Trip Report: 20070507
We had arrived at the Lake Quinault Lodge late in the day and were pressed for time to get to the dining room before they closed. So, to avoid going to bed hungry, we hustled up and went to dinner. As such, we did not get a chance to see the facility. We did notice, however, that FDR had stayed at the lodge in the 1930's and that stay was the impetus to form the Olympic National Park. Next morning, we explored the grounds and discovered what a beautiful place it really is. Should you be in the area, a stop is definitely indicated. After breakfast, we continued our trip south along highway 101 and crossed a huge bridge into Astoria, OR then continued south to Newport, OR for the night. The photos below are what we saw.
A view of the Lake Quinault Lodge from the lake side of the lodge.
A very nice lobby filled with older furniture.
The massive fireplace had a fire going by the time we got to the restaurant. Note the logs on the left and the antlers. The last time I said "nice rack" I got slapped.
The lodge is in the Quinault rainforest and gets up to 17 FEET of rain every year. Kathleen is standing next to the hotel's rain gauge. The lodge was at 7 feet of rain when we arrived.
A view of Lake Quinault from the lodge balcony. The grounds were nicely groomed. Note the clearing clouds left over from the nightly mist.
There were a number of kinds of blooming plants on the grounds. I have no idea what this is other than beautiful.
The large lawn at the lodge was nearly weed-free except for this fellow that I spotted on the tour of the grounds. The dew is left from the night before. Um, I doubt that there is a sprinkler system with 17 feet of rain yearly.
I spotted this fern fiddlehead on the trail next to the lake. This is a different species than the ones that I am used to seeing.
The lodge has its own dock and rents kayaks for use on the lake. Here, a couple of fishing buddies troll for lunch. Note the kayaks at the bottom of the photo.
We headed south from Quinault toward Aberdeen, WA . Aberdeen was depressing; I took no photos. It is a logging town and the local economy is "depressed" to put it mildly. Lots of unemployed loggers. From there, we continued south to Walapa Bay. The shot above is the passage from the main bay to South Bend, the self-proclaimed "Oyster Capital of the World". We did not stop there, but in honor of its name, I did have fried Walapa Bay oysters for lunch.
A road-side dandelion.
We continued south toward Astoria, OR and came upon this substantial herd of cattle in verdant green fields.
The day went from warm to hot, so Kathleen decided to go topless wearing insect-like goggles to protect her from the wind.
Highway 101 crosses the Columbia River at Astoria. This is one really big bridge and rises high above the river to allow passage of full size ocean-going ships. This is the north terminus of the bridge.
The south terminus of the bridge is in Astoria. This view is looking north.
We ate lunch at a seafood deli at the base of the southern end of the bridge. Outside was this monument to fallen soldiers from WWI.
A sea stack named "Hay Stack Rock" at Cannon Beach, OR. Note the kite. The winds were quite strong.
And speaking of strong winds, note the tree in the center of the photo above. The constant wind causes deformities. These "summer houses" are right on the water.
More sea stacks near Cannon Beach. Note the grasses in the sand dunes.
This is a view of Garibaldi, OR from an overlook north of town.
Beachcombers search for treasures at Lincoln City beach.
We finally arrived at Newport, OR. This is a view from the hotel room looking toward the lighthouse.
The weather was clear enough to actually get a respectable sunset.
This was a good drive and the sunny, warm weather made it a real pleasure. Traffic was light, but there was road construction. As it should be. Sections of 101 were very rough due to slumpage of the roadbed. The sections along the cliffs were sliding into the sea. Slowly, but sliding nonetheless. Oh, one final note. Small towns roll up the sidewalks at 9pm. We nearly missed dinner because we failed to note that fact. Forewarned is forearmed.
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