Once in awhile-now and again-this is us

another great experience. if you like flowers that is. the color parings are so artistic and beautiful. it was a joy to walk the paths and see something new around every turn. it was a hot day but there is so much shade, you survive nicely. I had trouble picking out the pictures for this. so excuse me now if I  put too many in.

we went to the rose garden first

i fell in love with this rose, hot cocoa

we couldn’t reach the snail, so we got the pig

the house where we had a fabulous dinner

but wait there’s more. as a bonus in july and august they have fireworks every night at 10:00. it doesn’t get dark until then.

so stay tuned for that

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we stayed one more night in olympic national park. this time on the elwha river. restoration is now going on after the removal of two dams built in the early 1900’s. it was the largest dam removal in the united states history. it started in 2011 and was just completed this march. it will help restore the original population of 5 species of salmon that had dwindled to only 3,000 from 400,000. it’s a very interesting story. check it out at htpp://tinyurl.com/Elwha-Restoration.

the ferry ride was fun, and over before we knew it.

our ship is in

have to unload before we can go in. big rigs even take the ferry. they could probably carry an army tank in there

our turn

the seas were calm

a cup of chili and a beer sounded good

getting close to port

here we go

we drove by the parliament and the empress hotel. we had been here in 2010 and seen the city so we wanted to get started up the coast.

no that’s not me and jerry

we did want to go to buchardt gardens again since it would be different season. last time it was october with the most gorgeous trees in fall color. this time it will be a lot of colorful flowers.

so stay tuned for that

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after buying some smoked salmon, and it was actually the best I had ever had. it had just been smoked about and hour before. he gave us a sample. yummm. I wish you could have tasted it linda. we bought over a pound. the place was just a little shack, with one man doing the  smoking. it was on the makah indian reservation. he said he had been smoking fish for 35 years.

the cat came out to greet us

the fog was rolling as we drove back, so we stopped at one of the little towns we had seen on the way, sekiu, and spent the night. it was so pleasant. watching the fishermen leave and then return to their slips. the fog creeping in covering everything in it’s path. jerry made dinner and we played dominos. and of course i won. another perfect day.

our campsite

the fog creeping in

boats kept going out

we could have been caught in something like that

i woke up early and looked out the window and was taken aback by the beauty of the sun. there was light on the water, but the sun was behind the fog. it made a very interesting scene. i kept taking pictures, hoping to get a good one. here are a few of my favorites.

the first picture

is this the moon and sun?

no I guess not

it was like another planet

I had never seen anything like that before. it was amazing to watch. this next picture was pretty amazing too. our next door camper was tearing down his tent and threw out some old hot dog buns for the seagulls. when they came over to get them, I got this picture.

I don’t think he knew what to do with it.

we also saw this bird. we think it was young eagle?

what will we see next

stay tuned

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we haven’t had wifi for a few days.

so…..

we made it to Canada yesterday. we took the 90 minute ferry over to Victoria. there’s isn’t much to see on this trip. you cross the ‘straight juan de fuca.  which was pretty smooth sailing. coach and all.

we drove along the coast to get to the tip

to get to cape flattery,  you  drive a curvy scenic 80 mile road along ‘the straight of juan de fuca’ out to the  lighthouse. we knew it was on an island, totoosh, and we wouldn’t be able to get close. that was ok. and the path to the lookout was long. that was ok.

we first think this path is very nice

oh, this won’t be bad

hmm, a little trickier

we’re getting our workout today

oh no, mud

we have to climb up to go down?

just a little longer

finally, the lookout

because this is what you see when you get to your destination………

the lighthouse is on the left side of the island

they used the tree for a brace and there’s a heart

now we have to walk back?????? just look at the pictures in reverse to get the idea. ha ha

the sun will come out tomorrw

so, stay tuned

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we also went to the dungeness spit again. we had been there in 2010, but it’s such a nice walk.  just to the base though. the whole thing is 5.5 miles long. if you do walk out there, you can make an appointment to tour the lighthouse. just seeing it through binaculuars is good enough this time.

you walk on a path to the spit

these flowers line the whole path

the lighthouse is that way

that’s 5 miles away and my camera got it

the beach is lined with driftwood

and of course hearts

this is the path of a glacier

we walked back to the coach

taking a small break along the way

today, we are going to cape flattery on the most northwestern point in the contiguous u.s. to see the lighthouse and they say some of the best smoked salmon ever.

so stay tuned

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that’s pronounced squim, is known for their lavender farms. there are a least half a dozen. we chose to visit ‘jardin du soleil’.  i’m not a big fan of the smell of lavender, but i though a whole field of purple flowers whould be very pretty. and it was. they have a lot of colors I didn’t know about.  the lavender festival is next weekend. i’m glad we won’t be here for the influx of people coming for that.

welcome

there’s some fireworks for you.

stay tuned for more

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we stayed in the ‘heart of the hills’ campground in the hurricane ridge area of the park. ($6 a night ray).

we drove 5 miles from the campground to the hurricane ridge visitor center. the views are so stunning the whole drive but when you get there, WOW! you can see mt.olympus and and the whole family of mountains. the valleys and meadows. deer munching on the green grass, and looking at you for a handout.

here kitty kitty kitty

what will we find next,

stay tuned

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the lake was so beautiful it took my breath away. there aren’t enough words to describe the beauty. I wish I could do it more justice with my camera.

stay tuned for more of the park

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we left our campground and drove to ocean shores, part of the coastal area of olympic national park. you can drive out on the beach so we parked and had lunch. jerry is liking the capresse salad a lot now. we walked out on the beach for awhile. it wasn’t crowded at all. except for this poor guy. we never did see him get unstuck.

remember to just look and you might find a heart

our gps showed it was ok to take the coast route, 109, through the quinault indian reservation to forks. so we went on even though it didn’t show it on the aaa map. we trust our gps, sam, and will follow him anywhere. almost.

we got 8 miles up and hwy 109 turned into a gravel road. now what sam? we drove through the small town, as everyone looked at us like we were aliens. the conditions the indians live in is deplorable. I didn’t take any pictures. we found the police station and they said go back the 8 miles, get on the moclips hwy. and it will take you to 101 just above humptulips. so that’s what we did

and found the town of quinault in the rain forest part of olympic park.  we found this great campground . did you know seniors can get a golden age pass for $10 ray?  it makes the national park entrance fees free and campgrounds are half price ray. so this spot was just $12.50 ray.

sometimes you don’t even have to try to find a heart.

remember looking for four leaf clovers as a kid?

now you can find hearts

we left our beautiful camp and drove to the lake so stay tuned

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we made it to Tillamook. we were worried about finding a campground,  all the ones on the beach were full. we found a nice one but no scenic spot this time. we stopped in the Tillamook factory to get some cheese and taste what samples they had out. that cheese is so good. not the best, but close to it. we got some good cheese in Sonoma also. no one was working in the factory since it was a holiday. we bought some medium cheddar for the trip.

we drove around town and found a goodwill. after buying a few things we headed for the beach. we heard the fireworks at rockaway beach were the best on the Oregon coast. we got a good spot right by the jetty. we were surprised there weren’t very many people. but it was early. it was fun watching the people with their kids and dogs, flying kites. little kids have so much fun in the sand. dogs have so much fun fetching sticks in the water. it was a good day.

I watched these boys at the end of the jetty, with the binoculars, dig the biggest hole. the were pointing and looking at the waters progress up to the hole. they were on a mission. the tallest boy seemed to be the leader. he had the biggest shovel but never used it.

I took a nap and when I got up they were gone and there was no big hole?????

one of the neater kites

I liked this pictue

it got later and darker but still not a lot of people

the planned fireworks didn’t start until ten o’clock. but fireworks are legal here, so everyone on the beach were doing their own. that was fun to watch kids with their sparklers. it brought back a lot of memories. remember cousins, all the fun we had at grandmas house. and then when our kids were little, you could do that on the beach in long beach. I remember stepping on those sparkler wires getting back to the car. I forget what year they banned fireworks.

as it turned out we found out why this beach was not crowded. we were at the wrong end. but…we could see them from where we were. just not so good. and we had watched big and little fireworks for an hour already. my camera has a fireworks setting that doesn’t work, so i used the sudden movement setting and got these pictures.

the ball looking things in the background are the real fireworks going off. we kept wondering when were going to see those here. but we did have some good ones. i just couldn’t capture them. but you’ve all seen fireworks anyway.

it was a good day.

stay tuned for another one.

(and remember i reply to all your comments)

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