My free sidewalk astronomy, education outreach, and stories throughout the natural world like these are made possible with your support. Thank you! You can continue supporting my mission with a tip on Venmo or PayPal.
DECEMBER 1ST SAN DIEGO UPDATE: Barring major delays during my final 7-hour drive south Monday, I should be in San Diego hosting sidewalk astronomy when this newsletter is sent out. Come find me at Seaport Village nightly for free telescope viewing of the Moon and Saturn now through December 17th.
Leaving Sedona behind…
I originally intended to travel to Bozeman, Montana upon leaving Sedona. I’ve never visited Montana outside the corner occupied by a sliver of Yellowstone, and the recent snowfall would have satiated my desire to see the wintry precipitation. But with a possible request for a stargazing tour in Georgia, my plans changed, just in case the tour went forward.
I headed to the PNW to empty my storage locker, grab the 30 copies of Embassy I’ve had binned-up for months, and of course, get my winter gear.
The question now was “which way do I go?” I could go south and take two weeks to explore California on my way to San Diego for most of December, or go disappear further into the mountains of Oregon and circle back around. I ultimately decided to head further northwest, to the Olympic Peninsula, as a taste of a trip I wanted to do again next year.
And what a dream the peninsula was…
Wednesday, November 19th
It began with a dead battery.
When driving long distances, I plug my Jackery into the van to charge it on the go, rather than using solar (and autumn/winter in the PNW isn’t exactly known for its clear sunny skies). The problem I encounter is that when I turn off the van, the power to the DC ports doesn’t shut down–a fact that often slips my mind.
So when I arrived at a friend’s house and we switched cars to go to Silver Falls State Park, I forgot to unplug the DC port. So when we returned 5 hours later and I went to start the van…the battery was dead. My normal jumper didn’t do the trick, and attempting to jump via traditional cables and revving with a truck didn’t work either. So I accidentally spent the night in Salem, Oregon. It took 1.5 hours of trickle charging the following morning to get going.
From there, I headed north to McMinnville, where I stopped to get a multimeter read on the battery voltage. Everything checked out fine, so I was good to go without dropped $200+ on a new battery (and have safely driven nearly 2,000 miles since!)
Directly beside the AutoZone was a drive-thru coffee shop. I’d never seen one of these before, but it would change my life. I’ve stopped at one literally every single day since. This isn’t Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts; these are little coffee shacks typically on the side of the road. Just swing in, and swing out.
From there…the road trip north.
I passed back through Seaside and Astoria, then crossed into Washington, where I followed Washington Highway 101 north. A few hours later, I found myself in Olympic National Forest, situated on the southwest side of the Olympic Mountains.
It was beginning to get dark, so I found a spot to spend the night on a national forest road and settled in.
Thursday, November 20th
Good misty morning…a phrase I’d be using every day from here on out.
The November chill greeted me when I woke up. I love crisp air, and the low fog creeping through the trees only made for the perfect PNW atmosphere, the allure and magic this corner of the continent is known for.
After eating breakfast, I flew the drone a bit, capturing the morning fog and mist drifting above the forests and nearby lake. Down the road a bit further was a waterfall blowing cool mist through the mossy trees, the tops of which were enshrouded in yet another layer of fog.
As morning took hold, I continued the drive north toward Forks, Washington. This is where I skipped a section of Highway 101, and instead ventured deeper into the national forest…meaning I missed the section of the highway that runs along the coast.
But I’ll return another day to finish that tiny stretch.
Nearing Forks, I turned eastward and visited Hoh Rainforest nestled along the Hoh River. It’s a forest of pure enchantment, with mist hanging in the air, the trees glowing green, orange, and gold in the light of the low-hanging Sun, the sounds of the forest muffled under a bed of leaves, needles, and soil.
Hoh is the kind of place you go into with an idea of what you’ll discover, and come out with more wonder than before. It is, simply, beautiful.
Due to the government shutdown not fully ending yet, the visitor center was closed, so no stamps or stickers to be had. If you happen to be visiting, please respect the rainforest, as only one ranger was on duty during my visit, and she was brought over from Olympic National Park because of how thin this current presidential regime has stretched the national parks.
From Hoh, I drove the sixteen miles back out to 101 and continued north to Forks. And no, it looks nothing like a certain movie series from the 2000s-2010s would have you believe.
Forks, Washington, is a true small town situated all by itself up in the corner of the peninsula, the last “well known” town of its size along Highway 101 until you loop back around to Port Angeles on the northern edge of the state (which is a small city). It has its own grocery stores, a transit center, a small set of schools, some hardware stores, and a fair number of adventure shops.
The town of Forks is an outdoor sports basecamp of sorts, with trails to the beaches, mountains, and rivers at every turn.
I found another forest road to set myself down for the night, in the thick of the woods several miles outside Forks. But not so far away, I suppose, because of Gary. Gary is a older man who was so excited to share stories of seeing sea otters at the beach, and how if you hike to the beach at low tide, you better watch how long you’re on the trail, because the tide will swell up and keep you trapped on the rocks.
After talking to Gary for about 20 minutes, I ate dinner and settled in for the night, going through pictures and drone footage from the past two days before heading to bed…
Friday, November 21st
I woke up in the–you guessed it–in a misty forest, with a light drizzle sprinkling my van. And after putting my bed together for the day ahead, I made my way back into Forks to stop at the–you guessed it again–drive thru coffee stand on my way out of town.
I love these drive-thru coffee stands. Why aren’t these literally everywhere?
With fresh coffee and mocha in hand, I set my sights north.
I continued following Highway 101 until it split with Highway 113, at which point I followed 113 north, then 112 west to Neah Bay, the town at the NW corner of Washington.
Neah Bay is an indigenous community, the ancestral home of the Makah Tribe for more than 6,000 years. The heritage center and museum explores and preserves the history of the Makah and their forced contact and integration with white settlers, and is filled with artifacts from the tribe’s history in the region.
At the very end of the peninsula is Cape Flattery, the most northwest point of the continental US. To access it, you need to purchase a tribal lands recreation pass ($20), which is good until the end of each calendar year.
The hike to Cape Flattery takes about 25 minutes, and is a little more than 1 mile downhill one-way (and uphill on the way back). Watch my video of this hike here.
Following the hike, I returned to Neah Bay and ate fish and chips with clam chowder at the Warmhouse Restaurant. Despite being out of season for fresh catches, it was still a delicious meal, and the owner was extremely friendly, easy to talk to, and was personal with everyone who came in (many of whom also knew him).
I drove several miles off tribal land before settling for the night near Clallam Bay, listening to the rolling waves of the Salish Sea mere feet behind me. Come morning, a break in the mist opened a view across the water to Vancouver Island in Canada, and I continued my journey to Port Angeles and the eastern half of the Olympic Peninsula…
Part 2 of my loop around the Olympic Peninsula will be released on Thursday, December 4th.
This world is beautiful,
Alex
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or YouTube
Purchase my photography prints
Support my mission, travel, and outreach with a tip on Venmo or PayPal.
Leave a Reply