In the Hoh Rain Forest and Ocean Shores

After departing La Push, Washington and our campsite 50 feet from the ocean beach, we drove a rip-roaring 40 miles south to the Hoh Rain Forest. This is our campsite in the National Park campgrounds...right next to the river. This is the exact same site we stayed in when we travelled here in April 2010. We know what we like:)

Looking up river from the "front yard" of our campsite on the Hoh.

We hiked two trails...the Spruce Nature Trail on the first day and the Hall of Mosses Trail on the second day. We passed this spring-fed stream called Taft Creek on both days since the two trails share a common trail head.

The Hoh Rain Forest near Washington's Pacific Coast is an old growth...never logged...forest. Such a forest has many layers (please read the sign). It might appear unkempt to a careful gardener but it does a magnificent job of sustaining life of all sorts.

As you look at the pictures that follow...there is no way to experience the magnificence of this forest through photographs. Imagine being surrounded on all sides as well as above and below by this forest...if you have a creative imagination, you'll get an inkling of what we saw here.

The light in the afternoon was magnificent.

Typical view along the Spruce Trail.

More of the same:)

Hundreds of scenes like this in just a little over a mile...all different.

Reforested trees are planted close together...there is little or no light in such a forest. An old growth forest, on the other hand, has trees of all ages and as the old ones get blown down or damaged during storms, light breaks through the canopy. This light provides for all sorts of diverse life to spring forth...

Old riverbed supports new life different from the mature forest close by. Over time, if the river doesn't return here, ferns and alder will gradually be replaced by hemlock, spruce, etc. as it matures...

Everywhere you look the forest floor is alive with new growth.

Does anything look strange here? Like all these trees growing in a row. Here we have what at one time were seedling trees that sprang into life on a downed tree...called a nurse log. Eventually the nurse log rots away and all the trees will have a hollow place under them where the log used to be. Here the nurse log is still in place still nurturing the trees above it.

Taft Creek by the trail head seen in a little more detail.

After two nights at the Hoh, we drove south along the coast again to Ocean City/Ocean Shores and stayed a couple of nights in the Ocean Breeze RV Resort. Here we are all tucked in between Rhododendrons and a variety of other trees and shrubs. We felt the breeze all right but our view here was limited and that was fine for a break:)

OMG...this is what the beach looks like all up and down the coast near Ocean Shores...BIG, FLAT, VAST and in most places hard enough to drive on. However the tide does come and go and you don't want to be out when the water gets this high. By the way, that little rectangular thing on the horizon is somebody's motorhome on the beach. Hope he has a tide chart...lol.

Last but not least, during this stop we drove north in the car to Pacific Beach State Park...here's the campground right on the ocean. We'll have to come back here on another trip. If you don't like wind...don't stay here;-)

We still have a ways to go and many places to see. Next stop is Westport, Washington on the south side of Grays Harbor. Will show you some of that in the next blog entry.