Sunday, June 17, 2016
Posted from: Forks, WA
Miles driven: 90
Total trip miles: 6,499 (thought about making a loop around the campground just to get to 6,500)
We visited a rain forest today!
Olympic National Park is unique in that it contains 7 different ecosystems. Within the park you can go from coastal beaches, lakes, mountains, rain forests, hot springs, and more in a single day! Olympic NP has the largest temperate rain forest in the world!
Today we decided to focus on the Hoh Rain Forest and Ruby Beach. These two location were relatively close to our campground.
Dad decided to do something different with this picture and told us all to "look that way!" So we did, but I was clearly not sure why we would do that...
Here is Mom's latest obsession. The color of this water. It was beautiful and so unusual! We found out while on a ranger led hike that the color comes from glacier melt and the minerals in the glaciers.
We are in a rain forest! It was about 65 degrees, but the "feels like" temperature was 75 due to the humidity. It felt really great, and smelled like the Des Moines Botanical Center.
We all liked this tree. It curved over the trail. It touched the ground on both sides and grew into a tall tree on both sides too.
This panoramic picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of this place.
Most of the trees in this rain forest grow on "nurse logs" which are fallen trees that seeds take root on and grow. Once the nurse log deteriorates, it looks like the trees roots are suspended.
Caleb liked the "cave" under this tree.
The water was cleaner that I have ever seen.
Park Ranger Jenna took us on a hike and taught us about the rain forest. She explained the differences between temperate and tropical rain forests (no monkeys, much less diversity of plants and animals, cooler temperature).
She challenged Cameron to a duel with "swords" from a fern plant. She won. But in Cameron's defense, she has had much more practice.
Another picture of the water. [Obsessed]
A picture of us in front of the river (but really just another excuse to take a picture of the water).
We stopped at this place for an early dinner. The humor of the name caught our attention.
Eating dinner. Notice the guy in the helmet behind Matt. He was a grizzly looking stuffed monkey that no one wanted to sit by.
We had climate whiplash as we left the rain forest and drove to Ruby Beach on the Pacific coast.
Walking the path down to the beach.
A panoramic picture of the beach. It was stunning.
The boys brought buckets to build sand castles.
Grace was the first to take off her shoes and socks and walk in the water.
She found all kinds of sea creatures in the rocks.
Random guy I picked up on the beach.
Construction continues.
Grace and Matt are looking at a small tide pool with active little creatures. Matt took a great video of them moving.
Caleb was in his own little world.
The boys gave up sand castle construction (too shifty), and moved to drift wood construction.
Learning to skip rocks.
This is my new coffee table. Not sure how we are going to get it home or in the house, but it is so cool!!!
A great day in the rain forest and on the beach.
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