bag Café, so we shared a yummy cinnamon roll at the as we waited for Rick to arrive. Man, he looks great! I think teaching has been good to him!  Check out this huge hobo breakfast I got!

After breakfast we drove down to the water and caught the 11:10am ferry over Puget Sound from Edmonds to Kingston - cost us about $25.

Unbelievably windy crossing the Sound - Pigeon Guillemot and Surf Scoters next to ferry.

We drove through the town of Sequim in the Dungeness Valley, recognized as the Lavender Capital of North America and home to the famous Dungeness crab. Port Angeles provides access to the Olympic National Park. Designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve, 95% of the park is designated as Olympic Wilderness, and is home to the world’s largest unmanaged Roosevelt Elk herd.

The park encompasses nearly one million acres and includes glacier-carved lakes, waterfalls, over 600 miles of hiking trails, the Olympic National Forest, the Hoh Rain Forest and 73 miles of coastline.

The Park’s main Visitor Center is in Port Angeles and we got information on where to bird and I got my National Parks Passport stamped.

We walked along the trail that went into the National Forest and saw the morphna subspecies of Song Sparrow.

Then we drove down to Ediz Hook and birded our way toward the end. Rhinocerous Auklet, Harlequin Duck, more Pigeon Guillemots and Harbor Seals.  The auklets were really far away and we took this picture through our scope.  I know it's a cruddy picture, but you can definitely tell what they are!

About a half hour west of Port Angeles is Lake Crescent, a deep, clear, 12-mile long lake along Hwy 101. The lake is a deep, turquoise blue, and this has got to be one of the most beautiful drive’s I’ve been on.  It was raining as we drove through, and I didn't get any good pictures, darn!

Surrounded by rain forest valleys and about 14 miles from the ocean, the town of Forks lies on a broad prairie. The Twilight book series tells the story of Bella Swan, and Forks girl and her escapades with vampires and werewolves. Dave tortured our girls by sending them pictures from his phone of Dr Cullen’s reserved parking space at the hospital,

Jacob’s cabin with a motor bike in front,

and the Bella Swan Employee of the Year sign in the Thriftway grocery store. We checked into our room at the Dew Drop Inn, and learned that the best time to see the Rainforest would be in the morning.

So, we decided to bird our way down to Rialto Beach near La Push.

La Push is home of the Quileute People who have lived here at the mouth of the Quillayute River for thousands of years. The coast at Rialto Beach is rock strewed and the waves crashed angrily in the falling evening darkness.

Rain clouds gathered above, and the weather shifted from light rain to steady rain and the back to mist and light rain. The relentless surf has carved this coastline for millennia. Just offshore, huge rock formations called sea stacks stand imposingly.

The place is magical. I can imagine how many superstitions were spawned here. You can hike the entire 73 miles of wild coast north and someday I hope to do just that.

Back in Forks, we stopped for dinner at the Forks Coffee Shop. Our waitress was so grumpy and rude, that we went out of our way to engage her – to no avail. Dave couldn’t even get her to crack a smile, and he tried his hardest!  We ended up laughing so hard at our failed efforts to cheer her up!  Finally, when the boys went up to pay the bill, she smiled - I think she was glad we were leaving!

Transcontinental Trek 2011 Day 4: Bozeman to Seattle

We awoke to 36F and bright sunny skies, and were on the road by 7:30am. We headed across the valley and our first stop was at Wheat Montana. Elise was telling us about it last night. She loves their bread, and suggested we stop and get sandwiches for lunch, or pastries, etc.

Well, let me tell you, that place is awesome! Montana and Washington are huge wheat growing states, and the store/mill had everything from stone-cut oats, to yummy almond bearclaws.

We started to smell something burning in the truck again, and decided to stop at the Ford Dealership in Missoula. Of course, we arrived just as the mechanics were heading out to lunch, so we had an hour to kill.  Bob took on the role of Salesman of the Month and got his own office up front.

I hitched a ride with Richard (the dealership’s shuttle driver) over to Jacob’s Coat yarn shop.  Since we had time to kill, and no power in the truck to run the laptop and write the blog, I needed something to do with my hands.  Otherwise, I just knew I would drive Dave crazy!  The shop owner, Karen, was there and she showed me a huge selection of Montana wool.  It was sensory overload and I was in heaven!  I got 3 balls of absolutely gorgeous local wool. I am so excited to make something with them! On our way back to the dealership, Richard gave me a tour of the city.  I saw the theatre where Carol O'Conner's mnother lived, the window that Roosevelt (I think he said Roosevelt) gave a speech out of, the artsy neighborhoods, and the handmade carousel. 

By the time we got back to the dealership, Dave had made friends with everyone in the shop and on the sales floor.  Luckily, the only thing wrong with the truck was a blown fuse, caused by one of the power converters we were using.  Bob took it apart, and half of the board had melted.  No wonder we had smelled something burning!  We were back on the road around 3:30pm.

We are rising in elevation – heading into the mountains, and the temperature is dropping. We see more and more places with snow on the ground. At the Pintlar Scenic Route Rest Area, we got our first glimpse of snow-capped mountains!

Dave found a polygonia butterfly feeding on sap.

The flowers are not out yet, and since this butterfly species overwinters as adults, they must feed on what they can find – like this broken twig. Check out the subtle green spots on the underside of the wing.

The entire time Dave was working on getting a picture of this butterfly, the ground squirrels were making a ton of noise.

One of them got brave and ran out and grabbed a grape I had dropped on the grass. Then, another one ran out near the trash cans, and grabbed a plastic bag to haul back and use as nesting material. We caught a subtle movement up on the hillside, and got this quick snapshot of a coyote scoping out the squirrels.

As we crossed into Washington, I snapped this photo of a beautiful lake.

But, instead of seeing the rolling countryside and tranquil lake, you see bug guts covering the windshield! They sure grow them big out here!

The rain began, and then the wind picked up, and by the time we crossed the Columbia River there was a travel advisory. The Excursion was pushed out of our lane by the wind. It was sort of a bummer to cross the mountains and not be able to see them.  All along this route are historical markers and towns, that just beg to be explored.  Next time.  It rained all the way through the mountains and to Seattle. We pulled into our hotel in Kirkland, WA at about midnight.

Transcontinental Trek 2011 Day 3: Rapid City, SD to Bozeman, MT

Our wake up call rang with a blaring sound at 6:15am. It is a bright and sunny day - 59F. Amazing! The weather forecast last night was for severe storms all day. We stayed at a very nice Super 8 just of I-90 last night- $45/night. We had another king-size bedroom. In fact we stayed in exactly the same room as last night (room 101), but this hotel is much cleaner and better maintained. There was a SNAFU with our hotel reservations and Bob is at a different Super 8 about 3 miles away. This actually worked out well, because his hotel is on Mt Rushmore Drive, and we have to go that way to get to Mt Rushmore today.

Got Bob at 7:45am (Mountain Time) and headed out. According to the Mount Rushmore & Badlands guide to the National Parks, it is best to see Mt Rushmore in the morning light.

 It seems weird to see the Black Hills Forest in the middle of this seemingly endless prairie. But, here it is, tall Ponderosa Pines stretching high toward the sky. Like Colorado, the Black Hills has experienced a pine beetle infestation. Park staff has been working very hard to thin the forest to a more sustainable condition and to protect scenic old growth trees.

Coming around the bend at Keystone, I can see the Monument over the tree tops. Wow! It glows in the sunlight! As we enter the monument area we’re stunned at how HUGE the visitor’s center is. Not at all like what I remember from the 1970’s.

Now there is a gigantic parking garage, and multiple buildings with a Visitor’s Center, a Gift Shop, a Café, an Ice Cream Shop, Restrooms, and the Avenue of Flags. It is quite impressive - very windy too. We got here at the right time of day. There are only a few cars in the parking lot – which could probably hold 500 vehicles including RVs and busses. We need our windbreakers, even though it is in the 60’sF.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the completion of the Mount Rushmore carving. Beginning in 1927, over 400 workers helped sculptor Gutzon Borglum carve the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln into the southeastern exposure of Mount Rushmore.

It was the dream of Doane Robinson, the superintendent of the South Dakota State Historical Society to create a massive mountain memorial carved from stone so large it would put South Dakota on the map. He enlisted the help of Senator Peter Norbeck and sculptor Borglum and together they chose the four great presidential figures for the carving to symbolize the birth, growth, preservation and development of a nation dedicated to democracy and the pursuit of individual liberty.

Each face is 60 feet tall and each eye is 11 feet wide. Washington’s nose is 21 feet long – all other noses are 20 feet long. Hmmm… is he a relative to the Russells???

We saw a chipmonk, white-winged race of Dark-eyed Junco along the Avenue of Flags, as well as Red Crossbills and White-throated Swifts. Pine Siskins were flying around the entrance to the monument, too.

Across from the Ice Cream Shop were a couple of Marmots sunning themselves on a rock.

We stopped in the Visitor’s Center and I got my National Parks Passport book.

Every time you visit a National Park, you can get your Passport book stamped with the date and each Park’s unique stamp and sticker. I am so excited! It’s all Kiwi Donovan’s fault. She turned me on to the Passport program last summer when she was on a trek to visit every National Park and Monument in the country. Now, I have my own Passport book to fill with stamps!

Dave spotted a Mountain Goat on the hillside, as we were leaving the viewing area and getting into the car. How cool!

We stopped down in Keystone and picked up some postcard stamps and headed back to Rapid City. Yesterday, we smelled something burning and we thought it was something electrical under the hood of the truck. Today, the cigarette lighters have stopped working. We’ve been using both of them to power our laptops, charge phones, etc. We called Andy at Spring Street – thank goodness they’re open at 7:30am – I was so relieved to hear Gretchen’s voice! Andy suggested we check the fuse, and sure enough it was blown. We stopped in the Ford dealership in Rapid City to replace the fuse and see if we need to have the wiring checked. We changed the fuse, but still no power in the front cigar plug. The backseat plug works, though. No mechanic available to look at the truck until tomorrow. We decided to just use the back plug and keep going toward Bozeman.

Noon – entered Wyoming. Dave spotted a Brewers Blackbird on the fence of Welcoming Center. What a nice Center! There is a huge petrified tree stump outside the door and a big dinosaur inside. It has begun to sprinkle. We saw our first mountain with snow on it to the north as we left.

We reached Sheridan, WY at 3pm in a steady downpour and strong winds – 41F. We’ve gone 1600 miles so far on our transcontinental Trek. By 3:40pm, we were entering Montana – still raining and windy and a little cooler – 38F. The rain finally ended around 6pm and by 7:30pm we were in Bozeman.

Steve and Elise had Bison steaks ready to go on the grill when we arrived at their home. Two Sandhill Cranes walked across their driveway as we pulled in. I walked out to the barn with Elise and met her horse Goldie. Goldie is a very pretty yellow horse (I’m sure there is a correct term for her color and breed), and I loved inhaling the scents of the barn. By the time we got back to the house after feeding Goldie, Steve announced that the steaks were done and we sat down to dinner with great wine, great food and great friends. Dave has missed being with Steve so much.

By 9:30pm we were heading to the Days Inn and before 10pm, Dave was sound asleep. He has slept better on this trip than he has in months. Maybe we should change our professions to over the road trucking!