Scenes from the Olympic Peninsula

I thought I'd just post a few more pictures from the recent trip to Washington state.  I  have not managed to draw or paint anything from the experience yet, though I haven't given up hope that I will.

We spent several days driving the Olympic Peninsula, a real contrast to the dry windy part of the state we saw east of the Cascades.  This area receives over 100 inches of rain a year, and it has enough greenery, rushing water and giant trees and ferns to prove it.  This photo was taken at Lake Quinault.  There is a lovely old lodge there, a lake, and fine hiking trails.  It was near here we saw a herd of elk in a meadow across from a golf course.

It seemed like there was fast running water everywhere.  In fact there was an article in the newspaper warning people not to go into the water yet, as it was fast, dangerously cold, and sometimes carried dangerous debris.  It certainly was beautiful.

Further north along the peninsula, at Kalaloch we found another lodge and cabins by the ocean.  We spent most of a day walking beaches and poking into tide pools.

This is me, standing under the roots of a giant tipped over tree.  The tremendous rainfall in Olympic National Park creates trees so huge I felt like a child, or maybe a hobbit.

Further north we headed up into the Olympic range, back into snow.  This is Hurricane Ridge, named for the ferocious winds that buffet the place.