A Party in Forks

Map of this blog's locations click this link to open the map

It is only 75 miles to Forks from Sequim and is generally a nice drive once you get past Port Angeles. Admittedly the curvy road would have been better suited to a sports car, but there was construction along the way so that slowed us down. The views along Lake Crescent were probably pretty nice, but the road required my full attention. I was able to go back and watch some of the dashcam video to see what I missed!

We had been told that the Forks Elks lodge was likely the only one in the country where you stood a decent chance of seeing actual elk in the field where we would be camped. We were looking forward to that possibility. When we pulled into the lot, there weren't any other rigs there. Being a Monday afternoon, that might not be too odd but we expected at least one other person. They have six power pedestals with a water spigot next to each. Backing up to the pedestal from either side gives them 12 RV spots. There is one 30 and one 50 amp outlet on each so the first one arriving has the ability to claim their choice. We scoped out the sites and picked the one that was closest to being level although none of them were great, they are all manageable.

As we were setting up, a worker was taking out some trash and came over to chat. He asked how long we would be staying and we told him six nights. His comment was that we would be here for their annual summer camping party the upcoming weekend. He expected members to be coming in the next couple of days to claim their spots for the festivities. Hope we didn't piss somebody off by taking the "best" spot. The word must have gotten out that spots were going quick because later that afternoon a couple other people came in but just left their rigs after getting situated. We headed into the bar after dinner to meet some locals and have a couple beers. The bartender Darryl was quite the host. He left his spot at the card game and came over to chat with us. We learned a lot about the lodge and the Forks area in general. He even took us on a tour of the whole facility - a first in our dozen or so Elks stays. We stepped outside before going to bed that first night hoping that the local elk herd might have joined us but they were a no show.

Our first full day was spent back in Olympic National Park but this time to something very different than Hurricane Ridge. This is the wet side of the park. Just a short drive south of Forks is the Hoh Rainforest entrance. We were astounded by how busy this place was. There were cars parked along both sides of the road about half a mile before the parking lot and visitor center. We lucked into a parking spot in the lot as we pulled through.

This place gets 12 to 14 feet of rain each year. Fortunately it was dry the day we stopped but the evidence of that fact is clear even on dry days. We did a couple of short hikes out of that location. The Hall of Mosses trail is only 0.8 miles long but was quite incredible for two reasons. The trees here are big, really big, spruce and fir. And they are all covered with moss. The vibe while walking along this trail was obvious. I found myself stopping, looking up and being in awe of these giants. There was even one portion where there were quite a few maple trees also covered in moss.

Maple Tree Covered With Moss

The Hoh River and a Hazy View

The Spruce Nature trail is a 1.2 mile loop that takes you past the Hoh River. There were a couple of the big trees that have blown over leaving incredible roots towering vertically over your head. Other trees end up taking root on these fallen giants which makes the fallen one a "nurse" tree. It was interesting to see evidence of ones that must have fallen hundreds of years ago. There would be a perfectly straight line of trees with raised root structure that once surrounded the nurse tree, but now that it has long since rotted away, the remaining trees have roots resembling stilts.

Huge Blow Over with Trees Growing from Above

Backside of Same Tree - Note Well Established Tree and Roots

Line of Trees from Nurse Tree Likely a Century Ago

During the investigation stage of what to do while in Forks, Chris had discovered a tour offered by the visitor center in town. The whole area in this part of Washington state is a big timber business. Each Wednesday, there is a tour out of the visitor center. Chris had reserved a spot although as it turned out there was only one other couple on the tour. I suspect they can accommodate 10 or 12. All visitors are asked to sign into the log book to help them justify the existence of the visitor center and the tour. When the second couple signed in, they saw a previous entry with a home of Green Cove Springs Florida. Turns out they too are from there. Or maybe the more proper way to say it is that they also use St Brendan's Isle mail service and are full time RVers like us. What a small world!

Timber Museum Sign

A retired lumberjack volunteers as the bus driver and guide for the tour. We hop on the bus with the other couple, are given hard hats and we are off. First stop is a cedar shake plant. The place is pretty low tech and a bit run down, but they produce a large amount of cedar shake, shingles and even shims. There are many pallets of product sitting out in the area adjacent to the building. There are also a huge number of storage bins with the chunks of cedar that are the input to the plant. Most of the raw materials don't come from harvested trees but rather from the large stumps of previously harvested areas. The old larger trees were cut many feet above ground when the timber was harvested so now they cut the stumps, splitting off chunks along the way.

Shake Inventory Awaiting Pickup

Inside the building are a handful of workers. It is a two story operation. The cedar chunks are taken upstairs to the saws. Only one was in use at the time so I could check out the stopped one closely and stay far away from the operating one. A roughly 3 foot diameter circular saw blade is spinning vertically much like a table saw. As a woodworker, I have a profound respect for saw blades and when I was working with my equipment, I was always assessed the safety level of the cut I needed to make. If it didn't feel safe, I would stop and come up with a different means of holding the wood that kept me out of harm's way. As I watched the guy running this equipment, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be willing to do that job!

Saw Not in Use - BIG Blade

Keep Fingers Away from Spinning Blade!

The Nine Fingered Operator

The rather old machine accepts a block of cedar that is 20 inches tall. Since each block was split, the other two dimensions are quite variable but are roughly 12 to 16 inches on a side. Cedar is a light wood, so the blocks are not heavy but the operator needs to evaluate each one to determine how to orient the block to get the best yield. At which point he lowers the hydraulic clamp to hold the wood to a powered sled. Now he is doing all this while standing just inches from a huge blade spinning at some god forsaken speed with no real safety guards in place. At one point he stops working and takes off his glove to show a hand missing the pinky finger. He has worked here for over 40 years and only had that one slip last year. I suppose that is a pretty good safety streak.

The sled with the block in place is now driven back and forth through the saw. With each pass, the block is tipped a few degrees left or right of normal in order to form the taper required for shingles. As each cut piece comes off the saw, he grabs it and trims the edges on another saw before he drops the product down a shoot to guys waiting to take the pieces and place them in packaging.

Worker Packages Shakes Down Below

From here, we get in the bus and drive for 20 minutes or so south of town and eventually turn up a gravel logging road. The bumpy ride brings us to an area of forest that had just been cut and the equipment was working at pulling the trees up the hill for final processing before being trucked out. The crew consisted of about eight guys. In each of the three pieces of machinery was an operator and there were 5 guys down the hill where the felled trees were. The owner of the firm got out of one machine and came over to talk to us. Between this guy and our tour guide, there wasn't much about the harvesting process that we couldn't get an answer to. There were two predominant species from this woodlot: hemlock and douglas fir.

Our Tour Group Checking Out the Harvest

This section was on a steep hill below the logging road. An overhead cable skidder was being used to pull the trees up the hill. A main cable was run between the machine and a large standing tree on the far side of the lot. A big powerful winching head can be lowered along the main cable until over the crew below. Then the cable from the winch is lowered and the guys attach it to 4 to 6 trees on the cut end. The winch lifts the heavy end of the trees well off the ground then the winch head is pulled back up the main cable bring the bunch to the top of the hill.

Bunch of Logs Being Pulled Up

The next machine grabs each tree and removes the limbs and bark and then cuts them to a preset length for transport. The last machine is used to segregate the logs by species and puts them in truckload size piles. We easily spent 90 minutes there watching them work and asking lots of questions. The only thing that would have made it even better would have been if the owner had offered to let me try out one of the machines but alas that wasn't in the tour price. On the long drive back to Forks, we had a nice chat with the other full timing couple. This is a very nice tour to do if you ever find yourself in town.

Looks Like Fun!

After lunch we headed south again to the coast to Ruby Beach. This becomes our first stop on the Pacific Ocean. The place was very busy even though the fog was so thick the views were not that wonderful. We walked up and down the beach a bit taking in the scenery and watching the waves crashing on the numerous sea stacks located along the beach here. It wasn't the best day to be at the beach but we still enjoyed the visit.

Overlooking the Log Jam at Ruby Beach

Exploring Sea Stacks

Smaller Sea Stacks as Waves Come In

The next day we headed north and west to Cape Flattery - the most northwestern point in the continental United States. The place is where the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean intersect. It was another foggy/smoky day so the views were not going to be great, but we have learned to deal with the cards we are dealt. The area here is part of the Makah Indian reservation. In theory, non-native visitors need to get a pass to be able to park are do most of the sightseeing in the area. We stop at the visitor center and pay our $10 to get our annual pass.

Carved Wood Statues at Makah Visitor Center

Totem Used as Sign Post

Back at the trailhead to the cape, we managed to find a parking spot but the place was quite busy. The walk out to the peak is not too long - about 1.5 miles round trip. Much of it is a wooden boardwalk that was a bit damp from all the fog and moisture, but surprisingly not very slippery. In theory, we have been here on a trip right after graduating from college in 1985. I say in theory because none of the walk or the views looked familiar to us. I still need to go back through my scanned film to see if I have pictures from back then and compare them to present day.

Walkway to the Cape

The fog wasn't so bad as to completely block the views but it wasn't possible to see out to the ocean or any other features that might have been there. There are a several different viewing points with each one offering a unique view. There are quite a number of caves that have been carved out deep underneath the land here. The strong wave action likely prevents exploration by kayak. Surprisingly there is a geocache located at the start of the trail. It had been our experience that geocaches aren't present on reservation land so it wasn't clear why this one is here. It is safe to say this will be our westernmost find until we head to Alaska.

Overlooking Some Sea Caves

View at Cape Flattery

Just a Bit Foggy

As we drove south around the area, we headed for a geocache at a small beach pull out at Bahobohosh Point. There was a new building under construction but some of the posts for the roof were elaborately carved and painted. We had noticed a carved wood statue on the way in so we went back to check it out. Not sure what it represents but the thing is just a bit creepy!

Carved Pole

Hmmmm?!?

Kind of Creepy

Since we were in the general area, we headed south to the Shi Shi Beach trail. We had read that it was a nice hike and thought we would give it a try. The trail starts inland and then parallels the coast slowly working its way towards the ocean. The full round trip hike is 6.7 miles. We originally were expecting to turn around well before the end but once we could hear the waves and were able to see the water, we found ourselves drawn to the end. Just before reaching the beach, there is a steep set of switchbacks that even have ropes to help getting down and up. It did take a bit of convincing to talk Chris into going down to the beach but after hiking 99% of the trail, it seemed like we just had to do this last bit. It was tough going but fortunately being dry helped immensely.

Once on the beach, we took off the hiking boots and headed into the water. It was a pretty brief walk since the water temperature was quite cold. We spent twenty minutes wandering around before drying off our feet and heading back up the switchbacks. It turned out the climb up was much easier than coming down. By the time we got back to the trailhead, we were beat and looked forward to heading back to camp.

Foggy View at Shi Shi Beach

Waves Crashing

View Overlooking Sekiu on Way Back to Forks

We pulled back into the Elks Lodge around dinner time. Parked in front of the lodge was a pickup truck we recognized. It was Dick and Wardene's - the couple we worked with over a month ago at the Habitat for Humanity build in Mount Vernon. But they aren't Elk members so why would they be here? We track them down inside the lodge. Turns out they met somebody at a campground near Port Angeles who suggested they should come to Forks and become Elk members and partake in the party going on this coming weekend. It was good to catch up with them and they even came back the next day with their Airstream and camped a few spots away.

We had been told another place we needed to see while in the area was Rialto Beach and the Hole in the Wall. This is located in the small town of La Push right on the Pacific Ocean just west of Forks. Like we have been experiencing recently, we had another somewhat foggy day. Maybe most days in these parts are foggy? We have learned to not wait for perfect weather since it doesn't happen. Regardless of the weather, to fully enjoy this beach hike, one must wait for low tide.

Rialto Beach

Big Sea Stacks Along the Way

The walk along the beach from the parking lot is under 2 miles north to the Hole in the Wall. What is the Hole in the Wall? It is a rock arch that juts into the water. During low tide, it is possible to walk through the hole and continue up the beach. There is a trail that goes up and over the hill which should be accessible even during high tide. So if you happen to time your trip poorly and get stuck north of the hole, you should still be able to get around without getting wet.

The "Hole in the Wall"

The Hole was interesting but isn't the best thing to see while there. The tide pools that are all around this area on both sides of the Hole contain lots of sea creatures to investigate. With a keen eye and being careful where you step, you should be able to see sea creatures like starfish, sea anemones, crabs, and urchins to name a few. We found ourselves spending a lot of time searching for more things to see. We even found a sea anemone that appeared to have captured a good sized crab and was enjoying the meal.

Solo Starfish

A Handful of Starfish

Sea Urchin

Sea Anemones

Sea Anemone with Crab

Starfish About to Be Washed Further Up Beach

Back at the Forks Elk Lodge, the party was going strong. There were over twenty rigs and tents setup all over the grounds around the building. There were a few of us that were just traveling through while the rest are local members. They had several games going on. The triathlon consisted of indoor shuffleboard, darts and billiards. There were a couple different horseshoe contests. They even had a lot of activities for children to keep them occupied. The lodge's bar was closed all weekend so members could bring their own drinks. There was a pig roast one evening with everybody bringing a dish to pass. Let's just say, this lodge knows how to put on a good party. If we end up in the Olympic Peninsula again, we will need to consider being here for the second weekend of August.

Full House

Horseshoe Toss

Nice Form

Those people familiar the "Twilight" books or movies already know that this area is the setting for the series. Chris has read the books, so she knows the backstory better than I do but she is far from a huge fan. But apparently there are a large number of tourists that come here specifically to see some of the locations. One of the geocaches we did while here takes you to various places in town that are part of the storyline. Some of the private residences obviously don't appreciate all the attention. Many have barricades up and No Trespassing signs all along their property. The town is definitely taking advantage of the notoriety with all sorts of souvenirs for sale and pamphlets detailing the locations so tourists may find them easier.  It was sunny in Forks for our visit and that is why we didn't see any vampires.

One last thing to see was recommended by some of the fellow campers. We had seen the sign for the "Big Cedar" tree while driving Highway 101 south of Forks but hadn't made the trip to see it. Now that we know it is worth a look, we head back. The sign on the highway is your typical DOT official sign. However once you turn off the highway onto the gravel forest road, at each turn the signs look more like those put up to advertise a garage sale. One "sign" was a rock no bigger than a square foot that had an arrow and the word "tree" to identify the direction to take at a split in the road. If you miss one of these, who knows where you will end up?

By taking it slow, we managed to get to the tree. A couple other cars were parked nearby, so we knew we were in the right spot. So what was our impression of the tree? Well it is definitely big. The sign says it is 178 feet tall and has a diameter of 19.4 feet. It didn't really look to be alive. The green growth that is way up the tree could easily be other trees growing in this one. We had gotten the backstory to why this tree is here from lodge members. Apparently when this area was being harvested decades ago, one of the loggers named Duncan came upon the tree and recognized that this tree was special and should be saved. All the neighboring trees were removed while this one stayed so it could be measured and documented. The sign names this the Duncan Cedar but doesn't tell the story which was too bad because the people checking out the tree were interested in the story when we mentioned it to them.

World's Largest Red Cedar

Chris Poses for Scale

Fortunately, this lodge does have a dump station. Even better, nobody had parked in such a way as to prevent us from getting in and out without a problem. There was a big horseshoe match taking place as we pulled out. A short blast of the air horn got their attention so we could wave to our new friends before heading south.