Ocean Shores, WA

Our final night (Sunday) was spent at Copalis Beach, just 6 miles north of Ocean Shores. Once we got our campsite, we went to Ocean Shores to visit the "Sand Castle" festival. Things were winding down, so we only got to see the one sand sculpture. They also had several chainsaw artist with their cedar sculptures. We left Copalis Beach early the next morning and headed home with lots of memories. Thanks TREK for another safe trip!

Ruby Beach - Pacific Coast (WA)

We rose early in the morning and had a good breakfast in a local restaurant. We felt relieved to leave Forks, WA in one piece!

As you head south from Forks, WA on US 101, your first sight of the Pacific Ocean is at Ruby Beach. The shoreline at Ruby Beach has it all - sand, pebbles, rounded stones, driftwood, and sea stacks. Between the mighty Pacific breakers and the towering coastal firs, the pebbles and sand of Ruby Beach serve as a barrier between two worlds. Occasionally sea and forest connect, but mostly this magical stretch of shore calls those looking to wonder, wander or just beachcomb.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Forks, WA

Nowdays, you cannot drive through Forks, WA and not sense the full impact of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" book series. It is overwhelming and will stimulate anybody's curiosity to read her books. There are four books in the series - "Twilight", "New Moon", "Eclipse", and "Breaking Dawn". Once you start the first book, you will not want to put it down. From then on, you will read the entire series - GUARANTEED!

We drove to LaPush and explored the scenes, as described in the book "Twlight". We had a great time and spent the night at an RV park in Forks, sleeping with one eye open. If you read the first book in the series "Twilight", you will understand the pictures in our short slideshow. For those of you who have read the first book "Twilight", then take this quiz and see how you do! CLICK HERE to take the "Twilight" quiz!

CLICK HERE to watch the short "Twilight" slideshow. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Makah Canoe Celebration

We were invited to a very special canoe celebration by Makah tribal members. There were 3 traditional Makah canoes that were given to three separate families. This was a promise made by tribal elders over 38 years ago. It is a goal of the Makah tribe to give each family, which can be very large, a personal canoe to resume their ancient fishing ways of the past. It was a very emotional and educational opportunity for us to celebrate with them. We enjoyed a delicious meal of specially prepared elk and salmon, which was served during the celebration.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Cape Flattery - Tatoosh Island

Cape Flattery is the most northwesterly tip of the USA (48 States) and looks across the mouth of the Straits of Juan DeFuca and Canada. The Pacifric Ocean is the backdrop and Tatoosh Island is located off the tip of the cape. There use to be a Makah fishing village on Tatoosh Island years ago, but no longer! In the winter, storms rage through this area, with winds of 100+ MPH on occasion! Look how calm and beautiful the day was for us. We had a great time exploring and seeing the spectacular scenery and the rugged coastline.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Hobuck Beach - Neah Bay, WA

On a spur of the moment, Nancy and I decided to take a trip around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. We had never been to Cape Flattery and had not been in this area for several years. It was going to be beautiful weather so ws just decided to head out in TREK for another adventure.

Hobuck Beach Park is on Hobuck Bay, which is located on the Makah Indian Reservation. The Makah tribe has built a very beautiful RV park at this beach. This is where the tribal members would launch their whaling canoes when harvesting the big gray whales that still frequent this area. This is not a practice anymore with the tribe. A few years back the Makah tribe was on national TV when they launch their canoes and harpooned a gray whale and took it to shore. They used the entire whale, in their traditional ways, to share with all tribal members. The hunt was not for commercial purposes, but for self-sustaining use only. This was a very special and meaningful event for the tribe.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Day 29-34 (Clearwater River Valley, BC)

We traveled the Yellowhead Highway south to Clearwater, BC and spent the night at the KOA campground. The next morning we did some grocery shopping and headed up the Clearwater River highway to our friend's (Jim & Colleen Vadheim) cabin in the valley. Their cabin is located just outside of Well Gray Provincial Park on 70 acres of some of the most beautiful and pictureque land that you can imagine. From the first day of our arrival, until our departure, the time was filled with excitment, adventure, exploring, laughter, fun, good food, friendship, and many unforgettable memories together. Our day would start with a cup of coffee in the early morning, sitting on the deck, counting the black bear grazing in the surrounding pastures. We would occasionly see sand-hill cranes, Canadian geece teaching their young survial skills, a doe with her new-born fawn, and the pastured horses romancing each other.

We hiked into the bush, viewed some of the most dramatic waterfalls, took a boat trip up the pristine Clearwater Lake, played golf, and had a very interesting experience with a black bear that weighted around 600 lbs. or more. This was a very special time for us to spend with our friends and bring to a close our exciting trip. We headed home on June 11th which was our granddaughter's 18th birthday and for her graduation from high school on June 14th. Thanks Jim & Colleen for a great time - we love you guys!

We arrived home safe and sound to Fox Island. Upon completion of our trip, TREK'S odometer had an additional 5,500 miles. We averaged 21.8 miles per gallon on our trip - not bad! You better get yourself a ROADTREK before they run out of them!

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!