Olympic Park Water Falls

Yesterday, after a slow start to the morning, we decided to head to Port Angeles and Olympic National Park. Our trip today was to find a couple of the many waterfalls that are in the park.

When we got to Port Angeles, we decided to call Rod and Deb and see if they would like to join us for the afternoon. They quickly said yes, but had not had lunch. Well, neither had we. Deb suggested the

8th Street Bridge Grill. Burgers and fries, salads and sandwiches, and milk shakes in about 54 different flavors. What more could one ask for. So, after a quick stop at the park visitor center for Ellie and I to pick up a National Park Passport Book, we met Deb and Rod for lunch. Great choice and everything we had including the shakes was great.

We decided that we could all pile in the jeep, so Rod dropped their truck off by the house and we stopped

to pick them up. Time to head out to the park, but not before Mark

picked himself an apple off of the tree in the backyard.

So, with apple in hand, we headed into the park, and around

Crescent Lake. This is a beautiful cold, clear glacially-carved lake. It owes its existence to ice. Its depth is 624 feet and was gouged by huge ice sheets thousands of years ago. As the ice retreated, it left a steep valley that filled with clear blue water. The lake has very little nitrogen which limits the growth of tiny plants like algae. Without them, the waters stay crystal clear. In some places you can see as far down as 60 feet. The clarity and reflecting light give it the beautiful blue-green color.

It’s protected waters are home to fish like the Beardslee and Crescenti trout, two types of fish found nowhere else in the world.

After a few pictures here, we headed on to the

Storm King Ranger Station where we picked up the trail head for

Marymere Falls. We all headed down the trail which took us

through the tunnel. Deb says

come on through.

We wound around and through

the trees. And, I might add, some

big tree they were. We needed seven people to go all the way around this one!

Andrew, Lauren, and Zachary….I wish you guys had been here to see this.

As we continued on down the trial, we saw

bridges made from tree trunks and

beautiful blooming plants. We climbed

steps and

visited with a ranger along the way. But, at last, we

we found the falls. We are so glad that

Rod and Deb decided to join us today.

Well, time to head back down the trail, but first,

Jim and Mark had to compare a camera setting or two. Then, we made our way back across the

one lane bridge and by

this little guy who was enjoying an afternoon snack. It was back through the

tall tall trees and it wasn’t long until we were back to the

Ranger Station where we started.

We still had time for one more stop, so we headed to

Madison Falls. This was just a short walk around the trail past

this very large tree stump and the

ferns that grow wild all along the paths. And, once again, at the end of the trail we found

the falls. Everyone took

advantage of the cool and shady lookout. After a short rest, we started back. Once we were back to the car, Rod remembered that we were not far from some hot springs. We drove and drove, only to find out that when we got to the

end of the road, it was still a hike to get there. It was getting late and we had already been on 2 hikes so we headed back down the mountain. We did stop at a pullout to get

a picture of this lake.

Once we were back to Port Angeles, we dropped Rod and Deb off at their trailer, made plans to return to Port Angeles on Saturday for dinner at their house and then we headed home to Chimacum.

Another great day!