Port Angeles, Lake Crescent, Ruby Beach and Pacific Beach June 20, 2012

Our first stop on our return trip was at Lake Crescent along WA 101.  The lake is known for having some of the softest water and clarity.  Our stop was at a ranger station part of Olympic NP.  The water was cold and when we walked out onto the boat slips the depth was about 20 feet and the water clarity was remarkable.  We took a hike from the station to a fall about 1 mile away, the trail was similar to that of the rain forest we hiked in Lake Quinault.  It was worth the walk out to Marymere Falls and back.

Ranger Station Lake Crescent Olympic NP June 20, 2012

Lake Crescent Olympic NP June 20, 2012

Clarity of water about 20 feet deep Lake Crescent

Marymere Falls Lake Crescent Olympic NP June 20, 2012

We continued south and stopped at Ruby Beach, CA., another one of those spots that is known for its large rock formations along the coast.  Off the coast is Destruction Rock Lighthouse and along the beach are these large formations, very picturesque.  Also along the seashore are thousands of driftwood logs.  The seashore changes often as the tides change.  Another thing that is showing up along the beaches of Washington is debris from the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami of last year.  Whenever items land on the beaches people are to alert the police to have someone check for radioactivity.  The biggest worry are the larger items like boats, docks, etc., as they may carry micro organisms.

Destruction Rock Lighthouse Ruby Beach Olympic NP June 20, 2012

Ruby Beach Olympic NP June 20, 2012

We spent a couple of hours there and it was still early for a sunset so we headed again south to Pacific Beach RV park. 

We got back to the RV park around 8:30 and driving over 300 miles with all of our side trips was still bright out and the sun was just starting to set.  Around 9:15 we had a beautiful sunset.  The view we had from the park and motorhome was spectacular.

View from RV site Pacific Beach Conference Center June 20, 2012

Sunset at Pacific Beach RV site June 20, 2012

We spent a few days at  Pacific Beach and had a great stay, we made new friends other military retirees,  we got to swap stories and books.  They had been visiting the area for a week or so and were from the northern tip of Washington in Blaine.  We got a few good tips of places to visit and stay when up in their neck of the state.  The afternoon "Happy Hour" were a lot of fun.  They had a couple of small dogs that we got to get our puppy fix since we don't travel with pets anymore.  We hope in our future travels to be able to catch up with our new friends and enjoy their company and their puppies.

Darby and Brandi

We departed for Montana on the 22nd of June for Montana.  The trip back to Olympia was easy, then the fun started north on I-5 to start east on I 90.  Traveling thru Tacoma and Seattle was very busy as some areas have 5 plus lanes with merging traffic coming at you from both sides.  We got on I 90 and for some 50 miles traffic was very heavy.  We traveled across the state and stopped about 40 miles west of Spokane at one of the state's rest stops.  We continued the next day traveling thru Idaho and into Montana and getting off at St Regis and headed north to West Glacier, Montana.