2 Sep 2010 – La Push, WA
Eat your heart out, Twilight fans!! I stopped for gas and lunch in Forks, Washington, this afternoon. I think I saw some of the Cullens hanging out with their human high school friends on the street corner. I could have taken a Twilight Tour and seen the Forks high school, the Cullens home, and other famous Twilight places, but I chose instead to drive the road to La Push (and imagined Edward racing past me in his fast car, on his way to “save” Bella). I laughed when I saw the sign that said I was crossing the treaty line, that no vampires were allowed past that line (what do I care about vampires?!?!). I saw the Jacob Black Vacation Rentals as I got close to La Push, and lots of other references to Jacob Black here.
I walked a couple miles on the trails at the Hoh Rainforest in Olympia National Park this morning, and I walked more on the beach this evening, and my foot handled it just fine. So I am finally recuperated. Seems like it took a long time, for such a “little” problem. The Hoh rainforest gets over 200 inches of rain a year (though this is the dry season now – yay!) and the trees grow huge, mosses and ferns cover the ground, and mosses and lichens cover the trees.
Some of the mosses hang down from the tree limbs in sheets. The trees look like they are growing green hair there is so much moss on them. Sitka Spruce grow taller here than anywhere else in the US (in Alaska the cold stunts them). I also saw a giant Western redcedar; they are such beautiful trees with their red bark and gracefully sloping branches. I thoroughly enjoyed my walks through the woods. I followed Jeremy’s recommendation and walked the Hall of Mosses first. It’s definitely the best trail. The advantage of the other one, Spruce Nature Trail, is that there are so few people on it. 
Unlike most other national parks, I often had the trails to myself. And it was warm – probably in the 80s. I felt like I was in a little piece of heaven – beautiful colors, beautiful trees, the burbling of the creek, the singing of the songbirds, chest-high ferns, and views of the Hoh River along the trail. 
One of the things on my “wish to see” list is a banana slug – and I saw one today. It was a green color; I learned that they can be varying colors, including red and green, that they aren’t all bright yellow.
La Push is on the coast and I am camping tonight at Quileute Oceanside Resort RV campground on First Beach. (Yeah, that First Beach.) I saw lots of wolf prints on the beach (at least I assume they were wolf prints) and several people have built bonfires on the beach, just like in the book. Like I said, eat your heart out! (You can put this campground on your list, Laura, if you get up this far north. I recommend it. It’s a little pricey for me - at $38 with tax - but I splurged for one night – it’s right on First Beach!)
First Beach is wonderful. One of the best beaches I’ve been on, in a long time. Beautiful. Haystack rocks offshore. The beach is right in front of my RV campsite, a very short walk - maybe 25 yards? The beach is easy to walk on. And it’s WARM here. I didn’t even need a jacket till the sun went down; the weather has been perfect. The sun set behind the haystack rocks and turned the ocean and sky pink and rose and orange and blue and purple….Gorgeous. In a lifetime of amazing sunsets, this is one I will remember.
As I drive further north, I notice there is more and more red in the maples. I guess fall is coming, whether I’m ready for it or not.
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