Olympic National Park (Part 1)

Thursday brought a cool, clear 50 degrees as we set out at 7 AM to catch the Coupeville/Port Townsend ferry.  The bike was loaded with all our camping gear and food for the trip and it felt like it.  We had our ferry tickets so we were taken right aboard for the 30 minute crossing. Then it was a short 45 minute ride to Port Angeles where we visited the Olympic National Park visitor center below Hurricane Ridge.  After getting our maps, we drove 17 miles to an elevation just over a mile high.  The views were spectacular and we took two short hikes that the ranger recommended.

Then it was back down to the coast where we headed to Kalaloch about two and a half hours away.  The weather was clear, and as we passed by rock walls heated by the sun, the temperature hit 92 degrees.  As we  traveled on, we imagined clear views of the Pacific when we arrived at our campground.  Then as we approached the coast, we could see what looked like a cloud bank through the trees.  I told Val that it looked like it was right on the coast.  When we turned south to parallel the shoreline, the temperature plummeted and we were quickly enveloped in fog.  By the time we arrived at the campground, the temperature had dropped 40 degrees and we couldn't see the surf even when right on the beach.  

Looking back toward our campground.

I thought the campground would be mostly empty since it was the Thursday after the Labor Day weekend, but I was wrong.  By nightfall it was almost full.  And Friday night was full.