As Far West As We Could Go — The Towering Travelers

I’m not even sure how to talk about 2020. It was a brutal year for so many reasons, and not being able to travel internationally seems very far down on the list, especially since we are privileged in so many ways. We were incredibly lucky to be able to take some time to explore some of the beautiful places a little closer to home this year, and while I don’t usually blog weekend trips, these ones felt extra special this year. On a logistical note, I’m writing this in December, but backdating the trips to when we took them for my future sanity.

We had never really spent time in the southwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula before, so in July we took a Friday off and drove to one of the campgrounds. Driving around the Olympic peninsula always takes longer than I’d expect - it’s not that big, but there isn’t really a way to drive through it - so it ended up being a driving-heavy weekend, but a beautiful one.

On our first afternoon, we saw some of the area near our campsite (near, in this case, meaning within an hour). I got to hang out with a giant tree, which I always love, and we found a beautiful waterfall just off the road.

Self portrait in sunglasses (photo/Jason Rafal)

Approaching the largest Sitka spruce tree in the world (photo/Jason Rafal)

Wide angle makes both me and the tree look much longer (photo/Jason Rafal)

A waterfall with a Jurassic Park feel (photo/Jason Rafal)

On our full day, we drove out to Ruby Beach. It’s a popular destination, but since it’s a pretty long beach, it didn’t feel too crowded. We were there on a misty, somewhat sunny day, and it was really beautiful. Beaches in the Pacific Northwest seem to be characterized by small rock islands close to the shore, which is an excellent feature.

Emerging onto Ruby Beach in the mist (photo/Jason Rafal)

Enjoying the lunchtime views (photo/Jason Rafal)

Watching waves through caves (photo/Jason Rafal)

A shiny shell among the rocks (photo/Jason Rafal)

Misty rocks on the beach (photo/Jason Rafal)

Windswept trees through the mist (photo/Jason Rafal)

After the beach, we ventured into the Hoh Rainforest. Since it was mid-summer, the rainforest was fairly dry, but we got to spend some time among mossy trees and waterfalls along the river. There are so many shades of green in the Pacific Northwest forests, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.

So many shades of green (photo/Jason Rafal)

Crossing a creek in the rainforest (photo/Jason Rafal)

Our campsite was walk-in, had no road noise, and was next to a lake. It was lovely.