Olympic Peninsula - Port Angeles, Ruby Beach, Lake Quinault Lodge, Merriman Falls

I woke up to a beautiful morning at the rest area in Port Angeles -- mostly blue sky,  with a few wispy clouds hovering around the mountains.

I drove to downtown Port Angeles, walked around, and visited the information center.  Across the water to the North, in the distance, is Canada's Victoria Island. I had never seen a "Rocktopus" before, but sure enough, I encountered one on the waterfront.

The view from the observation deck was great! But I could see clouds already starting to roll in over the mountains.

A lady at the Port Angeles visitor information center gave a map of the Olympic peninsula and some ideas of things to do. I also wanted a ranger's point of view, so after talking with her, I drove to the Olympic National Park's Hurricane Ridge visitor center. The road above the Hurricane Ridge visitor center is closed due to snow and black ice, but there is plenty more to see in the park.

One of the two rangers on duty was more detailed in his suggestions and descriptions than the other, and I eavesdropped on his conversation with the people in front of me. I let the people behind me go ahead of me to the other ranger.

After several minutes of waiting for the more talkative ranger, I got tired of waiting, and went to the other ranger, who was free again. She was a lady of few words. She suggested that if I had the time and didn't mind a little extra driving, she recommended I visit the Quinault rainforest and Merriman waterfall on the south end of the park. She said I would pass a historic, rustic park lodge along the way, and as a bonus, that route would take me past Ruby beach!

My plan for today became starting with Ruby Beach, the historic lodge, and Merriman Falls, and then stopping at the Quinault Ranger Station for more ideas. After that, I would work my way back north, seeing as much as I could along the way. Tomorrow I could pick up anything I miss today and still want to see.

It was almost a 2 hour drive to Ruby Beach, and another hour drive to Merriman Falls.

There are several sea stacks offshore and along the shore at Ruby Beach. According to a sign posted at the beach overlook, the sea stacks are caused by waves crashing against the headlands and eroding the rock. From what I read, the process starts by the waves carving out a cave. After more erosion, the cave becomes an arch, and when the arch eventually falls, sea stacks are what remain. 

I saw someone starting to climb one of the sea stacks, but t turned out he was just posing until his girlfriend took a photo. 😏

The waves bring in a lot of thick, amber colored seafoam to the water's edge. I was surprised how thick the foam is!

A nearby stream empties into the ocean here, and the water in the stream is amber in color. That might explain the amber color of the seafoam.

The beach is covered with cobblestone, pebbles, logs, and driftwood.

The driftwood has some interesting colors and textures.

The Destruction Island Lighthouse is visible in the distance. I like the patterns the receding water makes on the pebbled beach. 

On the way to Merriman Falls, I passed by the Lake Quinault Lodge. I was expecting a log cabin-type lodge, like in Glacier National Park or Yellowstone. This lodge looked like something I would see in New England... I almost expected to see Martha Stewart peering out one of the windows. I wasn't impresed enough to stop and look inside, but maybe I should have done so anyway. Maybe I would have been surprised.

When I got to the Quinault Ranger Station, I was surprised to find that it was closed! It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I didn't get to ask any questions.

I found Merriman Falls, though. It is right beside the road. It is quite beautiful, although I'm not sure it was worth the long drive, as there are other waterfalls closer to Port Angeles!

The nearby Quinault Rain Forest Trail is nice, and has a lot of moss covered trees, ferns, and fungi.

One very interesting tree on the Quinault Rain Forest Trail is growing out of the stump of another tree! Such decaying stumps or logs are referred to as "nurselogs". Hemlock and Spruce seedlings have a hard time surviving on a thick rainforest floor, but can absorb minerals, moisture and warmth and get their start on a decaying trunk.

On my way back north to Port Angeles, I tried driving to the Upper Queets Valley Road and the Lower Queets Valley Road. I was hoping to see the "Tree of Life" and one of the waterfalls that the first ranger had mentioned to the people in front of me this morning. (I should have been more patient and waited for that ranger!) 

I didn't find the "Tree of Life" or any waterfalls. Both roads turned into unpaved dirt roads full of potholes, and I eventually turned around in both cases. Incidentally, the only vehicle I saw on either road was a single pickup truck. I saw some impressive mossy trees, though.

The weather was clear and nice most of the day today, which was great! It was dark and rainy by the time I got back to Highway 101 and drove back to Port Angeles. I was hoping to have a seafood dinner in Port Angeles, but it was too late by the time I got back.

I had a good night sleep at the Hwy 101 rest area located a mile east of Port Angeles last night, so I'm staying there again tonight. I decided I need to take things into my own hands tomorrow instead of relying on the rangers. I'll do some research on the Internet before starting my drive tomorrow, and map out the locations of places I want to see in the park.

I definitely want to see the Salmon Cascades, the Hoh Rainforest, the "Tree of Life", and find the waterfall the first ranger told the people in front of me about this morning. After looking at the map, it will be a shorter drive if I continue south down the west coast from the Hoh Rainforest at the end of the day tomorrow, rather than coming back to Port Angeles again.

I look forward to tomorrow!