The first day, we visited the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge on the Dungeness Spit. This spit is the longest such natural geologic feature in the nation, being more than six miles long. Each year the ocean currents add another thirteen feet of sand to its length. I was hoping to find birds here, but it was high tide so we couldn't really walk out beyond the first hundred feet or so. With large waves and floating logs, walking on the spit can be dangerous. Rangers recommend walking at low tide.
We saw a few botanicals, such as this flower that thrived on the dunes:
more kelp:
The photo below was taken looking west along the shoreline, where mist was created by the crashing waves:
It is a beautiful spot, and visitors walk through a shoreline forest to get to the spit. The forest understory had some interesting plants, including the dull Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa), first described by Meriweather Lewis:
and the noble sword fern, large and lush:
Several berries were ripening, including raspberries and the following, red elderberry [correction by Doug - rose hips]:
I have no idea what the white berry pictured below might be [Susan informs me it is snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus]:
After leaving the spit, we drove along the bay and found two bald eagles sitting in a tree above their nest, just off the road:
This eagle was sitting just above the nest , with wings slightly spread:
The second eagle was higher in the tree, on the lookout:
At the very end of the Dungeness Spit is a lighthouse:
The next day Lee and I headed for the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center to get a glimpse of the Olympic mountains. When on the peninsula, one rarely sees the mountains. They are hidden by either hills or clouds:
The road to Hurricane Ridge starts at sea level in Port Angeles, and rises 5240 feet in 17 miles. Half way up we got another view of the Dungeness Spit:
Canada, and Victoria, can be seen on the other side (the north side) of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a clear day:
There are three tunnels on the way up:
The drive up was so beautiful:
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As we neared the top, we rounded one more curve in the road, and....Shangrila!! The Olympic mountains were suddenly spread out before us, in all their grandeur. What a sight! I should have taken a panoramic view with my iPhone, but didn't think of it at the time. So I used Photoshop Elements to seam together several photos to give you an idea. Still missing are the mountains to the far right, including Mt. Olympus, if you can imagine. Seeing all the mountains at once was one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen.
These moutnains, unlike the Cascades which are volcanic and conical in shape, were made by uplift from the Pacific tectonic plate, and then erosion by glaciers.
The large snow field in the center is a glacier:
Not only was the weather perfect on this particular day, but they were forecasting snow on Hurricane Ridge the very next day!! Talk about perfect timing. Going back down the mountain, we saw clouds below us, as one might in an airplane:
Salt Creek County Park was our next stop, from 5240 feet back down to sea level, all in one day. The park is for day use and camping, and is on a tip of land on the Strait of Juan de Fuca just west of Port Angeles. We arrived at low tide and I explored tide pools, something I haven't done in several years. The rocks were a bit slippery because of all the sea grass, but fun nonetheless. There were barnacles, mussels, sea anemones, and views, views, views:
Here is a view of tide pools, a kelp bed, and Canada across the Strait, all in one!
Barnacles:
Mussels:
A variety of seaweeds:
Sea anenome:
Harlequin ducks!!
Around the corner was a bay with a tree-capped island:
Heavenly!
