Olympic National Park

I've been to Seattle several times but never crossed Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. The peninsula is suprisingly big, maybe 100 miles north to south and 100 miles east to west. More than half of it is taken up by the Olympic National Park, and more is made up of several national forests. More spectacular mountains. As an Easterner who has visited the west many times, it took this trip to make me realize just how spectacular the mountain west is. The mountains of Washington are no exception.

If I'm able to attach a couple of photos to this blogisode, the mountain shot is at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic NP. It really reminded us of Switzerland (except for the wandering deer). The other image is in one of three temperate rain forests in the park. Climate and geography combine here to keep these areas very wet, and usually mild. Some of the biggest non-redwood trees in the country grow here -- the average height is 250 feet. There's also a lot of different kinds of moss and other air plants covering the trees. Very unusual forests.

Leaving the peninsula we crossed Puget Sound on a ferryboat--no problem fitting the truck and trailer. We spent a couple of nights near Seattle, and today we drove across North Cascades Natonal Park (more spectacular mountains) and are currently in a neat campground on a river near the town of Twisp, Washington. We were here once before, and never did find out the origin of the name "Twisp." Fortunately, it's not it New Jersey or it might be called Twisp Twp. Anyway, it's pretty much in the center of Washington going west to east, and not to far from the Canadian border.

Tomorrow we'll be heading to a small town near the Idaho border, and then onto Glacier National Park in Montana, where we'll spend a few days.