Olympic National Park & Into Canada
/Day 20 - On to Olympic National Park
Still on the Pacific Coast Highway (US-101), the road curved eastward through areas of thick forests on both sides of the highway and around the Quinault Reservation lands then curved back towards the Pacific shore. We passed through small towns with interesting names like Humptulips and Queets and Forks.
David noted that the odometer was already reading over 2000 miles driven since leaving Las Vegas, the result of a very circuitous route with quite a few detours and side trips… double the miles required for the most direct route to Seattle ~1000 miles.
We had no reservations for this evening’s campsite (not surprising) and thought finding something early in the afternoon might be prudent. David had identified three potential campsites along our route. The first one was closed. The second one, Klahowya was open and there were several sites open which gave us hope for our first choice, Fairholme Campground at Crescent Lake in Olympic NP.
We arrived mid-afternoon and after a quick circuit of the campground… Eureka! Luck was with us. We found a primo spot ($12/night with Parks Pass). In actuality, there were several sites open, but most filled up by later in the day. Even more luck… after May 24th, campsites were reservations only. Until then… first come/first serve. Whew! Just under the wire.
We settled into the campsite… not much settling to do with Blanche, just park. Sites have a fire ring and picnic table and park amenities include fresh water, flush toilets and trash disposal.
The walk down to Crescent Lake was steep, but pleasant along a path through the forest. We passed by a large cut log and David decided to assess its age by counting the rings. A look of dismay crossed his face when he finished counting… “Even the trees are younger than we are!”
The lake is a beautiful clear blue-green, but looked ice cold and a couple of young, brave, shivering souls confirmed our suspicion. The views of the lake and the Olympic mountain peaks beyond were stunning.
Flowers abound around the lake especially pale blue forget-me-nots with a pink Robert geranium here and there thrown in for a contrasting splash of color.
David lit a fire while I prepared a one-pan cottage pie for dinner.
Day 21 - Olympic National Park
A leisurely breakfast and we were off again. We got a good view of Port Angeles as we passed through.
We stopped at McD’s to post a blog and pick up emails then headed to the park visitor center. The main visitor center at Hurricane Ridge was closed due to a recent fire. We stopped at another visitor center close to town which was quite crowded. We checked out the exhibits, then because the park road was closed beyond this point, we headed back into town and decided to be on our way, although we considered this a less than satisfactory exploration of Olympic National Park. Guess we’ll just have to return one day.
We had anticipated taking the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry across Puget Sound to cut off some significant miles, but Blanche’s fare ($75+) had us rethinking our decision. We ended up taking the long way around back down to Olympia and the conclusion of US-101, then north again on I-5 through Seattle to the Canadian border. We passed by the beginning of US-2, our last year’s cross-country road trip adventure, and gave it a wave. Been there, done that.
We stopped at the Smokey Point Rest Area on I-5 for the night. Washington allows overnight stays of up to 8 hours. We stayed a few hours longer, but had no issues. It was safe and the 24-hour rest rooms were easily accessible and clean. The I-5 traffic noise however was ceaseless.
Day 21 - Into Canada
We had a poor night’s sleep. Beyond the I-5 traffic, neighboring cars and semi engines droned on and off throughout the night ostensibly to ward off the cold. The morning was dark, rainy and raw as we rejoined I-5 and headed north.
In Bellingham, we had a long list of to-dos before heading into Canada. First, we picked up an Amazon order of heavier battery cables for the new batteries that David had ordered. Then there was a Walmart stop and a Winco stop, an ATM stop and finally a gas-up.
Just before crossing the US-Canadian border in Blaine, Washington, we stopped at the Peace Arch Historical State Park. The park ‘celebrates the unguarded US/Canada border that stretches from the Strait of Juan de Fuca (right here) to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia’.
The 67-foot Peach Arch, built in 1921, straddles the border of the two countries, one half on each side of the border. On the British Columbia side, Peach Arch Provincial Park borders Washington’s park. The whole area is beautifully landscaped and a most gracious welcome to Canada.
The Peach Arch totem pole is a tribute to Canada’s First Nation people.
Crossing the border into Canada is a non-event. Canadian border officials are polite and pleasant. The queue was about a 10-minute wait. The officer checked our passports, asked a few pertinent questions… why were we coming to Canada (pleasure travel) anything to declare (no firearms, a 12-pack of beer and not much else), how long did we intend to be in Canada (a month or so en route to Alaska)… and then wished us a good trip.
Once in British Columbia, we found our way to the local Walmart in Delta, the Tsawwassen (Sah-WAH-sen) area south of Vancouver where we purchased a Koodo SIM card for David’s phone in order to have access to Canadian cellular data. Walmart also allows overnight stays for up to 24 hours which is very gracious of them. We considered this option, but David had found a very interesting campground not far away and we couldn’t resist.
We headed to the Lighthouse Marine Park Campground in Point Roberts… Washington! Accessible only by boat or through Canada, this little community on the 49th parallel is part of Washington state and we were back in the USA!
Next time, a bit more about Point Roberts and welcome to beautiful British Columbia, Canada’s most western province.